Mindset - Setting the Foundation for a Balanced Life
There's no balance without a strong mindset!
My old personal training client on the Wirral, Tom, a software developer and a passionate amateur photographer, employed me as his personal trainer to help him get Fit, Lose Fat, and build a Strong, Confident body.
Despite his hectic schedule and fitness aspirations, Tom also told me about his goal of launching his photography business. I loved his enthusiasm and ambition, but I also felt a few alarm bells with the apparent thoughts of simultaneously spinning too many plates.
Each day, he soon becomes torn between his current job responsibilities, spending time with his family, his love for photography, and trying to get himself in great shape. One evening, while attending his son's rugby game, he realised that he'd been watching life too much through the lens of his camera, seeing life as a series of snapshots but not living in the moment.
Thankfully, this epiphany, along with a few friendly suggestions from yours truly, made him reevaluate how he views his passions and responsibilities. He now recognises that a shift in mindset is essential to genuinely balancing these aspects of his life.
Like Tom, many of us struggle to balance personal aspirations with daily responsibilities, and this is just one of the key reasons I created the Fit Body Code Formula. In short, the Fit Body Code's five key principles allow my clients to transform their bodies while navigating our often chaotic lives.
Our mindset is the key to managing our goal ambitions whilst effectively maintaining a form of balance. The mental approach we adopt towards life's challenges and our goals will develop a mindset that fosters resilience, prioritises well-being, and adapts to life's ever-changing circumstances.
The Importance of Mindset in Achieving Balance
Recent studies underscore the importance of mindset in creating a balanced life. A study I recently found by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania showed that individuals who practised cognitive behavioural techniques to improve their response to stressful situations managed their time and commitments more effectively. They reported a higher level of life satisfaction due to reduced stress and improved productivity.
CBT, in a nutshell, is the practice of reframing thoughts and creating new behaviours to allow you to think and feel differently about challenges, fears, and self-limiting beliefs that many of us regularly encounter.
When we encounter difficult life circumstances or some form of emotional turmoil, we soon throw the formula of balance out of the window. Suppose we learn to reframe how we think about our problems and challenges and take the uncomfortable steps to behaviours that tackle the problem. In that case, we soon reduce our stress levels while building our stress resilience. This allows us to manage our lives more effectively and helps us maintain balance.
Another compelling piece of research from the Journal of Positive Psychology demonstrates that people who cultivate an attitude of gratitude experience better mental health and a more harmonious balance between work and personal life. This suggests that mindset shifts that include gratitude will dramatically impact our overall satisfaction with life.
I'll admit that practising gratitude can be difficult, especially when life isn't going your way. But this is exactly the right time to employ this strategy. Focusing on being grateful, even when times 'seem' bad, you can start to create a perspective shift, allowing you to realise that you're probably over-dramatising your situation.
Even if you're in a world of pain that seems out of your control, gratitude will help you move forward and maintain balance in your life.
Three Practical Mindset Strategies for Better Life Balance
Here are three strategies that I have found incredibly helpful and believe can assist you in restoring or creating balance in your life:
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Prioritise Your Goals
Understanding what truly matters to you can dramatically shift how you allocate your time and energy. List your top priorities and assess how much time and energy you give each. This exercise isn't just about organising your daily to-do list; it's about aligning your daily actions with your deeper values regarding what matters most.
To give you a little suggestive nudge, your mental and physical health and fitness should be top priority! If you're in a good space, then you can be the best parent, partner, businessperson, employee, or friend you can be.
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Embrace Imperfection
Let go of the notion of a perfect balance each day. Some days will be more work-focused, while others might be family-centric or about self-care. Recognise that balance is about ebb and flow. Embracing this can reduce the stress of trying to fit everything into a single day.
This feeds back into the Fit Body Code structure. In the fitness and functional strength aspect, you can learn to utilise quick workouts at busy times or low-intensity exercise when your stress load is high. Keep using the structure to stay consistent and keep life well-balanced.
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Establish Daily Reflection Practices
Take a few minutes each day to reflect on what went well and what could be improved. Use this time to realign your actions with your goals. This could be through meditation, journal writing, or a simple mental review over tea. Regular reflection enhances mindfulness and helps maintain a proactive rather than reactive approach to life.
My favourite method is journaling. This isn't me writing a profound essay about my feelings every night but more of a tool to review my day. I look at what went great and what didn't, what I need to change for tomorrow to be better, and what I need to keep doing that works really well for me.
From here, I make simple notes in my diary to implement particular actions the next day and then see what happens. This process of consistent evolution moves you positively through your life.
Conclusion
Adopting the right mindset is crucial in setting the foundation for a balanced life. It's about making consistent choices that align with your values, embracing the imperfections of daily life, and being mindful of your personal journey's progress. Keeping a balanced mindset helps you remain consistent on your journey, and in edition 3 of the Fit Body Code, I'll show you how to cultivate a consistent mindset... Click here. As we continue to explore each principle of the Fit Body Code, remember that mindset is the thread that connects all aspects of a transformative journey.
Start with these strategies today and notice how small shifts in your mindset will dramatically change your life balance. I hope you found this helpful, and I look forward to supporting you further on your Fitness, Fat Loss, and Functional Strength journey.
Keep using the framework, and feel free to share your wins so I can cheer for you from the sidelines!
If you're short on time and need an effective routine, enjoy the time-saver fitness workout I've created here.
Keep Fit, Lean, and Strong
Lewis