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Tips For A Healthy Life (Take Action Today!)

Tips For A Healthy Life (Take Action Today!)

by | Apr 24, 2025 | podcast

Listen:

Change Requires CHANGE

If you’re feeling stuck and know deep down that you could be doing better, don’t wait any longer. Your life is not going to change until you take action and make a bold move towards your goals. If you’re ready to take control of your life and start moving towards the results you want let us help you achieve your goals. ⬇️

APPLY NOW

Change Requires CHANGE

If you’re feeling stuck and know deep down that you could be doing better, don’t wait any longer. Your life is not going to change until you take action and make a bold move towards your goals. If you’re ready to take control of your life and start moving towards the results you want let us help you achieve your goals. ⬇️

APPLY NOW

Transcript:

Open Transcript:

Cori (00:00):
Welcome to the Redefining Strength Podcast. Everything you need to succeed on your health and fitness journey. Even the stuff you don’t want to hear. I know what to do, but I just can’t make myself do it. I think we’ve all had those moments. It’s really hard at times to parent ourselves, and this is a big, but if we don’t embrace that knowing isn’t doing and find a way to take action, we are never going to see the results we want. I love the quote, the world is full of educated fools because I think we can all relate to this. We go searching for more information, searching for a new plan. We seek to learn more, partly because we hope there’s a magic pill or some quick fix out there, but we think that in learning something, something will magically click that will all of a sudden get us to our goals.

(00:51):
And that’s just not the case. No matter how much knowledge we have of we can’t implement those things, ultimately that just keeps us stuck and we’re very educated, but we’re still the fool because we’re not at our goals. So I want you to take a good hard look at yourself as you maybe want to work towards a new goal. Are you doing a lot of research, searching for some quick fix or not even something you think is a quick fix, but some answer out there when in reality you have enough information, you just need to take action on something? This is where that shiny object syndrome comes into play, and we kind of do it to ourselves where we go in search of something new because we don’t want to just do something that we already know we should do, and this is where we have to go.

(01:28):
What change am I resisting against the most? Because that’s probably the one I need to make. What’s the unsexiest of unsexy habits that’s sitting right there that I could do right now that I’m not taking action on? Because when we do that reflection, that brings us back to what truly will move us forward from where we’re at right now, not even where we used to be, because I think a lot of times we also get caught up in searching for some answer based on where we feel like we should be based on where we used to be. Oh, in my glory days I was here. I used to be running marathons. I used to have abs. I used to, well, it doesn’t matter what you used to have, what matters is where you’re right now. And so in order to not just be an educated fool, in order to have knowing payoff and doing payoff and getting the results that you want, you first really have to assess where you are right now.

(02:16):
If you assess your current lifestyle, your current needs, your current goals, your current mindsets, and you do that reflection, you’re going to be able to find one action you can take today. And then I say one action for a reason, because so often we see all the things we should do, all the things we could do, but it doesn’t matter. It’s that whole phrase, and I think this analogy is really gross, but also very accurate. You eat an elephant one bite at a time. Same thing goes for our habits. There’s a lot of things we could do. There’s a lot of things we probably should do, but ultimately we can only do so much. And so if we can take action on one little thing that builds momentum, we don’t recognize enough that so much of what we take action on and how we actually move forward and see success is because of our mindsets.

(03:01):
And if you feel successful doing one thing, you’re going to want to do more of that. If you feel unsuccessful doing something, you’re not going to want to do more of it. If you’re doing less, you’re going to want to keep doing less. And so much is that momentum of our mindset. So if you know where you’re at and you find one small action you can take, you’re going to feel successful in taking that and you’re going to want to do more. We get caught up in seeking some ideal, some perfect mold that we should be fitting instead of assessing who and what we are and then taking one small action with a minimum. And when we get caught up in perfection, which I’m sorry, we’re human and we’re flossing, but we’ll never be perfect, we’re going to hold ourselves back from doing something, and we do.

(03:38):
We go in search of more tools, more tactics, but really we need more time taking even imperfect actions to see results build. So I would urge you, if you’re struggling with knowing and feeling like you just can’t see the results, I know I just can’t get myself to do it first, really assess where you’re at. Second, really set one small change you can do and focus on those minimums. And then also think about goals in terms of habit changes. Celebrate success with the boring basics and the implementation of the boring basics. We only set our goals is I want to fit back into those jeans. I want to look fabulous in these photos. I want to do that pull up. What about just saying, I want to hit my goal today of doing these habits and then feeling really successful with it because those are the things that we can control.

(04:28):
Those are the things that build. We don’t celebrate success with those boring basics daily. Instead, we think, gosh, how long do I have to do these things? Do I really have to do ’em forever? No wonder we don’t like doing them. No wonder we don’t stick with them long enough. No wonder we go in search of trying to find something else, something that feels better, that’s sexier, but I’m sorry. The things we have to do to reach our goals aren’t sexy. The results are sexy, but the habits aren’t. And the more we embrace that and the more we celebrate that and see is it even a good thing, the better off we’re going to be. But it goes back to knowing who and what we are and the lifestyle we’re leading right now over trying to fit ourselves into some ideal. And I think this is a very accurate way of describing it, of we try and go on a program versus adjusting our lifestyle.

(05:11):
And when we try and go on a plan, we’re not truly embracing the changes that have to happen. It’s the fake it till you make it versus the act as if, and in trying to reach a goal, you are creating a new identity. You are stepping into new mindsets, new routines, new patterns. If you don’t embrace that, you are ultimately never going to really see results snowball in a lasting way. So I would say own where you’re at. Set those minimums. Focus on one habit change you can make today. Really celebrate the daily habits as success in and of themselves in a goal in and of themselves. And then recognize too that self-control, an infinite thing. Self-control is like a gas tank. Everything that happens through the day basically depletes it. Your bosses a butthead at work or you get stuck in traffic or you get a flat tire and something happens, right?

(06:02):
There’s all these things. We’re using self-control to keep ourselves moving forward through all these challenges where we don’t react in a way that would be bad, and then we think, oh, well, I just can’t eat well because I don’t have willpower in this way. No, no, no. All that stress is going in one bucket. All that stress is depleting your self-controlled gas tank and you’re going to be on empty at some point. That bucket is going to overflow, whichever analogy you prefer. And if you’re not conscious of the fact that everything is contributing to the emotions that you’re feeling, not just your workout or diet changes, if you’re not recognizing those things, you’re ultimately going to sabotage yourself and not recognize the minimums. Maybe that you have to go back to make habit changes or celebrate those boring basic daily habits that seems small that are so important.

(06:46):
That can be so hard the more effort we’re giving other places. But we have to recognize that self-control isn’t just this infinite thing to meet ourselves more where we’re at having a stressful season of life, Hey, maybe you can’t do the macro tracking you used to. Maybe you can’t do the six day a week workout plan that you used to, but there’s something you can do right now if you really own your reality and focus on those small changes to meet yourself where you’re at again, versus going and trying to find something better out there. It’s going back to those basics consistently and constantly that really pays off. So if you’ve been struggling with a feeling of like, I know what to do, I just can’t get myself to do it, don’t go in search of more information that’s only going to hold you back instead, really take a look.

