Moving from a fixed to a growth mindset

Everyone has the potential to be successful at anything they put their mind to achieving. But that being said, you’re not the only one who’s struggled with mental hurdles.

The most important thing to understand is that your mindset is going to dictate your outcome. A “fixed mindset” is very black and white/ all or nothing. This way of thinking is hyper-focused on insecurities and perfectionism. When locked into thinking about and anticipating failure, inevitably something will happen that creates it. Maybe you don’t nail your macros one week and you carry that guilt with you to the gym where you don’t get in a great workout. Then by the end of the week, you feel so guilty you just want to give up. But it’s more than just feeling down, you start to think you really can’t do this.

Maybe that the only way you can ever reach your goal is to be extreme, because maybe that’s what worked for you in the past. You needfood restriction. Your body is different, you have to do 90 minutes of cardio a day or else you’ll justblow up. This mindset is detrimental and dangerous to your goals and your health.

And what about food obsession? It’s more common then we might want to believe. Could you have a fixed mindset around food? You “could never” eat at a restaurant that doesn’t serve dry grilled chicken breast and steamed veggies…. or you have massive anxiety about eating at your mother-in-law’s because her southern cooking is too rich, there’s no way you can accurately track! So you just bring your own food?

These are not healthy mindsets. Having a fixed mindset leaves you stressed, limited, and unhappy if you’re not doing your plan “perfectly”. Perhaps you will be able to release lingering anxiety around food and your body by changing the way you allow yourself to think about your situation. So learn to adopt a healthier, “growth” mindset. One that says, “I’ve been working really hard and perfect macro/calorie tracking isn’t real. I’m fine if I’m a little off on this meal. One day or one meal is not going to break my progress. Adjustments can always be made. It’s more important that I enjoy my time with my family.” This is a balanced mindset.

Growth mindset says, “Trying to be perfect is actually exhausting! I’m not happy trying to do everything perfectly all the time! It’s okay to mess up. It’s okay to fail. I can always learn from the mistakes. I can always improve.” Look for a method within your health and fitness lifestyle that you can do over the long term – this is the sustainable method. Balance is the ideal. Not perfectionism. Healthy mindsets and feeling good in your own skin are as important if not more so than whether you’re 100% perfect at everything you do.