How To Progress Faster With One Simple Change
I've had a lot of people asking me about my progress recently, and that's totally normal.
You see someone who is suddenly progressing very quickly and you want to know the secret, how do they do it?
If you've ever seen someone with amazing progress but been unable to recreate the results with their advice you need to read on.
While everyone progresses at their own individual speed, you might be interested to learn that there is more you could be doing!
Whether it's strength gains, body goals or flexibility progress, today I'll be sharing my top secret to faster progress with you.
Here's a clue, it's not the specific diet or the exercises or even the stretches that I'll be talking about in today's post.
While there are great exercises, stretches, techniques and health habits that I do have to share in the near future, first and foremost I'll be teaching you how to apply those techniques.
Without this secret, you can have all the advice in the world and still never get anywhere!
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What You Will Learn
- The secret to achieving any goal
- What causes you to feel demotivated
- How your mindset affects your progress
- How to change your mindset
- Where to find inspiration to make a change
So What Got You Motivated In The First Place?
No matter what fitness activity you choose, whether you're a gym goer, pole dancer, rock climber, you name it.
We are all drawn to the thing that appeals to us the most - for us this is pole dancing - for some it is martial arts and for others it could be swimming.
It's the thing we as an individual can take pride in and have fun with while getting a good workout.
Generally this is how we keep fit, by choosing a fitness activity that we find appealing we fool our minds into taking the hard work out of a workout, and for a while we enjoy an easy ride on the road to fitness.
Then, at some point in the journey we have a plateau.
When you start next level training it's time to up your game, but even though you have progressed to this point and are still enjoying yourself it's not as easy as before.
This new level of fitness requires the proper nutrition to avoid fatigue, proper schedule of rest, active rest, flexibility and workouts in order to progress further.
This is where some of us fall down. I constantly hear cries of "how do I get my mojo back?! I've fallen out of love with pole!".
There are a few ways to deal with this; going back to basics, working on flow, fluidity and transitions, new skills like handstands or changing from static pole to spin pole to revisit old moves with a new twist.
Above all though, the one thing that brings all of this together to take you to the next level is a certain mental toughness.
Do You Have A Growth Mindset?
Across all of the sports I just mentioned, the people who take it to the next level all have one thing in common; a determined and successful mindset.
Using flexibility as an example here, some people will see a dancer with fantastic and fast progress and ask how they got there so fast.
In this situation the answer usually consists of a number of various stretches, techniques and varying amounts of time spent on both 'holding the stretch' and the overall stretching session.
These tips in most cases are followed up by a recommendation of perseverance, consistency, regular routine and determination.
These guys are in it for the gains, and the reward of fast progress is granted for their hard work and effort.
Some people who have been training those same skills for years with little or no progress can have one of two responses to this;
"Great I will take that advice and run with it - I'm motivated by your success."
OR
"It's so unfair, I can't find time to stretch, it's not my fault, I'm too busy..." etc.
What Is The Difference Between A Successful & An Unsuccessful Mindset?
One group of people have a 'successful mindset', they will see a goal and run at it like a dog with a bone and take ownership of their own shortcomings.
The second group have an 'unsuccessful mindset', they blame other people and other commitments for their lack of progress and do not take ownership of their problem.
Image credit: Psych Lab. click here to see original image and corresponding article.
A huge part of the problem when you don't see results is the way you are thinking about things and how you approach your goals.
If you approach everything with a negative 'I can't because...' attitude, then you will never be able to.
I've had multiple conversations with people like this in the past, and in that situation it's possible for me to provide every single way they could get around a problem, only to be told 'I can't do that either, because...'
There is always an excuse for someone with a fixed mindset!
This is because pessimistic people are less likely to carry on after a set back, they often think it's them and their own personal situation, and think that this will permanently be the case - so there is no point in trying.
If you're reading this and seeing yourself in this way of thinking, the good news is that it is very easy to change!
How To Reprogram Your Mindset For Success
Now, I am one of the busiest people around, so I'm not sorry to say I often have little or no sympathy for someone determined to tell me they can't, especially when it involves some sort of time restraint.
Somehow I manage to fit it all in, often waking up at 6:30 and not hitting the hay until 12pm.
There's No Such Thing As Can't
There is always time, and if you don't feel like you have time - make time. Shuffle your schedule a little, see how you can fit it in.
Think more about how you CAN do it, rather than why you CAN'T.
Adapt the way you approach the problem, instead of listing out 10 reasons why something can't work, write down 10 reasons how it can work.
You have to believe in yourself. It's much better to admit you will struggle with something than saying you outright 'can't do it' for example.
Accept Failure As A Stepping Stone
A huge part of being successful is failing. In any industry there are always experts, and "the expert has failed more times than a beginner has even tried" is one of my favourite quotes in regards to this.
It's normal to feel frustrated when you fail, plateau or regress, but this is not the end of your journey, merely a stepping stone.