(07:30):
Even sit down right now and be like, where am I at? What does my lifestyle look like? What are my current habits, my current mindsets, my current struggles, my current priorities? Because their priorities will often become our excuses. When you assess that, focus on one small change and then celebrate consistency with that, but recognize your self-control isn’t going to be infinite, and at times where it feels depleted, that’s the timing where we sort of self-sabotage and we wait for motivation to go search for something else, or we start searching for other things because we’re losing motivation. We feel out of control. We feel overwhelmed. We feel like the effort isn’t worth it. With some of the habit changes we’re doing, again, why celebrating those things even as wins themselves and as goals themselves can be so key. But I just wanted to highlight this. If you are struggling with the feeling of I know what to do, I just can’t get myself to do it, because I think action is often the hardest part.

 

*Note: This transcript is autogenerated there may be some unintended errors.

Why You Aren’t Losing Weight

Why You Aren’t Losing Weight

by | Apr 17, 2025 | podcast

Listen:

Change Requires CHANGE

If you’re feeling stuck and know deep down that you could be doing better, don’t wait any longer. Your life is not going to change until you take action and make a bold move towards your goals. If you’re ready to take control of your life and start moving towards the results you want let us help you achieve your goals. ⬇️

APPLY NOW

Change Requires CHANGE

If you’re feeling stuck and know deep down that you could be doing better, don’t wait any longer. Your life is not going to change until you take action and make a bold move towards your goals. If you’re ready to take control of your life and start moving towards the results you want let us help you achieve your goals. ⬇️

APPLY NOW

Transcript:

Open Transcript:

Cori (00:00):
Welcome to the Redefining Strength Podcast. Everything you need to succeed on your health and fitness journey, even the stuff you don’t want to hear. What if not having changed anything is truly the problem? So I had someone comment, I haven’t changed anything, but all of a sudden I’m gaining weight and getting that comment, I slightly smiled because I think often we think, well, I’m not doing anything different, so why am I getting a different result? And my comment back to her, I could tell it slightly surprised her, but my comment back was, have you considered that not changing anything may actually be part of the problem? Because guess what? Your body, your lifestyle, your mindset, your goals are constantly evolving. And if you aren’t adjusting your workouts or diet to match that mismatch now with what used to work when your body and lifestyle and goals were all in a different place might be part of the problem.

(00:57):
What we do to reach one goal can often hold us back from reaching the next, even if our goal is still weight loss. And I bring this up because I think over the seasons, we need to assess what does and doesn’t work for our lifestyles. We need to assess where our mindset is right now. But in thinking about all this, when we think about sustainability, we also think about this as one thing. So think about what was sustainable for you in college? What was sustainable, maybe as a newlywed, what was sustainable when you had young kids? What’s sustainable when you’re an empty nester? All these things are going to be different. Sustainable is going to mean something different to you at each of these phases. And if you try and clinging to what felt comfortable and confused, comfort with sustainability, you’re going to ultimately hold yourself back because nothing works forever.

(01:40):
And everything is constantly changing. And I bring up the seasons too, because I think we think often, okay, yes, now I’m older, so I have to adjust, or my goals have changed, so I have to adjust. But even over just the course of a year, your habits are not going to look the same, driving towards the same goal. And the more we own that, the more we can come back to the fundamentals, but evolve the exact implementation of habits before we fall off. So if you think about a workout plan, you’ve done a workout plan, or maybe you’ve done a diet plan even, and all of a sudden you’re like, oh, this is just not sustainable any longer. Well, how has your lifestyle changed? What’s happened? Is it simply that you’re hitting that hard? Where at 21 days you always start to give up? Okay, well maybe that’s the case.

(02:23):
Maybe it’s just a timeframe thing. It’s not that anything else in your lifestyle has even changed. Well, then how can you get over this hurdle still doing more than you would’ve done in the past? What works in January when you’re super motivated, all of a sudden it’s summer, you’re traveling more. Those habits might not work. And if you keep trying to clinging to them, that’s where you can end up falling off and sabotaging yourself. Same thing with the holidays. So the more we’re constantly assessing, okay, A, am I getting the goal or reaching the goal I want, maybe then I do keep the habits. But if I’m not seeing the results that I want, or even going backwards and I haven’t started to fall off my plan to get less consistent, what is a mismatch that I need to address? And I think it’s really key that not only do we do a lot of reflecting along our journey and set those checkpoints, so not only a deadline for our ultimate goal, but even, and I won’t say deadlines because I think deadlines mean, oh, we’re supposed to be done here.

(03:12):
I do like to call ’em checkpoints, but just times to check in, be like, okay, every three weeks I’m going to do a check-in. I’m going to assess how things have gone, assess my true consistency, and then reflect on what it can change. Because it’s kind of like we’re a mechanic on our car. You don’t want to have your car and then not do the check-ins, the oil changes, all those different things. You want to be doing those things so that your car works really well. But so often we’re not doing those checkups, so to speak, on our diet and workout routines as we’re working towards our goal. All of a sudden we’re just like, oh, it’s not working. The car’s broken down. I’m just going to set it on fire and leave it there and go do something else. No, you wouldn’t do that.

(03:47):
You got to take care of that car. So it keeps moving. You don’t want to have to go buy a new one. You can’t buy a new body. So you got to do those checkups. But I want you to really reflect if you are struggling with seeing results, what other things have changed? Because sustainable doesn’t mean that it is comfortable. It doesn’t mean what we’ve always done. It is going to mean that there is some hard, it just has to be something built off. Those basics that we can consistently do that we know will drive us forward. And that’s even where we so often see that response of, oh gosh, why didn’t I do this sooner? Well, it didn’t feel sustainable to start, but now it does. But you embraced the why behind it. You reflected on what you needed to meet yourself where you’re at.

(04:25):
You went from those January habits where you could do six days a week, one hour in the gym to realizing all of a sudden that felt like the effort wasn’t getting the outcome that you wanted and it wasn’t feeling worth it. And so you’re going to give up. But instead you’re saying, no, no, no, I’m going to do three days a week because there is no ideal. It’s just about meeting myself where I’m at. And in that evolution, in that willingness to change, in that willingness to even say, Hey, it’s not a right or wrong thing. It’s just that nothing works forever. What I did in college doesn’t work for me now. Right? That reflection is what ultimately drives us forward to create sustainable patterns that will evolve. Because sustainable means being open to evolution so that we’re always meeting ourselves where we’re at. So if you have been frustrated by your lack of progress and say, but I haven’t changed my healthy habits, really dive in and reflect on what in those habits might need to evolve because something else in your lifestyle, even if it’s a mindset, even if it’s a routine because of work, a family life, that you’re not going to change, especially, how can you then evolve everything else to match what your body, your goals, your lifestyle needs right now?

 

*Note: This transcript is autogenerated there may be some unintended errors.

Get Comfortable With Being Uncomfortable

Get Comfortable With Being Uncomfortable

by | Apr 3, 2025 | podcast

Listen:

Change Requires CHANGE

If you’re feeling stuck and know deep down that you could be doing better, don’t wait any longer. Your life is not going to change until you take action and make a bold move towards your goals. If you’re ready to take control of your life and start moving towards the results you want let us help you achieve your goals. ⬇️

APPLY NOW

Change Requires CHANGE

If you’re feeling stuck and know deep down that you could be doing better, don’t wait any longer. Your life is not going to change until you take action and make a bold move towards your goals. If you’re ready to take control of your life and start moving towards the results you want let us help you achieve your goals. ⬇️

APPLY NOW

Transcript:

Open Transcript:

Cori (00:00):
Welcome to the Redefining Strength Podcast. Everything you need to succeed on your health and fitness journey, even the stuff you don’t want to hear. What if not having changed anything is truly the problem? So I had someone comment, I haven’t changed anything, but all of a sudden I’m gaining weight and getting that comment, I slightly smiled because I think often we think, well, I’m not doing anything different, so why am I getting a different result? And my comment back to her, I could tell it slightly surprised her, but my comment back was, have you considered that not changing anything may actually be part of the problem? Because guess what? Your body, your lifestyle, your mindset, your goals are constantly evolving. And if you aren’t adjusting your workouts or diet to match that mismatch now with what used to work when your body and lifestyle and goals were all in a different place might be part of the problem.

