Mental Fitness
By: Michael Beiter
All of us coaches have a basic understanding of mental fitness. I built out our model based on a book I read a couple of years back .
I can honestly say that past few years, most of my clients come in and we talk about the mental game over fitness and nutrition.
Just today I had:
A client cancel her upcoming appointment because she is not in the right mental space. An inquiring client decide to sign on because of my ability to communicate the mental aspects of dieting whereas every other program and coach she worked with focused on just nutrition and workouts.
A long-term client felt better after "Mike's tough love" when she has not been in the gym or tracking any food after an injury sidelined her. We talked about loss aversion, habit stacking, and how taking action leads to motivation. For a good while, I kept the mental stuff in my office but now both Liz and Bridget use it often. We are personal trainers and nutritionists who may seem to be punching out of our weight class when it comes to talking about mental health.
This is fine, especially if the mental stuff is what gets in the way of executing a good exercise and eating plan.
But know that we are not substitutes for doctors or therapists. I can't disclose how many people I work with who are on medications for anxiety and depression other than to say it's a lot. If you need help, get it. Start with your general doc and work with the specialists from there. Much of mental health improvement involves trial and error with drugs and various therapies. There is no one size fits all solution and the methods aren't perfect, but they are light years better than what our parents and grandparents had access to. There's no shame in seeking help in these areas and I hope to dispel some of the taboos involved with mental health.
Our Mental Pillars are: 1. Value yourself
2. Recognize you can change
3. Manage your time
4. Face your problem - solve it
5. Treat yourself right
6. CBT: Perspective
7. Build confidence and self-esteem
8. Learn to Relax
We're here to help. And if we can't, there are others who can. Don't try to handle mental stuff alone!