When you learn to embrace failure, learn from it and move on, you can actually learn a lot about your body.
Why didn't this work out? What can you change about your routines and habits that will help you to achieve more next time around?
Coming back to our flexibility example from earlier, flexibility is not always constant.
You won't be at your best every day after you reach a new flexibility target, and so focusing on this regression as a lack of progress is really damaging to your progress.
It's important to remember that this is a normal occurrence, and has nothing to do with your 'lack of ability'.
It Doesn't Need To Be Perfect
Another problem you might encounter when trying to keep fit is the perfectionist mindset.
When trying to replicate the results of people we admire, it's nice to have a list or set of rules.
We love an easy fix and simple plan to follow. We're drawn to things that promise us the exact same results.
All you have to remember when following these hints and tips is consistency, that is the number one success factor.
When following strict diets or workout schedules a slight blip can often lead to a heavy binge. Whether you're binging on laziness or food, just stop!
It's easy to think once you've slipped up that it's not worth sticking to because you have already failed, but the truth is that to be successful you don't have to be so strict.
The strongest, bendiest, leanest, healthiest people are consistent over years and years, they don't binge when they have a blip, they simply focus on staying at least 90% consistent over a very long time.
So next time you give in to that pizza craving, enjoy it, savour it and then let it go. Carry on with your healthy eating plan. The same goes for next time you skip a workout.
It's OK once or twice every now and again!
Taking Ownership Of Your Goals
Not everyone has the motivation to stay fit and healthy, and while that's a personal choice you have to stop saying 'I can't'.
Instead of blaming your schedule and resigning yourself to having no time left, make a change.
If you really want progress, go get it! Just own your own decisions, if you take 30 minutes to watch your favourite TV show instead of stretching, take ownership of that choice.
Getting really strict on this idea, if you choose to go to bed having not completed a goal for the day that you wanted to get done - that's your choice too.
It's never impossible, so make whatever changes you need to to reach your targets, even if that means a complete overhaul of your daily schedule.
Just starting with something as simple as giving up one night of television in exchange for an extra pole session or stretching session can lead to big changes in your habits as you get used to changing up your routine.
Quick Wins That Can Help You Get A Good Mindset
There's a bunch of ways for people to see results, from different exercises to varying diets. The key is not in the sauce but in the consistency.
That said, here are a few insider tips to help with the physical side of adjusting your mindset towards success from a health and fitness perspective.
If you have a diet, keep it simple.
First, remember what I said about consistency and don't be afraid to slip up. Second, increase your protein intake.
A lot of dieting is a huge mental battle, you'll often feel more hungry than usual. If you are doing a big workout you will feel more hungry still, and this is where an increase in protein will help.
Protein fills you up quickly and keeps you feeling full for a long time, while also being a great way to support healthy muscle re-growth and repair after working out.
If you are trying to 'lose weight' - or inches, set your goals in strength. Aim for 5 push-ups, 5 pull-ups. Anything you like, increase it as necessary to progress.
This will help to take your mind away from your scales. Scales hold little helpful information anyway unless you have a scale that shows you detailed body composition data.
Since you can still become super toned and lose fat while gaining muscle and putting on weight, a journey towards 'weight loss' is a sure fire way to feel defeated from an early stage.
If you are working towards a new goal set yourself realistic expectations.
Setting the bar too high will only leave you feeling bad when you don't reach your target. A series of smaller wins that eventually build up to a bigger long term goal will help you to stay motivated in achieving your goals.
Next, find yourself a buddy working on the same or similar goals. Help each other out and give each other tips and encouragement. Support each other when times get tough and celebrate your successes together.
Bonding with a friend over your journey will give you motivation to really kick ass, it can either be someone you know in life or an online buddy.
Final Thoughts
In some cases it takes a personal touch from someone successful to really drive home the importance that having a successful mindset has to your goals in life.
I've always been a very positive person but it wasn't until I read the biography of one of my favourite athletes that I really began to understand exactly what it takes.
You might even be surprised to hear that it wasn't a pole dancer - the person who really inspired my motivation was Ronda Rousey!
I was inspired by watching her streak of winning fights and when her biography was released I was interested to see what made her tick.
She really is an inspirational athlete with a hard core get up and go and never give up attitude.
The book, in case you're wondering, is 'My Fight, Your Fight' - it is definitely worth a read, you can buy it on Amazon here, I hope it inspires you the way it inspired me!
There's a lot to be learned about a world class training schedule and a winners mindset in that little book, in amongst the chick flick style behind the scenes gossip on her ex boyfriends.
It was reading this that really made me kick my butt into gear to work hard on my progress, and believe me the hard work pays off!
Just remember next time you catch yourself saying 'I can't' - you can, and you should set about thinking about how you can make whatever it is work in that very moment!
The real secret to making progress and achieving success is determination, a regular routine and long term consistency.
Do you have a success story to share that came as a result of your sheer determination?
Share it with us in the comments!