(00:57):
What we do to reach one goal can often hold us back from reaching the next, even if our goal is still weight loss. And I bring this up because I think over the seasons, we need to assess what does and doesn’t work for our lifestyles. We need to assess where our mindset is right now. But in thinking about all this, when we think about sustainability, we also think about this as one thing. So think about what was sustainable for you in college? What was sustainable, maybe as a newlywed, what was sustainable when you had young kids? What’s sustainable when you’re an empty nester? All these things are going to be different. Sustainable is going to mean something different to you at each of these phases. And if you try and cling to what felt comfortable and confused, comfort with sustainability, you’re going to ultimately hold yourself back because nothing works forever.

(01:40):
And everything is constantly changing. And I bring up the seasons too, because I think we think often, okay, yes, now I’m older, so I have to adjust, or my goals have changed, so I have to adjust. But even over just the course of a year, your habits are not going to look the same, driving towards the same goal. And the more we own that, the more we can come back to the fundamentals, but evolve the exact implementation of habits before we fall off. So if you think about a workout plan, you’ve done a workout plan, or maybe you’ve done a diet plan even, and all of a sudden you’re like, oh, this is just not sustainable any longer. Well, how has your lifestyle changed? What’s happened? Is it simply that you’re hitting that hard? Where at 21 days you always start to give up? Okay, well maybe that’s the case.

(02:23):
Maybe it’s just a timeframe thing. It’s not that anything else in your lifestyle has even changed. Well, then how can you get over this hurdle still doing more than you would’ve done in the past? What works in January when you’re super motivated, all of a sudden it’s summer, you’re traveling more. Those habits might not work. And if you keep trying to clinging to them, that’s where you can end up falling off and sabotaging yourself. Same thing with the holidays. So the more we’re constantly assessing, okay, A, am I getting the goal or reaching the goal I want? And maybe then I do keep the habits, but if I’m not seeing the results that I want, or even going backwards and I haven’t started to fall off my plan to get less consistent, what is a mismatch that I need to address? And I think it’s really key that not only do we do a lot of reflecting along our journey and set those checkpoints, so not only a deadline for our ultimate goal, but even, and I won’t say deadlines because I think deadlines mean, oh, we’re supposed to be done here.

(03:12):
I do like to call ’em checkpoints, but just times to check in, be like, okay, every three weeks I’m going to do a check-in. I’m going to assess how things have gone, assess my true consistency, and then reflect on what it can change. Because it’s kind of like we’re a mechanic on our car. You don’t want to have your car and then not do the check-ins, the oil changes, all those different things. You want to be doing those things so that your car works really well. But so often we’re not doing those checkups, so to speak, on our diet and workout routines as we’re working towards our goal. All of a sudden we’re just like, oh, it’s not working. The car’s broken down. I’m just going to set it on fire and leave it there and go do something else. No, you wouldn’t do that.

(03:47):
You got to take care of that car. So it keeps moving. You don’t want to have to go buy a new one. You can’t buy a new body. So you got to do those checkups. But I want you to really reflect if you are struggling with seeing results, what other things have changed? Because sustainable doesn’t mean that it is comfortable. It doesn’t mean what we’ve always done. It is going to mean that there is some hard, it just has to be something built off. Those basics that we can consistently do that we know will drive us forward. And that’s even where we so often see that response of, oh gosh, why didn’t I do this sooner? Well, it didn’t feel sustainable to start, but now it does. But you embraced the why behind it. You reflected on what you needed to meet yourself where you’re at.

(04:25):
You went from those January habits where you could do six days a week, one hour in the gym to realizing all of a sudden that felt like the effort wasn’t getting the outcome that you wanted and it wasn’t feeling worth it. And so you’re going to give up. But instead you’re saying, no, no, no, I’m going to do three days a week because there is no ideal. It’s just about meeting myself where I’m at. And in that evolution, in that willingness to change, in that willingness to even say, Hey, it’s not a right or wrong thing. It’s just that nothing works forever. What I did in college doesn’t work for me now. Right? That reflection is what ultimately drives us forward to create sustainable patterns that will evolve. Because sustainable means being open to evolution so that we’re always meeting ourselves where we’re at. So if you have been frustrated by your lack of progress and say, but I haven’t changed my healthy habits, really dive in and reflect on what in those habits might need to evolve because something else in your lifestyle, even if it’s a mindset, even if it’s a routine because of work, a family life, that you’re not going to change, especially, how can you then evolve everything else to match what your body, your goals, your lifestyle needs right now?

 

*Note: This transcript is autogenerated there may be some unintended errors.

Better Daily Habits For Results That Last!

Better Daily Habits For Results That Last!

by | Mar 27, 2025 | podcast

Listen:

Change Requires CHANGE

If you’re feeling stuck and know deep down that you could be doing better, don’t wait any longer. Your life is not going to change until you take action and make a bold move towards your goals. If you’re ready to take control of your life and start moving towards the results you want let us help you achieve your goals. ⬇️

APPLY NOW

Change Requires CHANGE

If you’re feeling stuck and know deep down that you could be doing better, don’t wait any longer. Your life is not going to change until you take action and make a bold move towards your goals. If you’re ready to take control of your life and start moving towards the results you want let us help you achieve your goals. ⬇️

APPLY NOW

Transcript:

Open Transcript:

Cori (00:00):
Welcome to the Redefining Strength Podcast. Everything you need to succeed on your health and fitness journey, even the stuff you don’t want to hear. I don’t know about you guys, but I have a hard time sometimes slowing down to speed up. I am all about taking that action I want to do. Reflecting is not in my natural nature and it’s something I’ve had to learn, which is why I’m super excited to talk with Coach Ashley today about the power of the pause. Ashley, thank you so much for joining me.

Ashley (00:33):
Thank you for having me. I’m so excited to get to dive into this topic and talk through it and talk through what are some of the benefits for people in their health and wellness journey.

Cori (00:43):
So let’s get right to it because as I mentioned, I am not good at reflecting. It is something I’ve had to really learn to slow down to ultimately speed up because there is a desire to sometimes do act out of emotion, react to something. So how can we really see the power in the pause and then use it to our advantage?

Ashley (01:03):
Absolutely. Okay, so when we talk about the pause, the way I like to frame this is it’s the space in between when you have a thought and the action that you take right afterwards. Now, the way that we kind of produce action and the way that our thoughts influence our actions, there’s two different systems. There’s the fast action response, which is usually born out of patterns that we have routines like the way we’ve operated since we are two, three years old. And I don’t want to say it’s animalistic, but it’s so instinctual that it’s just whatever our first instinct is. And then we have our slow response system, which is where more of that pause comes into play, where you think a thought, have thought, take a pause, and then determine or choose the action that you’re going to take. And so that’s where that pause kind of exists is right in between the position of where you’ve had that thought.

