Want to improve your fitness but frightened you may stumble at the first hurdle?
Dr Mark Winwood takes us through facing our fears and gives us tips on how to start and stay on the wellbeing wagon
The fear of failure for some of us is so strong that it can put us off starting in the first place. We believe we are not good enough and so won’t even try something new in case we fail. But our wellbeing is too important; so when it comes to investing in our future health and happiness we must harness those fears and motivate ourselves to make positive life changes.
Dr Mark Winwood is a resident psychologist and practicing therapist at AXA PPP and gives us his top tips on how to conquer our negative feelings and set us on the right track to improve our fitness.
Think positively
Instead of looking at making changes in your life as something scary, think of it as your chance to make your life so much better. Don’t concentrate on the things that could go wrong but imagine what your life would be like if you did succeed? What could life be like then? Positive thinking can achieve amazing results!
Failure is the first step to success
If you’ve tried a few times to get fitter and failed then see this as your chance to start your journey in a different way. Whatever you did before was not the right path for you so learn from your mistakes and find a way that will work.
Learning a new skill may seem daunting at first but with a little perseverance you will succeed. We all fell over a few times before we learned to walk properly or crashed the gears whilst we were learning to drive – overcoming a setback is how we’ve learned to master every skill we now have. So keep trying until you find a way that works for you.
Set realistic goals
We are all individuals and all go at our own pace. If your goal is to run 5k then walk it first. Gradually increase your pace each time, then perhaps move to walking 4k and running 1k, then walking 3k and running 2k and so on until achieving those smaller goals will spur you on to running the whole 5k.
Don’t think you’ll never be as good as someone else
Don’t get disheartened if your friend can run 10k every day and you struggle to manage 1k. It just means that you are at a different point in your journey to your friend. They would have had to start somewhere too so don’t compare but focus on yourself instead. Use your friend’s achievements to inspire you to run further but never let self-doubt creep in, you will get there in your own time.
Tell your friends
As soon as you have started on the path to becoming fitter then share it with your friends. Tell them or make a log, this makes it much more likely that you will commit to this wellbeing journey. Friends and family can also support and motivate you to carry on when you have one of those lazy days or when you start to doubt yourself.
Reward yourself
Take time to reward yourself. Leaving the house to get to that class when you weren’t in the mood is a win, getting out of bed early on a cold morning to run round the park is amazing. Look back at how far you’ve come and allow yourself a treat – this will motivate you to keep going!
Note down why you are doing this
Write down why you are on this journey and keep it somewhere you will see it every day. Keep sight of your original motivation and this will spur you to carry on.
Don’t give in to negativity
Try not to let negative thoughts enter your head. Learn to say ‘yes I can’ instead of ‘I’ll never do it’. If you can manage to stay positive then you will succeed.
Improving our wellbeing is a life long journey. Start small and be kind to yourself, don’t set your expectations too high at first – you will get there. And remember, to stumble is normal – just pick yourself up and keep moving forward!
Explore our diet and exercise section for more ideas such as indoor exercise ideas for winter
Disclaimer
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