Your mindset affects your behavior in all areas of your life, including your fitness and health. While researching mindset, behavior, motivation and success, Carol Dweck came up with the terms fixed mindset and growth mindset.
These two mindsets are pretty much what they sound like. In a fixed mindset, you believe that things are pre-determined. In a growth mindset, you believe there is always room to improve.
Fixed Mindset:
– Your abilities are set and unchangeable. No amount of effort will make any difference.
– You avoid failure or any situation where the outcome is unknown.
– Obstacles only get in your way or are a sign to quit or give up.
– Success comes from what you’re born with or pure luck. Results are pre-determined.
In terms of your fitness, a fixed mindset puts you in a mental place where you can’t see any opportunity to improve. Maybe you hated gym class as a kid. So as an adult, you assume that you’ll hate joining a gym, too. Or perhaps you tell yourself that you aren’t a runner, you won’t ever be good at it, so you avoid any and all workouts that include running.
Fitness isn’t fixed, but your mindset could be. While you may not feel strong, coordinated, or “in shape” now, your current fitness level isn’t etched in stone for the rest of your life.
Fixed and growth mindsets sit on opposite ends of a mindset scale. When you start taking ownership of developing your skills and abilities, not only do you become more coachable, but it also shows that you have adopted more of a growth mindset.
Growth Mindset:
– You believe that it’s possible to improve your skills over time.
– Obstacles and challenges are an opportunity to learn and get better.
– Failure is also a learning experience.
– Your starting point doesn’t matter.
Here are a few ways that you can develop a fitness mindset that’s focused on growth:
1. Don’t expect perfection.
There is a difference between striving for big goals and striving to be perfect. Be ambitious, but also be willing to make mistakes. If you’re new to CrossFit, remember that it’s okay to be a beginner. If you’ve been training for a while, it’s okay if every lift isn’t a new PR.
2. Expect setbacks.
Having a growth mindset means that you not only see challenges as an opportunity to grow, but you also expect setbacks to happen. You’ll miss a workout because a meeting went long, or you got stuck in traffic. You’ll eat the whole sleeve of Girl Scout cookies. You’ll sleep through your alarm and miss your morning workout. These things will happen, but when you expect setbacks, then you’re more likely to take them in stride and bounce back.
3. Celebrate successes.
Chalking up even the smallest successes to luck implies that you’re not responsible for your own achievements. But when you acknowledge your accomplishments, then it’s a sign you have a growth mindset. There is no such thing as a “lucky lift.” You earn all of your PRs; they come from hard work and dedication. When you run your fastest mile, don’t give the credit to the downhill. Own and celebrate your success.
Are you ready to live life to your fullest potential? So are we. Schedule your first free class today.