(02:03):
And what’s so powerful about it is that it allows your brain to actually override the automatic pattern that you’ve developed over the course of your entire life. And so the reason why this is so important, especially with behavior change, you’re trying to change anything about yourself, whether it’s the way that you wake up. I mean, I’ve had to use this because I’ve been told as I get older, I should wash my face and do skincare before I go to bed so that I don’t have wrinkles and I hate washing my face and it’s not in my nighttime. So I’ve had to intentionally use this strategy for something as simple as being clean, but you can use it for your health, your fitness, any area of wellness.

Cori (02:50):
It’s remembering that your habits made you do it in a weird way. And we think of habits as a good thing, but the habits do have that ingrained pattern that we default back into. So when we’re trying to create something new, we have to use that pause to recognize that our habits made us do it and unlearn those patterns as we’re even learning new ones. And that’s why it’s so hard and this giving ourselves space to really think about it is so key. So knowing that and knowing that it can be helpful for about any habit mentioning washing your face, I’m like, I’m not good at that either. Maybe I should use that here. But what can we do to help make ourselves actually take that pause when it’s so easy to default back into action?

Ashley (03:33):
I think first, recognizing and understanding that there are those two brains within us is the first thing. What that does is it allows us to remove guilt and shame from this process because a lot of times I’ll hear from clients is like, I just feel like I can’t get a handle specifically around food a lot. I can’t get a handle on this. I feel like I keep self-sabotaging. And what that produces is then a shame response that drives them away from the action altogether because they’re so worried about failure. So the first thing that you can do is when you have the thought, so let’s take just the situation of washing your face. So I’m cozied up on the couch, it’s hitting that time that I’m ready to go to bed. Typically it’s like, okay, just go to bed. I’m done. I’m ready for the end of the night.

(04:25):
Okay, wait, what can I use here to interrupt my pattern that I have of just going to bed? So for me, again, ridiculousness, but this is just who I am. I have to set an alarm on my phone that is at least five minutes ahead of the time that I’m too tired to actually want to do anything. And it’s an interruption, right? Go wash your face. Well, now it’s right in front of me to either make the decision because it’s an interruption. I either need to make the decision to go do the thing or to not do the thing. But because I know that there is something intentional I’ve placed in there, there’s no shame or guilt around my choice that I make. I’m just making the choice. The second thing that we really have to understand here is that a lot of our automatic decisions, a lot of our routines are inside being driven by dopamine.

(05:24):
And the reason why this is so important to understand is dopamine is highly addictive to us as humans. Humans. There’s studies that have been done on rats that show rats will go crazy for sugar as much as they can, even to the point of it killing them. And again, I don’t want to narrow us down to animals because we’re not, and we do have the second brain, however, acknowledging that dopamine is driving a lot of the impulsive decisions that we get, and that’s what we’re pursuing day in and day out. Just having that understanding puts us more into position of like, okay, I can think about this and analyze what’s happening versus just moving and going and reacting to my life moment and moment day after day and feeling like I have no control over it. So I think the first step is like understand what’s happening inside your brain.

Cori (06:16):
I think that understanding is so key because it does put you in a more proactive state. You recognize that there are things happening that are natural and that you shouldn’t even necessarily feel guilty about, but at the same time, you can control and change. And I love that example of setting that alarm For me, it’s a change in my environment. So thinking now about like, okay, I’m actually bad at washing my face as well, what could I do to then shift things so I have that reminder, well, I could put out all the materials I need to wash my face right on the counter so that I have no excuse. I see it when I go to brush my teeth, which I do do religiously. So that’s a good habit to have ingrained, but that will help me have that reminder and then make a choice. Yes, I can still choose not to do it, but it’s a lot easier to remember to do it when those visuals are there. So it is finding a way that you can create that pause through other things that trigger it, because trying to think about pausing is kind of impossible to start until you really recognize the pattern you’re repeating.

Ashley (07:17):
You just hit on that word. You have to recognize it to know that it’s happening. Recognizing it requires reflection, it requires pausing, it requires looking back and even having a moment of analysis. So pair this back, really simple things that affect our clients daily. Oh, I didn’t work out yesterday because my day was so busy. Okay, let’s reflect on it. Let’s look back to yesterday then. What was different? What was the same? Where was the moment that you decided that you weren’t going to work out? And can you in that moment, is there a different trigger that we could have put into place? Just like you just described, what is something that you want to do differently? And in fact, the author of Atomic Habits talks about how to implement and put new habits into place, and everything comes from a queue. So let’s say stressful day, long day meetings up the wazoo, something happened at work.

(08:27):
Okay, stress response, right? Then you have the routine of that. So maybe the routine is when you get stressed, you stop by McDonald’s and you pick up your shamrock shake because it’s March and you got to have one in there. That’s like your little trait. And then at the reward, what’s the reward of that is that you get comfort. Okay, well, if I want to interrupt that pattern, I want to do something different, then what I have to do is the moment that the routine is hitting, that’s where I have to insert the pause. That’s where I have to go. I guess I’m going to take a different way home maybe as a strategy, or I’m going to immediately drive to the gym right now versus even stopping someplace else to delay that process. And that’s where again, the pause though comes as you’re recognizing the routine that’s there.

Cori (09:23):
And it’s even using the pause not right in the moment. So while we do want that pause to come in the moment to assess our choice in the matter, what we really want to do, it’s even realizing that when something happens, instead of creating that guilt, instead of blaming yourself for the impulse, instead of just writing it off as, oh, this is a routine or habit or mindset that I can’t control, at the end of the day, reflect, put in that pause automatically right now at a time you can fully control, just say, Hey, I’m going to reflect on the day, what happened that led to this routine? What triggered this pattern? And then what things can I test out to do it to then implement? Maybe it is even putting in your gym bag so that you can go right to the gym, right into your car, so you don’t go get that shamrock shake.

(10:05):
Maybe it’s even having an extra snacker protein shake that you walk out of your office with at the end of the day of work because you’ll have that and won’t stop then. But using almost a preset pause at the end of the day to help yourself then even see those pauses because you’ll notice as you drink that protein shake, even though you’re doing that now sort of out of habit because it’s there, that creates that pause to assess this is how I felt. Okay, this actually did help, or maybe it didn’t, but it pauses your brain enough to give you that choice when you do select that thing. So it’s using pause in multiple different ways so that we can recognize what leads to that cycle. For us, even

Ashley (10:44):
One of the key things I think you hit on there, Cori, that’s really important is it puts you back into control and choice and decision. And I do think so many of us are just running around day to day being highly reactive to what the day brings to us. And sure, there’s going to be certain days that are that way. There will be things that are outside of your control. But what you just referenced is how do I use tools and strategies to make sure that I’m being intentional? Even the strategy of reflection, end of the day, you’re being very intentional with that to reflect back, to say, okay, what did I like about my day? What did I not like about the day? Let me forecast into tomorrow. What would I like to change for tomorrow? And it puts you into that driver’s seat again versus feeling like you’re just a passenger in your life and just whiplash in and out of traffic whichever way that you’re going.

