Have a Little Faith: Willing Yourself Into Shape

 

My years as a Toronto Personal Trainer have taught me that people who have faith in themselves and their abilities are much more likely to succeed in meeting their fitness goals, not to mention their goals in general. However, the road to fitness is an uphill climb filled with plenty of disappointments, and many people lose faith in them and give up along the way. Thankfully there are plenty of tricks you can use to help you keep going.

Baby Steps: Don’t try to boil the ocean. Fitness is a lifelong commitment and does not happen overnight. As a Personal Trainer in Toronto, I have seen too many fall off the bandwagon because they weren’t seeing the results they wanted instantly. Instead of getting discouraged because of fat rolls or less-than-bulky biceps that seem impervious to even the most strenuous of workouts, focus on the positive. Are you lifting a little more than you could a few weeks ago? Are you seeing some weight redistribution? Are you feeling more energetic? If so, you are making progress, no matter what the scale or measuring tape says.

Find an Ally: An encouraging word or even another body sweating next to you when the going gets rough can work wonders for your self-confidence. If you have a significant other or close friend, setting fitness goals together can make working out a lot more fun. Alternately, some gyms can set you up with a fitness partner with similar physical abilities and goals. If this isn’t for you, I see people motivating each other all of the time in workout classes at my Toronto Personal Training business, where everyone is sweating it out together, You can also hire a personal trainer; part of our job is to keep you feeling motivated in your workouts, which is great for self-confidence.

Positive Reinforcement: It seems silly, but unrealistic expectations set by the media can have a significant impact on self-confidence. This can eat away at your faith in your ability to get in shape. Recognize that almost all of the images that we are bombarded with of the ‘perfect body’ are airbrushed to perfection, and that celebrities literally pay millions of dollars and employ armies plastic surgeons and makeup artists to look the way that they do. Unsubscribe from catalogs or magazines that hire anorexic-looking models, and surround yourself with reading material that makes you feel good instead. Your confidence and faith in yourself will skyrocket.

Forgiveness: You accidentally had one too many desserts last night and are now feeling bloated and generally worthless. Should you give yourself up as a lost cause and munch on French fries all day? Nope; Just move on. I have seen many a fitness student fall victim to the downward spiral of shame in my years of Personal Training in Toronto. Tear yourself out by telling yourself that it is okay to slip up once in a while, that you are not worthless, and that your training session starts in an hour which gives you another opportunity to redeem yourself.

 

Michael Kelly

Personal Trainer Toronto

www.Truelifefitness.ca