Kandis Joubert is a NASM-certified personal trainer and nutrition coach, specializing in corrective exercise and fitness nutrition. She believes real transformation is multi-dimensional, and therefore founded Faceted Fitness LLC.
What if the weight you needed to lose first wasn’t on your body, but rather, in your mind? The thoughts you were conditioned to think, the limiting beliefs that jump in every time you start something new, the default settings that make up your daily habits- what if we lost the weight of these first? How functionally productive and seamlessly effectual would we be when it came to feeding our bodies the right foods at the right times, moving our bodies more, getting enough sleep at night, managing stress, and trying new things?
The state of our minds ultimately influences all other facets of fitness: emotional, spiritual, physical, environmental, and social. Change begins in our mind, which means growth begins in our mind. What we choose to allow into our minds determines how aware and receptive we are to feedback related to the other facets.
Ideas are powerful. Ideas shape thought patterns, and thought patterns manifest into habits. Habits then shape our lifestyle, and lifestyles predict our future.
Building a mindset for success
Self-awareness is great place to start.
Know your default patterns. Self-awareness is crucial for transformation. Acknowledging where you currently are versus where you’d like to be helps to map the journey in between.
Cultivate a growth mindset. Perceived failures are just growth opportunities, losses are lessons, and closed doors are signals pointing to what’s opening to you.
Set realistic goals and expectations. Goals must be achievable and attainable, but also sustainable. Connect goals to personal values for fulfillment when achieving them. Celebrate small wins. Give yourself grace and replace self-criticism with self-reflection, which circles right back to self-awareness.
Managing stress and emotional triggers
We can’t expect new and different results when we change nothing about our approach. Before you start trying to nail down trendy training methods, calories, macros, meal timing, and diet styles for the sixth time this year, hoping this time it will magically be a successful breakthrough:
Recognize triggers that lead to default stress patterns. What triggers the disordered eating? What influences the depressed mood that keeps you from working out or going to social gatherings? What environmental factors are contributing to the anxiety?
Journal your findings. We remember and recall information better when we write it down. It also forces us to slow down and begin to process that information.
Practice the R.U.L.E.R. Method: Recognize, Understand, Label (identify), Express, and Regulate from Marc Brackett’s book Permission to Feel.
Manage stress to build resilience. We were not meant to live in chronic state of stress. This is easily linked to weight gain and mental illness. Execute boundaries, learn to say no, pick your battles, and manage your energy (not just your time).
Self-compassion and positive self-talk
Let’s be honest, some of us are way too mean to ourselves. Why do we extend compassion and encouragement to others, but struggle to do the same for ourselves? I’ve come to ask myself this: “Would I talk this way to my 5-year-old self?”
Get comfortable with offering yourself compassion. Treat yourself like you would a dear friend whose wellbeing was highly important to you.
Affirm yourself. Replace negative self-talk with positive affirmations. Reframe self-critical thoughts and remind yourself that you’re learning. Replace self-doubt with encouraging, supportive thoughts.
Building healthy habits that last
When we win in our minds, we win for the long haul. This builds a firm foundation for future goal setting and success.
Expect and reward progress, not perfection. Treat yourself to non-food rewards like a day off, a new book, or a weekend getaway when milestones are met.
Create a supportive environment (i.e. people, spaces, places, schedules, boundaries, reminders, motivators, accountability partners).
Then start small. Consider habit stacking (pairing a new habit with an existing one) and what you need to add before focusing on removing and replacing. Making room for the right things leaves less space for the wrong things and thus makes them easier to let go of and ultimately lose the extra weight of them.
Conclusion
Sometimes the weight we need to lose first isn’t on our bodies. Sometimes the load that’s holding us back needs to be internally uprooted from the mind before it can be externally uprooted from our daily actions. Oftentimes, that requires uprooting the old weeds that have taken over our thought patterns to make room to plant and grow new ideas. That means that sometimes we must first put down the load in order to pick ourselves up.
If you’d like to read more about my personal growth journey with mental health and pivotal life phases, consider picking up a copy of She Leads, We Rise. This book is a beautiful anthology I co-authored with other amazing women in the health and wellness space!
Kandis Joubert, Certified Personal Trainer & Nutrition Coach
Kandis Joubert is a NASM-certified personal trainer and nutrition coach, specializing in corrective exercise and fitness nutrition. She believes real transformation is multi-dimensional, and therefore founded Faceted Fitness LLC, where she uses a multi-faceted approach in helping other business owners and corporate professionals prioritize their health and preserve longevity to amplify their own distinct influence. Additional areas of expertise as it relates to human wellness include mobility and goniometric assessment, prehab and rehab, movement optimization, mindset, lifestyle change and adherence, and body recomposition.