(11:44):
And that’s a key factor that any person who wants to implement a behavior change, change something about their life change, something about their health and wellness, about their fitness, you have to start with the power to choose, have to start there. Once you recognize that you have the opportunity to choose, that’s when you can start actually using this strategy very strategically. Whether it is, I know sometimes I’ve worked with clients who I’m like, end of the week, here’s your reflection point. How many people are actually spending the time to look at their week or look at their month or even look at a quarter or a year of their life to say, what do I, lemme pause and reflect on what I liked here. That’s why New Year’s is such a great time to start producing change is because there’s a pause that’s built in after Christmas, after New Year’s, people are like leaning back, ate too much food, and they’re like, I can slow down for a second. And it’s built into their calendar almost. But we have to be intentional about building that in other places. Otherwise, a whole year goes by and you realize you’re in the same place

Cori (12:59):
And it can’t just be in the reflection after the doing, even it’s being intentional and taking that pause even prior. So to start your day, if you find yourself constantly in that reactive state, not pausing, even saying, well, I just can’t pause. And again, giving away your control, what at the beginning of your day can you do to set your intentions for the day, to set out the routine to recognize, Hey, this is what I even have in store and own it. Because I think that’s something we don’t do enough is own the reality of our situation, own our priorities, and therefore we don’t give ourselves the power to pause because we don’t recognize what might be coming up with the new year. We do exactly that, and the more we do it by even setting specific things versus saying, well, I want to track this year because I want to lose weight.

(13:41):
Well, how are you going to track, okay, how is that going to look on a daily basis? What action can you take today for that? The more you start to give yourself those really tangible things, the more you start to see the actions and the more it actually becomes easier to even pause because you are aware of those daily actions. And I feel like awareness is so much at the heart of all of this, and we’ve been circling around and touching on in so many different ways. Is there any way you’d recommend that someone goes about building that awareness more in the moment besides just the reflection, just the setting, the intentions for the day?

Ashley (14:16):
Absolutely. I think you’re touching on some really great reflection strategies and in intentional strategies, but it doesn’t take away from the moment that you need to make a decision where stress is high or your body and mind are pursuing comfort, right? So when you get into that moment, there’s the 5, 5, 5 rule, and this is a little bit more thought driven. So once you have the thought that you’re recognizing as like, okay, I really don’t want to, I’m just going to keep using this example, go to the gym. My day was long. I’m stressed out, I’m exhausted. Okay, well, let me give five seconds just to do nothing for five seconds. Have that thought address that it’s there. Okay, now I’m going to ask myself five minutes from now, how do I feel now about going to the gym? Okay, if I could get to the gym for just five minutes and do just five minutes of treadmill, warmup, foam rolling, whatever it is that I can, I just do five minutes, is that something that I can do?

(15:20):
And starting to look from that five, five perspective and talking yourself through it, it produces enough pause in the moment that you are not just reacting to the thought that is sitting there. It’s not an automatic like, oh, don’t want to go to the gym, not going, it’s a, oh, don’t want to go to the gym. Five seconds. Think about it. Okay, five more minutes, ask yourself again. So you’re driving home, ask yourself again, okay, now what if I could just go do five minutes that I’m there? So that’s one strategy that people can kind of utilize is that rule of 5, 5, 5. This is a little bit more meditative and it doesn’t work for every single person, but if you know what box breathing is, box breathing brings down the cortisol levels and the stress response in the body, which is where we make a lot of our automatic decisions pursuing dopamine.

(16:21):
So when you are in a high stress situation, you go back to routine. So what box breathing does is it’s strategy where you’re inhaling for a beat of four or five or a six. I have seen people do it even up to eight. Then holding that breath for that count of four to eight and then releasing it. What it does is it lowers the body sympathetic nervous system. That response that you’re having, it lowers your cortisol, brings you out of your amygdala, the emotional part of your brain and puts you back into, I call it the driver’s seat, that prefrontal cortex where you’re actually making decisions. You’re actually getting to have that response. So those are two strategies that strateg you can use to implement a pause into a moment or a situation, but something I think is key for you to even expand on. I love that you said earlier, Cori was about the environmental factors and how you can use those to interrupt and produce a pause.

Cori (17:26):
It’s all about where your attention goes, your energy flows, right? And with the breathing, with having those environmental shifts, we’re creating something that draws our attention to where we want it to go. And with the breathing, it’s amazing how much just that pause, not only because you’re pausing to count the breasts, but just that relaxation relaxes your mind, gets you to refocus, not just respond to something and allows you to honestly assess what you want. Because a lot of times in that immediate wanting to take action, you default back into what’s comfortable, convenient. You almost even give yourself permission and make an excuse for yourself to just do what you’ve always done. Well, I just don’t have the power. I just don’t have the self-control. I don’t have the willpower. No, I’m sorry. You do. You have all of those things, but we have to make the choice to have them.

(18:12):
And I’m very much a tough love person for myself and for everybody I work with. So for me, it is even in those pauses, not just saying, well, what do I want in the future? But why am I feeling like I don’t deserve this? Why am I feeling like I should give up on myself? And I think that honest reflection a lot of times is like, well, heck no. I’m better than this. Right? There gets a little like dust his shoulders off. It’s recognizing not only why you deserve it, but sometimes just saying strength is built through what you overcome. And the first few times you take that pause as hard as it is, that’s ultimately what makes you more comfortable being uncomfortable in that way. And so for me, it is a lot of environmental shifts. It’s not having the candy in the cabinet, but putting it in the freezer even though it tastes even more delicious, arguably in the freezer.

(19:01):
It’s that pause that creates the environmental shift that originally created that now helps. And so now I have that whole cycle in place. It’s putting out the gym bag or putting out the different things I need to handle. I hate for some reason responding to different mail things, even though I’ll respond to emails in two seconds. But if it comes in the actual mail, which generally are more important tax things that you have to do, whatever, but I for some reason, dislike doing them. But if I put them on my keyboard on my desk, I will do them because I have to pick it up to move it. So I’m that lazy that I will do it right? It’s just those small things that almost seem so silly that can be the biggest pauses and shifts just because they make us actually have to take action in a different way. And where our attention goes, our energy flows, right?

Ashley (19:48):
Yes. Oh, it’s one of my favorite statements and one of my beliefs is you have to know that in the driver’s seat of your life. You have to know that the direction you are determining the direction of who you’re going to be a year from now, five years from now, 10 years from now, and this is where everything that you just said reminded me of. Another tactic that people can utilize in the thought processes is we’re so impulse and dopamine driven sometimes as human beings, that as you’re interrupting your thoughts and your flows and kind of taking control of your life, one thing that you always have to ask yourself, is this serving the future version of myself actually going to thank me for this? Because sure, right now in the moment, I might be tired, I might be stressed, I might be joyous, I might have all of these different things, but a week from now, am I going to regret that I made the choice that I’m making right now, three months down the line, am I going to regret the way that I’ve handled the last three weeks or the decisions I’m making today?

(21:01):
And it really starts putting into your mind this future focus where it’s not all about the present moment and just the present moment, but now you’re living for something that is, I don’t want to say greater than yourself because it’s you. You’re pretty great. Do you deserve that for yourself? Does the future version of yourself actually deserve that? And when you start thinking about it that way and having more of a No, I want to live a purpose driven life wherever I’m going, I want to make sure that I am driving somewhere intentional as we start living that and start having that thought process and asking ourselves, again, pausing, what decision do I want to make for my future self? And I’ll just say this, sometimes the decision is yes, I do need to rest today because if I go work out right at this moment, I might pull my hamstring because my mind muscle connection isn’t there. And if I’m going to do that, if this happens, then I’m going to workout tomorrow at this time instead and starting to use the technique of even if then I’m in the driver’s decision, I can decide if I’m going to work out or not. And if I make this decision, then this is the consequence that comes of that decision, if you will.

(22:22):
Bargaining with yourself in that way can be another strategy. You can use that pause too.

Cori (22:29):
I definitely want to talk about bargaining because I think that can even sometimes steer into taking ownership of the fact that we are dopamine driven. Because I use it, and I don’t call it bargaining, but I think it’s very much along the same lines of, well, I can work out, or if I don’t want to work out, I have to work out to listen to this podcast that I really want to listen to or with not wanting to do the dishes, I also get to do this other fun thing. So it’s even combining and using things that really are that fix that we want with things that maybe we don’t want to do, or I hate foam rolling, I don’t want to do it. Okay, well, I get to watch X amount of Netflix if I also have foam roll during these different points in the show. So it’s sometimes connecting things that you are driven to do with things that you aren’t driven to do, to give you that pause to want to do them, and even potentially create some positive associations so that you want to ingrain in those habits potentially even faster too.

Ashley (23:29):
Oh, it’s so good. Using our dopamine fix to our advantage is so smart. And again, there brings a fun level to it and a joyous occasion to it because so often I will hear from people like, oh, I have to work out, I have to work out. And I’m like, is there anything that we enjoy here? I had a client once who her favorite thing about working out was the outfits that she got to buy to workout in. She loved it. She’s like, I love a cute gym outfit. I’m like, more power to you. I’m a t-shirt and sweatpants girl, but I love that for you and you love it for you. And so her thing was, okay, if I’m consistent this long, I get to go buy this new outfit. And when you start kind of combining that reward factor, like you said, that dopamine, and again, not guilting yourself over it, okay, yeah, I’m driven with some rewards. Awesome. How can I start partnering those things together and marrying them together so that I am both moving in the direction I want to go? And what you said, Cori was so important, starting to associate positive associations.

(24:43):
There is usually so many patterns people have had throughout their years of dieting and feeling like failure or feeling like they had these lived experiences of, well, in the past, my pattern has been to quit or to fail or to lose it and gain it. And so with that, there’s these negative associations with the process. I love asking the question, well, how much fun, positive joy can we start partnering with this experience so it doesn’t feel like so much resistance in it? You can tell me a little bit about your experience here, but I hear this a lot with tracking or when people go into a calorie deficit for the first time, there’s a fear response and they’re like, Ooh, they just cringe with it. And I’m like, okay, well let’s pause here. Let’s pause and figure out where that’s coming from. Okay, can we even use a strategy of a little game? How many treats can I fit into my macros on this cycle so that I can figure out how to actually not hate being in a calorie deficit? Because look at, I can have as many treats as I want as long as it fits my macros.

Cori (26:03):
I think that’s key because as a dessert person, for me, tracking seemed restrictive. And then I realized, wait, I’ve always cut out all these things without tracking, and now with tracking, I can work them in. So my trying to restrict food groups before was more restrictive than tracking, but because a lot of times we have used tracking to cut things out, we have that negative association. So pausing to really assess why we have attitudes towards things and break down how we’ve used ’em in the past is super important. That’s why I like having people just track to start because they see there’s no judgment in it, there’s nothing they can’t have. And then from there, they can adjust based on what they actually want. And I love your example of working in the things and seeing how much of a game you can make it.

(26:44):
Same thing with meal prep, right? A lot of times people have meal prepped and they’ve had chicken and broccoli. I actually do like chicken and broccoli to some extent, but I want diversity. And so if you only think about meal prepping in that way, that’s not going to be fun. But if you go look for new recipes and cookbooks and search on IG and Pinterest, you can find so many good things that make all these different habits really fun. But it goes back to what we’ve been talking about, power of the pause to assess why do I have certain attitudes and what can change this for me?

Ashley (27:19):
It’s so good. It’s so good what you just said. I think if there’s any two questions that somebody were to walk away with today, it would be those two questions right there. Why does this exist? So getting super curious without judgment towards yourself, working in that intentional reflection, is it at the end of the day for you? Is it at the end of a week as you’re looking through things, you have a cup of coffee, sit on your back deck, think about your week. What is that experience going to be like? And then second, asking yourself, well, what can I add in to this experience even before I take away? What can I add in that’s going to give me more of what I want? Is it quick and easy meals? Are those things that are important to me? Is it more treats? I’m also a treat person.

(28:05):
I want them, right? What is it that I want to bring into my health and wellness experience? And this is why I always ask clients when first starting with them, what is your ideal vision for your health and wellness? Magic genie pops out of a bottle. It’s like you get three wishes. You get these. If you could have anything, what could those be? And Cori, if I could tell you how many times people aren’t sure because they’ve never actually stopped to think about it and no one’s asked them, well, what do you actually want your health and wellness to look like, feel like? What do you want your process? Do you want to go hard in the paint or do you want it to be a little bit more slow because you’re like, I want to implement one thing at a time. Do you want this to be something?

(28:54):
There’s not the pause that they haven’t even thought about it. And so when I get to start working with a client, that’s the first thing we’re going to pause. We’re going to actually ask these questions of ourselves, and then we’re going to start piece by piece asking, well, what needs to change in order to get there and how do we go about that? So that’s where even as somebody is starting out at asking themselves what has changed, but I’ll just give this as a freebie too. One of my other favorite questions to ask people is, when was the last time you felt your best? Because in this reactive, crazy life, people go, man, 20 years ago, what was different about life 20 years ago, comparative to right now? Because if we can figure out the gaps between what was and what is now and then even go and where do we want to go from there? It allows people to pick out what’s changed before and what do I want to change now? So a lot of reflection in there. Journaling’s a great prompt if you’re a journaler, if you’re an analog person, maybe you’re a verbal processor. I will just say, this is where a coach comes in handy because you can verbal process at your coach and they can help bring some clarity. But even if you don’t have a coach, having a support person in your life that you can process with can also be really strong.

Cori (30:27):
I think there are so many great tips in that, and one of the biggest summaries of that is question and be curious. And I would add in a little bit, dare to dream because I think part of why we don’t ever achieve as much as we’d want is because we do limit ourselves whole other subject for another day. But we need to dare to dream. And if you want to implement the power of the pause, all these things are questioning and being curious about why you have that response. So in the moment, if you take that deep breath, you do the box breathing, you ask yourself, Hey, why is this coming up right now? Even that right there can make you really assess what you want and then put in the actions that you really feel you need to move forward towards your goals. So Ashley, three key takeaways for you from all of this that you want people to have in terms of using the power of the pause.

Ashley (31:21):
Let me think. Because when I get to this point, I always need a pause. I’m like, oh, there’s so many big things that people could take away. I would say the first thing is one, understand what’s going on internally. Understand that your brain and body are designed a certain way. And as you understand that, you use that too as a strategy to know that you can make a choice and that you can start choosing. And I say that very intentionally because sometimes people will slide into, well, this is just the way that I am and I can’t control it. No, no, no. Knowledge is power. Once you can know what your body and mind are doing now, you can use that to your advantage. So one, have that understanding without shame, without guilt. Two, get curious. So start working it into your day-to-day life or even weekly, that opportunity, 30, 60 minutes to just reflect on what is going well.

