Today on the Incite Change Podcast we welcome Flavia, a client of Coach Mauro, who shares with us her mindset journey to her fitness goals.
Flavia grew up as an amateur athlete, but was unable to keep it up while going to college. Life, stress, and “valid reasons not to” exercise came up, and it wasn’t until feeling herself being winded climbing up stairs that Flavia made any adjustments. Facing a real existential crisis, she recognized that she needed to make drastic changes to her lifestyle, to improve her fitness.
Self-consciousness is one veil that can prevent one from going to the gym and hitting goals. In turn, it encourages you to make excuses, and pull back. You have to change your mindset, and quit trying to avoid failure because you can’t go through life not trying anything. A major “aha” moment for Flavia was realizing, everyone is too self-absorbed to be thinking about you at the gym. Most people think there is a spotlight of attention on them at the gym, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Everybody is there for themselves.
Flavia shares a story of how scared she was when starting training with Coach Mauro; And how being open toward what she was taught, and trying new things, helped challenge her to achieve her goals in a short time. Most beginners are under pressure to be perfect, and this doesn’t always end well. It’s okay to not get the form right, the first time. Do not expect perfection; this takes the pressure off you to perform. Before you know it, you are doing things you otherwise thought you couldn’t. Always remember that good, and permanent results take time.
Fitness is a vehicle to a more fulfilled life. When you make a change in fitness, it builds your confidence, skills, and grit, and these traits can then be transferred to other aspects of your life. Taking care of yourself is a sign of self-respect, and you have the confidence to demand the best from people around you.
There is a misconception that women who go to the gym will become bulky. Weight training does one thing very reliably: it makes you stronger. Most people who are classified as bulky have a high percentage of body fat, which is the result of eating more calories than the body needs to maintain its current state. Mauro shares the metaphor, “Just because you’ve got a driver’s license, doesn’t mean you can drive a Nascar”.
Coach Mauro and Flavia discuss being objective, and less subjective. Suggesting “stop investing emotions in your measures, as a reflection of yourself”. You are not going to lose all your progress because of one big meal. Remember, it didn’t take you one day to get to where you are so it sure won’t take one day, one bad meal, one cookie. to take you back to zero.
Finally, Flavia encourages us to find a community of people to support you to help you get back on track. You can make friends in the gym that are valid fans, and ready to support your goals. Having like-minded people moving in the same direction as you, waiting in the wing to support you when you need it, is a game-changer.
EPISODE TIMESTAMPS:
[01:00] Flavia’s convoluted journey to fitness
[07:00] Finally signing up to train with Coach Mauro
[14:00] Fitness as a vehicle to a fulfilled Life
[19:00] Progress isn’t Linear
[22:00] Physical Activity and Improved Quality of Life
[25:00] Myth of Women getting bulky when they train
[35:30] Being Objective and Less Subjective about Measurements
[43:00] Flavia Last Thoughts for People in Her Situation
[45:00] Finding A Social Support
Quotes :
“The more you do nothing, the more nothing happens…it was a self-fulfilling prophecy of defeat, I knew I was going to suck at it, so of course, I sucked, I knew I wasn’t going to enjoy it, so of course, I didn’t enjoy it, I knew I was going to quit, so of course I quit.”
“It’s not as scary as we make it seem. It’s safer not to fail, it’s better to not try, that way you won’t fail. I teach a growth mindset, and I can recognize it in myself …in avoiding failure I’m building myself up to fail further, because you can’t go through life not trying anything, and surviving.”
“Weekly measurements taught me not to place so much stock into weekly measurements. Because you can’t look at something just week by week, and comparing it to one week, you have to look at the data that came before it”
“It didn’t take you one day to get to this stage, and it’s not going to take one day to go back.. It’s a process of moving forward and the reverse, is the process of backsliding. You can fall off a horse but I mean if you stay on the ground that’s the problem.. re-evaluate the process, do not not assign blame and just keep going”
Resources Mentioned: