Mindset shifts are a must if you’re pursuing better fitness during menopause or after. You had socialization and conditioning that influenced you heavily at a time when, well, you were easily influenced.
You potentially buried yourself between then and now under the business of life. My students and clients tell me that they were busy in their careers and or families, not eating all that well, not finding time for exercise, and not feeling they needed it. I say that because as women sometimes we equate the need for exercise with the need to lose weight or get rid of calories or find ourselves more desirable.
Really buying into exercise as a lifestyle- the kind of exercise very different from your 20’s and 30’s – about hormone balancing not burning calories, or fat, or basically in other words, you.
A midlife woman under stress responds quite differently to “more exercise, less food.” In fact, she is likely to slow her metabolism to a crawl and threaten her energy with adrenal fatigue if she does that for long.
It’s going to take some mindset shifts to rid yourself of those decades-old thoughts. I’ve got them right here in this post. First though before I dive in I want to begin letting you, my podcast listeners know that the Flipping 50 Café is the sponsor of this podcast and right now is the time to jump before the rate go up in July. The sooner you’re in the better your rate. Some of our founding members are in at the lowest rates and they’ll stay right there – grandfathered in –because I so appreciate them!
Here’s some of the changes we’re making…
We’ve revamped our platform and curated mini courses in 7 areas that our members tell us are the hottest sources of frustration:
- Weight loss
- How to start exercise/eating for right now
- Joint health (arthritis, ortho issues)
- Bone density
- Strength training
- And more
I’m going to share a little sneak peek behind the scene. I’ll link to a video of the Café behind the scenes … though I won’t let you see the dozens of workout videos, and the How-to library, or the actual challenges in fairness to our Café members!
Enough about the Café, I could go on and on about that… let’s talk mindset shifts.
The Status Quo Mindset
Fixed mindset says…“I’m bad at that.”
Growth mindset says…”I don’t know if I’m good or bad, I’ve never really put in much effort at it. But I know women who didn’t start running until they were 46 or doing triathlons until they were 60.”
The “Natural” Mindset
Fixed mindset says…”I used to be good at that. I don’t know what happened.”
Growth mindset says…”I really just had a certain level of success naturally and never put any work into getting better. I think it’s time to try again.”
Perfect Time Mindset
Fixed mindset says…”I just don’t have time to do this right now. It’s too much to add to my plate.”
Growth mindset says…”I am busy for sure. And because of it I need this more than ever. I’m going to reach down deep and find something else to give up or say no to so I have time to take this step.”
Weight Mindset
Fixed mindset says…”If I don’t lose weight this will be another failure.”
Growth mindset says…”No matter if I lose weight or not I know learning the right way to do this will make me happier and healthier right now.”
Age-Related Mindset
Fixed mindset says…”I’m getting older, it makes sense I’m slowing down and gaining weight.”
Growth mindset says…”I don’t have to be a victim of age unless I chose not to workout and eat smarter to compensate.” It’s what Michael Jordan did. It’s possible for anyone.
Have you noticed that those naturally talented who didn’t work for it have faded? No one hears about them or remembers them.
My client Jennifer hasn’t gotten to the pinnacle of her own fitness destination yet (I doubt she ever will- she keeps getting inspired to set new goals!). But when she posts people love it. She isn’t thin, winning, but she is OUT there.
My friend Susan, couldn’t swim when she registered for her first Ironman. She made it out of the water with 30 seconds to spare after swimming from kayak to kayak. Once it’s over no one looks at the time. She’s DNF’d many times in triathlons because she panicked in the water. She’s got tons of followers and she’s a sponsored athlete. Why? Because we like her spirit.
We like fighters. We like persistence. Sometimes we like it better than poor winners.
Do you remember the Nancy Kerrigan story, tennis star John McEnroe, or coach Bobby Knight? Those were memorable right, but what kind of emotion do they evoke in you? Not likely as positive. They don’t inspire.
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