(32:16):
It doesn’t have to be super deep. You can say, what is going well? What is not going well? What do I want to focus on in this next week? Really simple. Third, what strategies are you going to use? So if you’ve noted a specific behavior or something that you want to change internally, maybe again, we’ll use the same example, stressed out, tired, you need to go to the gym, but you’re craving that shamrock shake. Okay, notice that. What’s the pattern interruption? What am I going to do differently this week? What am I going to try out? And then the biggest thing, after you try out that strategy, make sure you come back to the reflection. How did that work for me? Am I going to keep doing it in this way? So those are my big takeaways. It’s almost like a step by step. If you want to simplify it, understand, get curious, take an action off of that.

Cori (33:14):
And then pause again. Right?

Ashley (33:16):
It’s a cycle. It just keeps going. Yes!

Cori (33:19):
It does. We’re constantly learning and growing. And Ashley, thank you so much for all of this. I would love to hear how all of you are going to be using the power of the pause, what questions you really use to reflect and how you’ve shifted your environment, bargained with yourself, created those changes through really understanding where you’re at now and what you need to move forward during the most stressful times. There we go. Ashley, thank you again. It was fabulous to discuss the power of the pause with you.

Ashley (33:48):
Absolutely. Thanks, Cori.

 

*Note: This transcript is autogenerated there may be some unintended errors.

10 Reasons You Aren’t Seeing Results

10 Reasons You Aren’t Seeing Results

by | Mar 20, 2025 | podcast

Listen:

Change Requires CHANGE

If you’re feeling stuck and know deep down that you could be doing better, don’t wait any longer. Your life is not going to change until you take action and make a bold move towards your goals. If you’re ready to take control of your life and start moving towards the results you want let us help you achieve your goals. ⬇️

APPLY NOW

Change Requires CHANGE

If you’re feeling stuck and know deep down that you could be doing better, don’t wait any longer. Your life is not going to change until you take action and make a bold move towards your goals. If you’re ready to take control of your life and start moving towards the results you want let us help you achieve your goals. ⬇️

APPLY NOW

Transcript:

Open Transcript:

Cori (00:00):
Welcome to the Redefining Strength Podcast, everything you need to succeed on your health and fitness journey, even the stuff you don’t want to hear. I want to talk about 10 reasons you aren’t seeing results. Number one being you’re more interested in being right than finding what’s right. All of us can get ego in what we’re doing, ego in our knowledge, but knowing isn’t doing, and we can know a lot of things and still not see the tweaks that meet us where we’re at. We’re also basing a lot of what we think is right on what has worked for us in the past. But guess what? You are exactly the same person right now that you were even two seconds ago. I think my hair just moved. We’re always evolving and changing and the more we get set in our ways and think of right and wrong as these very binary things over so much nuance in what could work a little bit better or what could work a little worse, the more we’re setting ourselves up for failure.

(00:53):
So I think a lot of times when we see that pushback of someone even suggesting something new or we get that pushback when someone suggests something new, we think instantly to ourselves, no, I’m right. There’s some defense of what we’re doing over being like, how could I be wrong? Or How could this be better? It doesn’t even have to be that you were wrong, it could just be better for you. Now we’re constantly doing new research that is proving new things too. So there’s so much opportunity in the options. So when something’s not working, instead of being like, well, these are all the things I’m doing right, say to yourself, how can I find a better way? Because if we get too caught up in being right over finding what’s right, we’re going to hold ourselves back. We’re going to shut ourselves down to all the options and opportunities out there.

(01:35):
Number two, you’re not making the one change you need to make and you’re looking for any way to defend against it. I actually had a conversation with somebody in Messenger the other day where I was talking to her and I’m like, Hey, you say you’re willing to make all these different changes and you say nothing’s working. What’s one change you’re fighting against or one area? You’re not really looking at your routine to assess. And we were talking about nutrition. She’s like, well, I’ve done all these different diets, and ultimately I was like, well, what about your workouts? No, I’m not changing my workouts. I’m like, right there is the problem. The one thing we aren’t willing to change is often thing that needs a little adjustment, and maybe it’s not in line with what our diet needs to be because of other hormonal factors. Maybe it’s not in line with hormonal shifts.

(02:15):
Maybe it’s not in line with our age, our schedule, whatever else it is. And it wasn’t that her workouts even worked fabulous. Maybe it wasn’t her workouts, but that unwillingness to look at them was going to hold her back not only from changing potential issues with them, but that was going to pop up somewhere else. Because a lot of times when we defend against changes in specific areas more, we’re putting up mental barriers against other changes. And so at some point we’re going to hold ourselves back from making a change that we really need. So the harder you’re fighting a change, the more you have to look at the change and be like, this might be the one change I really need. Number three, you simply give up before results have had time to snowball. So often that’s the case. We just need to keep going sucks because we sometimes don’t feel like we can see results happening, but that’s often also because we’re only measuring progress in one way.

(03:02):
So if you want that scale to change, you got to stop staring at the scale because it’s not going to change by staring at it by wanting it to change any faster. You have to celebrate the effort, you have to celebrate those habit changes. And so what you need to do is set ways to be successful in more ways by measuring progress in more than one way. I do believe that you can see progress towards your goals and know you’re on the right track pretty quickly, whether it’s changes in energy, changes in feeling fueled, changes in bloat, changes in just feeling healthier. There’s a lot of different ways we can know that we’re on the right path towards something and that the changes are paying off. And a lot of times it’s even owning. Am I actually doing the habits consistently? As silly as it sounds, I always think back to when I was trying to make a habit change when I was younger and my mom put a calendar out and then gave me gold stars and I could put the stars on each day.

(03:47):
Do that for yourself. If you’re doing that consistently and you’re doing that consistently for weeks on weeks on weeks, you’re going to see progress. And it might not happen again in the way that you want first, but you’re going to see progress. But you’ve got to assess that consistency because a lot of times you might notice there aren’t gold stars on specific days. We’ve missed things. Not to mention we are not recognizing all the time it took to get into our current situation. We’re seeing where we are right now. We want changes tomorrow, but we don’t see that actually a lot of these habits, the results we have now, they’re results of our past hustle, of our past habits and they have built up over years even the mindsets behind them that have kept parts of them ingrained. So sometimes it’s not that you need something different, you just need to keep going and making little tweaks to keep yourself consistent and dedicated, but you need to keep going.

(04:32):
Number four, you’re trying to avoid the hard. There is no way around it. If you try and go back from the hard, it’s basically like you’re trapped in the circle in the fence and you go up and you hit the hard and then you go back and then you go try and go a different way and you hit the hard and you come back and you’re still stuck in the same radius. You’re just trying to get around it and you can’t. You’re going to hit the hard in some different form, but it’s the same hard. It’s that you’re not willing to go that extra mile to push through that one pain. And I’ll tell you, we do this because we don’t want to fail, but failures are the best learning experience. They are what truly creates our growth, truly creates our strength that we don’t suffer through them as stinky as they might be.

