Mindset: How Important Is It?

Mindset is possibly the most important part of your health you need to address. Without working on it, you won’t get anywhere, at least not anywhere far. The way you view the world and react to it and the way you view yourself, your health and your worth can have the most impactful consequences on your self.

Somewhere along the way, the hustle became the way we measure people. The busier you were, the more successful or admirable. If you never slept because of work, or if never had a day to play with the kids or enjoy yourself, then you were rocking it. The truth is this hustle mindset is what’s hurting us the most. When we don’t have time, are overstressed, overworked and probably underpaid, our fitness and nutrition are usually the first to go. Now we all know how that story ends: diabetes, hypertension, GI issues like IBS, Crohn’s disease, constipation, skin reactions like eczema, and mental health repercussions like depression or anxiety.

This basically happens because we are living disconnected from our bodies, we ignore the signs because we have to be the first, be the winner, be the best at everything and totally forget that we can’t do any of those things if we’re sick or exhausted or depressed. We need to connect to our bodies because it’s the only place we have to live and they’re with us forever. And this doesn’t mean the hustle isn’t something you should be proud of and avoid - I mean, we are totally there with you, but it also doesn’t mean that this is the way to measure your worth or success.

Let’s start with the basics.

What is Mindset?

Mindset is the belief that orients us into how we handle different situations, the way we sort out what we should do and how to go about it. According to Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck, the person who coined the term, people have either a fixed mindset or a growth mindset. Those with the former believe that certain traits like intelligence or courage are innate, those with the latter believe that certain abilities can be nurtured and learned.

The importance of mindset is that it can determine your success. Basically, if you believe in a fixed mindset and you fail at something, there’s no room for improvement, but if your in the growth mindset team it’s more likely that you will learn from your mistakes, be more resilient, and try again.

How do you change it?

It’s not as easy as just thinking that you can do better or that you can learn something new. It takes practice, commitment, and hard work but it’s the most valuable thing you can work on for yourself. Think of the mind like a muscle that you want to build strength, you need to work on it everyday. Unlike other muscles, the mind does not need rest days when it comes to growing and building a better relationship with yourself. You need to immerse yourself in the growth mindset and resolve that you CAN and WILL change it - as if your life depends on it, because it does!

How do you practice growth mindset?

We believe in two important ways: meditation and therapy. Meditation is one of the most powerful workouts for the mind, it gives you the ability to have a birds-eye view so that you can respond to situations in a calmer way, in other words, you respond instead of react. By practicing mediation and being aware of your breathing you will be instantly taken to the parasympathetic state of calmness and build a connection between you mind and body. Therapy is another powerful tool that can help you reach those deeper places that you might be hesitant to go alone. In other words, counselors help patients bring consciousness to the unconscious. By talking about whatever comes to mind with filter, you inner mind and body do the talking and it’s up to the psychoanalyst to interpret those messages so that you realize what’s going on inside and make changes.

How does mindset relate to health?

The way we view and appreciate our bodies, the food we eat, the fitness we choose, it’s all about mindset. In order to truly develop better habits and change your lifestyle you have to address the mind first and the rest will follow. Each of us has beliefs around all these things that are a combination of our upbringing and culture. Often, when you start on a health journey, you start out of a place of need or a place of self-hate. Deprivation, using workouts as punishment, reacting once you’re sick are very common. Instead, what if you came at your health from a place of love, acceptance and feel like you are worthy and capable of improvement and change? That’s your mindset and it will change everything.

The Myth of Moderation

Have you ever heard the phrase, “everything in moderation”? Chances are you probably have and this may be an unpopular opinion but that’s maybe the worst advice on the planet. What is moderation? How much is too much and how little is too little? Is a Coke a day too much? How about once a week? Is a salad a month enough?

The reason why moderation does not work is because it is completely subjective and it takes a lot of work to figure out what moderation is for each of us. Lara feels like crap if she doesn’t move her body everyday, at least for a long walk while Viviana enjoys her rest days on her couch watching TV. Who’s wrong? Who’s healthier? Answer: Neither and both!

