The Power of an Abundance Mindset When Approaching Weight Loss
When you first embark on your fitness journey, your main focus automatically dives into running. Lose weight, lose your satisfaction in yummy food, lose your mind. What if the conversation was different and you were actually focusing on the wrong thing?
You sweat buckets now and worry about “keeping the weight off” later… once you have lost it. But first, let’s just lose the weight, your mind says. It works well in theory and maybe motivates you into getting active. Maybe for a couple of days you tie up your running shoes and jog around the block or finally put the gym you are already paying for to good use. A week goes by and you have already cheated on your crazy restrictive diet. But you believe it is worth it because you need the weight off now. You suddenly find yourself unmotivated and like you have already slashed one tire, so why not slash the other 3?
This mindset of restriction does not last as time goes by and you find yourself in the same funk in which you started in. It does not have to be this way. It is possible to shift your mindset from that of scarcity and removing the foods you enjoy while adding punishment, to that of an abundance mindset. What is this abundance mindset I am referring to?
A mindset focused on abundance is also focused on health, in all aspects including mental and physical health which ultimately leads to incorporating healthy habits that will benefit your quality of life and wellbeing. Thus, incorporating exercise, no matter if it is strength training or going on a run twice a week is not punishment, but a manifestation of care and respect for oneself. Beginning your weight loss journey from self hatred may get you started but not finish, and if by for some miracle you do achieve your goals or desired weight, you do not keep it. An abundance mindset allows you to shift your thoughts from self hatred or unbelief to focusing on all the good and possibilities around you.
A good analogy that may demonstrate what I am referring to may be in the instance of telling a child who wants a toy really bad that they do not deserve that toy or are forbidden to touch it. You remind them of this every morning and every night. By the end, the child’s desire for the toy will only increase as they will learn to hyper focus on it, growing resentment and eventually rebelling. This is human nature and completely natural. What you focus on, you will focus on! If you focus on restricting “bad” foods and eliminating things from your diet and add things by force, you will naturally increasingly crave that which you restrict.
On the other hand, giving the child an abundance of other toys and explaining to them why the other toys are better, reinforcing the healthy multitude of options will lead them to come to this decision on their own and make a better choice without fear or resentment. In the same way, allowing yourself an abundance of other options will naturally divert your attention to healthier options rather than taking away things you like.
Practical Ways of Implementation:
Focus on adding nutrient packed food (fruits + veggies)
Adding healthy habits rather than eliminating bad ones
Acknowledge and value healthy habits you already practice
Incorporate foods and activities you love
Acknowledge and build on your existing qualities and strengths