(05:09):
We’re never going to build the strength to overcome. We’re never going to build that mental resilience. We’re never going to move forward towards our goals. The people who have succeeded the greatest have failed the most. We have to embrace that. So stop looking for a way around the heart. The sooner you embrace the heart, even the sooner you can overcome that obstacle, and guess what? The next time you face the heart, it’s not going to feel as hard because you’re going to be more comfortable being uncomfortable and pushing into it, leaning into that discomfort. Number five, you continue to try to focus on your limiting beliefs, not try to you do. You focus on those limiting beliefs. You tell yourself all the things you can’t. You let that inner critic become louder and louder and louder. And if you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change, this is a great quote by Wayne Dyer, and I think it’s important that we remember that our perspective shapes everything.

(06:00):
We can see something as an opportunity or an obstacle, and it’s very key that we recognize when we’re repeating our limiting beliefs to ourselves because they’re going to color how we approach everything. If you tell yourself you can’t, that you’re not good enough, smart enough, strong enough, you’re not going to be enough for that obstacle. But if you tell yourself, Hey, maybe I’m not even strong enough yet, but I’m going to find a way to get stronger. What’s one thing I can do to improve? You’re still testing that boundary, yet is a very powerful word to give yourself the opportunity to see that you might be able to grow into this. But only by pushing into it, only by questioning those limiting beliefs can you drive forward to reach your goals. Number six, so often we’re not taking ownership. Guess what? If you succeed or fail, it is your fault.

(06:45):
Yes, there are programs and plans that work better for us that speak to us in ways that help us move forward, but ultimately we have to take action. We have to determine what isn’t working and we have to move forward with things that are pushing us forward and we have to let go of things that aren’t working for us. We have to take ownership. It is our fault if something doesn’t work and we can’t keep placing blame outside of ourselves because ultimately, if you really think about what’s worked and what hasn’t, the only common denominator in a lot of those things is you. Yes, there are other things like, oh, it didn’t work to cut out different foods or it didn’t work to have hour long workouts. But that’s still about you and your priorities and your goals and the excuses you choose to make or the hard you choose to push through.

(07:25):
And I see this as a very empowering thing when I’m saying this. This isn’t a bad thing. I’m not saying you can control the rain or that isn’t going to have an impact. And I’m not saying we’re not going to get down on ourselves or do the woe is me, trust me. I do it far too frequently. But I do think it always is coming back to that ownership because that’s what helps us get up and move forward the next day and take that next step and always keep picking ourselves back up when we have fallen. But the more you take ownership, the more you’ll see your power in everything to make changes that move you forward. Number seven, you don’t own your priorities and they become your excuses. Take a look at your excuses right now. A lot of these excuses probably are stemming from things you value, you prioritize in your life or the priorities that you do have and then the impact they have on your lifestyle.

(08:09):
But we need to own what is a priority for us? What is a non-negotiable? Because otherwise it will pop up in our excuses and we’re not planning for it because the reality is our life. A lot of times there are things we can’t change, but we can own those things and then we can plan around them. So right now, if time is your excuse, why are you trying to force an hour long workout? If time is your excuse, why aren’t you steering into getting a few more meals prepped by somebody else or having a few restaurant meals in there? Why are you trying to force a specific meal prep? Why are you trying to force a specific workout routine? Own your priorities because it will help you overcome a lot of those excuses. And it’s not always sexy, but taking it back to those 1% changes, those silly simple habit swaps really adds up.

(08:49):
Number eight, you aren’t constantly reflecting. We learn more in the reflecting than in the doing a lot of times. But if you’re not constantly stepping back to assess what is my goal? Is it still important to me? How are my habits working? Does something need to shift? Especially as the excuses pop up, the motivation starts to fade because what works for one season doesn’t work for another. During the holidays, you’re starting to be like, oh, this doesn’t feel sustainable. The effort doesn’t feel worth the outcome. Okay, well own that. Step back and reflect what’s changed that now makes some of those habits that didn’t even feel bad before, not feel like they are worth it. Maybe you can change the habits and how you’re implementing them because balance isn’t just a set it and forget it finite thing. There is always the act of balancing.

(09:33):
So the more we can really step back and look at everything and constantly reflect, the more we’re going to see opportunity for growth and improvement. And I actually, I read this today and I can’t remember where I read it, but it was a great example of giving more feedback during a time or right after a game where athletes had won. And I thought this was a very interesting thing because I do think we’re more often going to reflect on failures, try and brush past ’em as fast as possible, but we’ll reflect on the failures, beat ourselves up over them. But then a lot of times when we’ve had that success, we then don’t reflect on, Hey, what’s still something we could have improved? Not only what worked, but what’s still something we can improve while we’re in that positive mindset? And I think that’s a very important perspective to take because it also reduces our resistance against feedback at times where maybe something didn’t go as planned.

(10:21):
We’re more willing to reflect. So reflect on those winning experiences, not only to see the good, but to even see the opportunity for growth when you’ve done a lot, right? That will help you see those 1% changes that really pay off. Number nine, you excuse 1% deviations. This is the most dangerous. Well, it’s not that bad. I don’t need to track this little bit of this or Oh, it’s not bad, I just missed this one. Workout deviations are going to happen and you are going to miss that workout. You are not going to log that one thing. But the more we start to get into that habit of excusing them and justifying them to ourselves, the more we’re going to become complacent, the more they’re going to creep in. So saying, Hey, I had to miss this workout for X, Y, and Z reason, but I’m doing this, this, and this as my game plan to move forward is different than letting yourself off the hook.

(11:06):
And I think that’s important that we really note that there’s letting yourself off the hook and there’s giving yourself grace for being human and for life getting in the way. But the mindset and attitude we take with it is very different. Instead of excusing it and justifying it, it’s saying, Hey, this had to happen. Here’s what I’m doing instead. And it’s making sure that you have that clear game plan so that you do something to move yourself forward in terms of shifting your mindset, shifting your habits, shifting your routine, not just excusing it and letting those things slide because we get complacent then, and that’s where we don’t see things snowball and it can still even feel like we’re working just as hard while we’re seeing our results fade. And number 10, you’re constantly searching for an aha moment instead of looking for reminders that connect dots and help you tweak.

(11:48):
I bring this up because I know I am incredibly guilty of it. I do read new things and what’s some magic secret out there? Even though I know there’s not going to be one. And the more I’ve stopped searching for some big thing that’s completely different than what I’ve done because I’ve had people even start the Macro Hawks Program or Metabolic Shred or different programs like that and be like, I was expecting some new magic ratio. Sorry, there probably isn’t any, but if you were to read this and test it out, you might realize that the ratio is done in this order with this framing all of a sudden is that aha moment that makes things click. And so the more I started reading and looking at programs and just listening to podcasts from that perspective of what’s a phrasing to something that I haven’t heard?

(12:27):
Or how are things being said, even like the same description of the basics said in a different way that maybe I can now connect a new dot for myself. Because hearing something that we’ve even heard a thousand times before said in a new phase of life can all of a sudden make things click. And the more we look for those tweaks and everything and the more we hear the nuance and even how something’s being said, the more value we can get where it can end up being the aha moment we need. It just didn’t seem like that big a change to start. So these are 10 reasons why I feel like we often hold ourselves back or how we hold ourselves back from seeing the results we want. And if you’ll notice, none of ’em are macros really or none. Of’em are workout tips because so much relates back to our mindset. Our mindset will shape all the other systems that we really need to enact. So if we can get our mindset framing the changes we need to make in the right way, we’re going to see better results faster. Hope these really helped. I’d love to hear which one really resonated with you the most of all these different tens so that you can really get working towards your goals today.

 

*Note: This transcript is autogenerated there may be some unintended errors.