Why Is Attitude an Important Fitness Level Factor to Consider When Planning a Fitness Program?
Releasing the Power of Attitude to Explode Your Performance
We suspect that you’ve heard the attitude vs. ability rule for job seekers: success is 80% attitude and 20% ability. Sure, you need the ability to be able to do the job, but without the right mental attitude, you won’t reach your potential irrespective of your skill level.
A poor mental attitude is usually why athletes and sportspeople fail to achieve their promises. It’s why complacent teams lose against ‘average’ opposition.
In this article, we get personal about physical fitness attitudes, and how they affect your journey toward your fitness goals.
Why are physical fitness attitudes important?
Like so many of our values and beliefs, our attitude toward fitness is developed through our education and experiences. What we are told, witness, and do dictate our mental approach to health and fitness. For example:
If a parent stopped you from climbing trees when you were young, because “it’s dangerous, you’ll fall”, the chances are that you would never have climbed a tree since.
If you took a tumble and broke a leg while cycling, you probably don’t push yourself on the bike anymore.
And if you consider a workout as work, you’re probably less enthusiastic about exercise than you could be.
The fitness attitudes that we develop throughout our lives affect how we feel about physical activity. This affects our health and quality of life.
How physical fitness attitudes can impact your fitness level
When did you last take the temperature of your physical fitness attitude?
Many people have a negative attitude toward their health and fitness, and this affects their approach to physical activity, recovery from setbacks, and motivation.
It’s no different from other aspects of your life. If you dislike your job, you’re less likely to be motivated, more likely to take time off, and less likely to be good in your role. It’s going to negatively impact your job performance, satisfaction, promotion prospects, and your earning potential.
Here’s how positive vs negative physical fitness attitudes impact you:
Your approach to physical activity
With a positive attitude, you’re more likely to stay the course of a workout or exercise regime. You’re less likely to skip a session, and therefore more likely to achieve your goals.
When negativity creeps in, you cease to push yourself. You’re more likely to give up altogether as your negativity delivers poorer results and you begin to question if the minimal effort you are making is worth it.
Here are two questions to ask yourself:
Do you believe what you are doing is good for you or a waste of time?
Do you believe you can achieve your goals?
How you recover from setbacks
Setbacks are a part of your fitness journey, just as they are with life.
If you wish to buy a home, you don’t give up when the first lender refuses your mortgage application, do you?
You may become deflated if you are turned down for a new job, but that doesn’t stop you from applying to others, does it?
Such setbacks are temporary. You retain/regain a positive attitude, recover your poise, and get back in the game. You recharge, step up to the plate, prepare better, and move forward positively.
Do you have a positive attitude to recover from fitness setbacks? Ask yourself:
Would you be able to stay consistent when things don’t go as planned, or would you give up?
If you get injured, do you have the discipline and patience to go through a slow recovery process without quitting your goals?
Keeping discipline and motivation
Motivation is key to achieving your fitness goals. Motivation will help you remain disciplined and on the course, even should things get tough. Do you have the mental fitness to improve your physical fitness?
Here are two self-assessment questions:
Can you stay focused on your plan and goals, or would you get discouraged when you don’t see results overnight?
Do you remain optimistic by temporary setbacks, or do you become demotivated?
It can be challenging to stay positive and motivated. Not only are our attitudes to physical fitness engrained within us, but outcomes confirm our attitudes. A negative mindset leads to conclusions such as “I knew this wouldn’t work” if we suffer a setback – and this can quickly spiral downwards, with our efforts diminishing until we eventually give up.
This is why coaching is so important.
A good coach will help to keep you motivated, make small adjustments in your exercise routine that can make a significant difference, and retrain a negative mindset. As you begin to see positive results, you become more motivated, which in turn improves your discipline. Minor setbacks don’t disappoint you, but instead, motivate you to recover.
In short, with a positive attitude, you are far more likely to reach new levels of fitness than a negative attitude will at best delay and at worst stop you from attaining (or even cause your fitness to deteriorate).
How we address our clients’ physical fitness attitudes at Reload
When we meet with a client for the first time, we spend a good deal of time discussing everything they currently do, everything they want to do, and the things they feel they are unable to do.
As Mallory Reilly, strength coach and occupational therapist at Reload PT, says:
“I want to know everything about how much you are currently walking, to how long you are sitting at work, too, if you get up to take breaks to play with your kids… All the things I ask – how you’re sleeping, eating, how long you’ve trained for – give me a better idea of where you’re coming from to give me a better idea of what direction to put you in.
“We want to hear what you believe about yourself, and then we put you to the test to see if what you are capable of matches that belief.”
You see, we understand that physical and mental health are inextricably linked. From our very first meeting with you, and throughout our relationship, we’ll be checking your attitude toward physical fitness.
We’ll learn about how your personal aerobic and muscular systems are affecting your physical conditions – those aches, pains, and limitations you have – and the effects this is having on your mental attitude toward exercise, health, physical activity, and fitness. We can sum up our process in this regard as follows:
Getting to know what you are capable of currently
Identifying how to challenge you effectively and positively
Discovering what matches your mental and physical health as you improve both
Rinse and repeat continuously
Reflective positivity – the Reload coaching mindset
Our coaching mindset is always geared toward the client, in both their physical needs and goals and their mental focus.
“As a coach at Reload, I care about all aspects of the person in front of me,” says Mallory. “Who you are physically, mentally, and spiritually. I want to know where you’re starting at, and what is fun to you.
“One of the biggest questions I ask of people when they come through the door is, ‘Are you craving anything today?’ This helps me to tailor a session to what you need, not only for the long term but right now.
“Whatever the mindset a person comes in with, I ensure that I match my mindset accordingly. We might have to do a little bit of mindset changing for the client, too, of course!”
You can expect part of a Reload session to be talking about your day, where you’re at, and empowering you with positive energy. Our job is not to make major changes (these happen over time) – it’s about meeting you where you are. And if you aren’t in the mood to talk, but just want to get on and lift those weights, that’s fine, too. “I want to see if you’re feeling positive or negative, and see what we can do about that,” says Mallory.
One final word from Mallory about the Reload community, and how the science guides our approach to this:
“We have something in our head called mirror neurons. When we see someone doing something, it makes us want to do them too. Even if you’re having a bad day, you can look at Bobbie who also has a hurt knee and just broke her personal record. This helps you believe that you can do it, too. That’s what happens in this environment. Plus, the social support and having fun.”
Reload – the reflective coaching approach that improves your physical fitness attitude as well as your physical fitness.
Where do you start?
Right now, we are offering a complimentary fitness assessment – it’s your first step to a new and improved you. To take advantage of this, sign up for your complimentary fitness assessment today.
