The key to sustainable weight loss and long-term fitness isn’t quick hacks that you see on social media, such as fad diets or juice cleanses that negatively impact your health. It is making long-term plans that benefit your health while helping you achieve your goals.
Here are the 4 mindset changes one should adopt if their aim is to be fit in the long term. (Shutterstock)
Raj Ganpath, a fitness and nutrition coach with over 17 years of experience helping people transform their health, listed 4 essential principles for achieving long-term fitness in an Instagram post shared on October 27.
4 mindset changes for long-term fitness and weight loss
The fitness coach emphasises in the video that lasting results come from consistent effort rather than sudden, drastic changes. sharing his own example, he explains, “I am fit today not because of some special thing I did in the last 2 months but because of many mundane things I did consistently for the last 20 years. If you too want to play the long game, you need to listen to these four things.”
The fitness coach then goes on to share 4 mindset changes one should adopt if their aim is to be fit in the long term, such as expecting daily perfection from yourself and setting goals based on controllable effort.
1. You can’t do everything every day
In the pursuit of getting fit, you should realise that you cannot do everything every day. “But remember that you can do most things on most days. So focus on trying to do your best on any given day. Do not expect perfection from yourself,” the coach advised.
2. Say not to big changes in the short term
Raj Ganpath suggested avoiding making big changes in the short term. Instead, he advised focusing on making gradual changes over time. Why? “These big changes in the short term are tempting but not practical. But small changes in the long term are both practical and powerful,” he added.
4 mindset changes for long-term fitness and weight loss. (Google Gemini) 3. Effort-based goals, not result-based goals
Thirdly, he recommended setting effort-based goals rather than result-based goals. “I know you want to lose weight. I know you want to get stronger, but that is not under your control. What is under your control is the effort that you can put in in order to get to those results,” he explained.
So, according to the coach, set goals like, ‘I will start exercising more regularly,’ ‘I will eat less junk food,’ and ‘I will eat more protein.’ “That will serve you better than just chasing numbers,” he added.
4. Be kind and firm with yourself
Finally, he suggested being kind and firm with yourself. Be kind to yourself when things aren’t going well, when you make mistakes, or when you’re struggling. But be firm with yourself when you’re slacking, being lazy, or just finding excuses.
According to the fitness coach, this balance between kindness and firmness will determine your consistency, and your consistency will determine your progress.
Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.
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