Create a Personal Development Plan for Health & Fitness

Personal Development is Proactive.

Personal development happens in all aspects of life – financial, relationships, work, business. But there cannot be a better place to start than health and fitness.

Have you ever looked at others and thought “they look so healthy and happy”? Are you tired of listening to others tell you to do something about your health? You do not want to feel fatigued, apathetic, and tired anymore? Did you feel scared that time you needed to go to the ER?

Are you ready to take matters into your own hands? Then keep reading, because this is the right article for you!

Nowadays, more and more people suffer all kinds of preventable diseases. These medical conditions, affect systems including cardiovascular, metabolic, hormonal, nervous, musculoskeletal, etc.  Needless to say, they lead to bad quality of life or premature death.

Most of these diseases are mainly result from cultural factors such as incorrect diets, and lack of exercise. Other factors include habits such as smoking, drugs and alcohol abuse.

As such, it is logical to think that, if you eliminate those factors and practice healthy ones, you will turn your life around.

However, for some people, maybe even for you, this process is not that easy. You must first acquire the right mindset.

Personal Development is Changing the Way You Think.

It’s not what you think, it’s how you think.

Personal development requires a change of mindset. Changing your health and fitness mindset is not easy. Studies show that of all people who get into fitness programs, weight loss or diet plans … exercise routines, etc…Only about 5% of those people go all the way to the end.

What’s more, this phenomenon is in other areas of our lives, not just in health and fitness. 

For you to be successful in your new healthy lifestyle, you have to first change your mind and the way you normally think. If you do not do this and you go ahead with your dieting and exercising, chances are, you will soon leave these new healthy habits behind and return to the wrong ones in no time!

Take the yo-yo effect for example. This term, also known as weight cycling, makes references to the cyclical loss and gain of weight that happens to many individuals.

In this process, initially, the person succeeds in losing weight, but is unsuccessful in maintaining the healthy lifestyle. They begin to gain the weight back, and even adding a few extra pounds to it. Then, the whole process is repeated.

Although this effect has many physiological and metabolic factors involved, its psychological aspect is very important. 

Extrinsic Motivation Vs. Intrinsic Motivation.

To take control of your life, you must understand the role of external and internal motivation forces. The intrinsic motivation theory shows that personal development must come from a personal realization.  On the other hand, extrinsic theory means that action is dictated by external factors.

The point is, on one hand you have outside incentives or pressures like rewards. On the other hand, you may be convinced that changing your lifestyle is good for your health and life. 

Intrinsic motivation can be applied to many aspects of your life, including learning, performance, creativity – you know – personal  development.

That we were born into challenges, but also with opportunities to improve and become the best versions of ourselves…

If this feels like you, click here and get the timeless 5 Truths about self-discovery and growth.

How will you know you are on the right track of self-improvement?When your reasons to lose weight and stay healthy no longer rely on external factors. These external factors include lowering cholesterol levels or normalizing blood pressure,  fitting in a dress, winning competitions, etc.

Rather, your own personal desire to enjoy and satisfy your needs through exercising and clean eating will push you.

You have to aim for this if you want to succeed in becoming a healthy person.

Building a Positive Health and Fitness Mindset.

These are some personal development tips that will guide and help you through this difficult, but necessary change.

Remember, all those individuals you see flexing, jogging, eating healthy, looking good with elegant clothing, and, basically, practicing a healthy lifestyle were not born that way. Rather, they had to focus on their goals to achieve that state of wellness with all its pros and cons.

So, without further ado, here are some advice you need to consider if you want to build a positive and healthy mindset:

Accept the “you” in all of this.

Make sure the changes you will achieve will be because you want to achieve them and not to please the others. Because we are moved by stupid stereotypes that not favor anyone, suffering from low self-esteem and self-confidence is very usual in these situations. Therefore, focus on being your best version and not what the others want you to become.

Bad days will always be there!

In this process, you will have your ups and downs. It is pretty normal, especially at the beginning. While is common to feel angry and frustrated, the important thing is not to give up, instead, you have to try harder. To build a strong mindset, you will have to keep getting through every obstacle that comes your way.

Reflect on your daily progress

In order to keep the right mindset and not lose focus, at the end of each day, try to think about the things you achieved, even if they are small. And if you did something wrong, ask yourself what you can do differently to make it right. Every little thing counts in this path.

Personal development requires action

Personal development is action – as simple as that. For you to achieve success, you will have to take action and leave your comfort zone. Start by leaving those harmful habits behind and then, choose healthy options.

From eating healthy to practicing any kind of sport, if you do not make changes, health will never appear. To make this step easier, it is recommended to take the support of a health professional or sports trainer. 

Admire the New You!

Whether you call it personal development or self improvement, going through this new path may seem daunting. It is true, it will take some time and practice. But in the end, it will be all worth it!

While becoming healthy will not be your favorite thing at the beginning, over time, feeling healthy will become addicting and you will never want to abandon this feeling.

This process can be performed by anyone that wants to improve their wrong-established lifestyle. Even if you are mentally strong, there is always room for more improvement.

You need to know that every day is a new day that gives you an opportunity to change your life for the better. Therefore, take this chance once and for all and become the best version of you!

But, if you want to succeed, remember it all should start in your mind! 

Conclusion

Personal development is a process toward self-actualization. To be a well-rounded person, it should take place in all aspects of life. But health and fitness must be prioritized, to ensure efficient and sufficient self-improvement. 

Finally, the best and the most realistic approach to personal development is incremental change. 

Further reading:

• Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health
• Impact of Lifestyle on Health
• Medical, Metabolic, and psychological Effect of Weight Cycling
• Physiological and Epigenetic Features of Yoyo Dieting and Weight Control
• The Emerging Neuroscience of Intrinsic Motivation: A New Frontier in Self-Determination Research