Moderation, balance - it’s all yours and it changes day to day, even hour to hour. When someone recommends “moderation” it really doesn’t mean anything. You need to find what works for you - that’s what moderation is.

Let’s break it down a little more:

MODERATION IN FITNESS

Look online and you will find everything from taking one rest day is optimal to taking two to never ever resting. Some say active recovery is best and others say full rest. Why the huge amount of conflicting infromation? Because, as much as you probably don’t like hearing this, IT DEPENDS. On you, your fitness level, your goals, what you will sustain over time, your schedule, your time, your energy, you nutrition, your genes, your likes and dislikes. Literally depends on YOU. So how in the world are you supposed to find what works?

First, you have to learn how to listen to your body and yes, we know that’s the hardest thing in the world and takes lots of practice. But learning to listen and then being honest with yourself will allow you to really figure out what works and doesn’t work. Need a rest day? Or want a rest day? Both are fine and valid but you need to face both and own it. Results come from the work you put in, there’s no escaping that, but depending on your goals and what you’re after - how much work can vary vastly. There’s a time and a place for rest and there’s a time and a place to go really hard. But, you will only get the results you work for, whether that’s just keeping a fitness routine or training for a marathon, the work you put it is what you’ll get out of it, mentally and physically.

MODERATION IN NUTRITION

Unfortunately, it’s more of the same - IT DEPENDS. And the key is listening to your body. But, really, should you listen to your body when it’s screaming for donuts? And then a bag of chips? Followed by a massive Coca-Cola? Do you think you’re lacking self-control or motivation? Maybe. And probably. Your body has no physical need for those things, but maybe your emotions do. Ultimately, you’re an adult and you control what goes into your body. In nutrition, moderation doesn’t really exist. Consistency exists. There’s a time and a place for emotional eating because if it’s truly rare and on occassion, it won’t harm you. It’s when you do it consistently that it starts messing with you. Just like eating a broccoli on occasion won’t give you much nourishment. But eating it consistently, will.

Again, there is this myth of moderation - only have three bites of dessert! Have one soda a week! Truthfully, finding balance in nutrition is probably the hardest thing you’ll ever do. Do you really know what works and doesn’t work for your body? What causes bloating or a headache or a breakout? Probably not. The path to discover this is full of ups and downs and many don’t have the patience to go through with it in this lifestyle of quick, immediate satisfaction and results. It takes trial and error. Lots and lots of errors.

We know this is probably not what you want to hear (#sorrynotsory) but anyone out there offering you a quick solution that sounds too good to be true, it’s probably too good to be true. Your body has an innate ability to tell you what it needs if you just listen and override all the habit that you’ve built over your lifetime. Shameless plug - working with a nutrition consultant, that is working for you and your individual needs and goals, is the quickest way to results.

MODERATION IN MINDSET

Balance when it comes to mindset can be a little more difficult because our minds are usually all or nothing and we can get so wrapped up in ourselves that we can’t see other perspectives. Take it a day at a time and give yourself grace. But again, you have to do the work to get the benefits, whether that’s therapy, meditation, practicing mindfulness, etc.

In psychoanalysis, a form of therapy, patients go to therapy anywhere from 2-5 times a week, sometimes for years. A supervisor of mine told me that it all depends on how fast they want to get to where they want to go. Think about it, if you want to go to Alaska (we are in Texas so it is kind of a long walk), and you walk once a week for an hour, it might take you three years to get there. What about if you walk for 3 times a week? You’ll get there faster and you won’t have to spend time getting ready for the walk because it’s already done! Imagine how fast you’ll get there if you walk daily? In therapy, I use this so that patients come to their sessions ready to work and if they come more that once a week, we get the “what happened this week” out of the way and focus on the good stuff. When it comes to our minds, we need to work on it daily, I don’t believe we get to take a break from this one, that means taking care of your emotions and recognizing them!

Moderation is a myth, we strive for this perfect balance but the truth is, there isn’t one. There are seasons and you evolve and change and that may be more difficult to hear because it’s not an easy fix but we have to start getting away from that and doing the work and enjoying the journey.