Guest Post by Lisa Bullock

“God, I’m fat and I feel disgusting!”   Hmm, ever had words to that effect come out of your mouth? Most of us have heard the saying “Whether you think you can or whether you think you can’t, you’re right”.  Words are a self-fulfilling prophecy, so be careful of what you say to yourself!  We speak to ourselves far, far more harshly than we would ever speak to anyone else!  Would you speak to your friends or loved ones like that?  I think not!

I had two clients start training with me a few years ago and the self talk they brought with them was so negative I was horrified.  Being a bossy sort of trainer, I laid down the law from the get-go!  For every time they talked themselves down or said anything negative about their bodies , they had to do 2 pushups.  At the end of the first month training with me, they were REALLY good at pushups!  One of those women still trains with me today, and is widely respected for her positive influence and attitude,  I’m not claiming the credit for that, it was in her all the time, she just needed to realise the power of her words.  And that’s something Shawna and I can help you with!

We need to remember that our subconscious mind doesn’t distinguish between what we say seriously or what is said in humour; what is said as sarcasm or said as a joke.  If you repeat something often enough, your subconscious mind believes it.  So don’t call yourself names – there are enough people in this world ready to pull you down, without you jumping up there and helping them.

All of which brings me to the idea of “association” and choosing great people to be in your life because you want great things for yourself.  Do you want friends and support around you that encourage you to work-out rather than scoff Krispy Kreme donuts?  Would you prefer friends and family to tell you how fabulous you are because you try and try and never give up, rather than laughing at you, “yet ANOTHER diet?”

While I don’t believe that anyone belongs on a pedestal,  it’s important  to find someone that inspires you to do better.  Staying in your comfort zone kills growth!  You need to change things up every so often, just like you do with your training.  The first time I saw Shawna Kaminski casually bang out 25 pullups, I was gobsmacked!  And then inspired.  And then I chased her down till she coached me because I knew I could learn from her.

Find the people who can teach you something – something that helps you grow as a person.  Whether it’s better pushups,  learning to squat,  or how to train with more intensity,  chase down those mentors, spend time with them and learn from them.   That influence can come from friends, positive blogs, motivational emails or supportive facebook communities.

I have been blessed with some amazing trainers and coaches in my time – I firmly believe that if you open yourself to opportunity, the universe provides the right people for the right job.  When I needed to learn about how to weight train and how to box, I found my first coach.  VERY old school!  To this day, you will not see me EVER sit down during rest breaks when I train – it was scared out of me!  Go hard or go home – pro’s and con’s to that attitude!

And when I faced a vulnerable time in my life when that hard-core mentality just wasn’t right for me, another trainer came along who helped me enormously with understanding that life doesn’t always allow us to be tough; “suck it up Princess” won’t always cut it and we can still eat well, train well but be a little kinder to ourselves.  When that phase of my life was improving I found another wonderful coach who gave me plenty of tough love and reminded me that I needed to “walk my talk” (ouch!) and she wrestled me back into serious training which in turn lifted so many other parts of my life.

I live in a small community so I’m limited for choice in the mentors that are geographically close to me.  But I subscribe to blogs like this so I can get my dose of daily motivation and stay in contact with people who will influence me to want to continually improve.  You are known by your association, so find fit, healthy and positive people – talk to them, spend time with them, learn from them and you will find yourself being a fit, healthy and positive person too.  You can choose to give in to the devil on your shoulder or choose to live up to your dreams, it’s up to you!

Click here if you’d like Shawna and I to be the angels on your shoulder motivating you to be your fittest self!  I’d love to hear your feedback about who and what motivates you – comment below and please share YOUR stories with us!

Lisa Bullock is a Personal Trainer based in Melbourne, Australia.  She’s run her successful fitness business for over 15 years and has trained over a 1000 clients helping them reach their health, fitness and wellness goals.  Married for 27 years and mother to a daughter (22) and son (19), she is a proud proponent of the philosophy “keep on keeping on”. She believes that consistency is key to achieving goals.  Lisa loves weight training with a passion; she’s boxed for over 12 years and sees no reason to stop soon!  She’s faced her own health and weight issues and come out fighting.  “I believe in training for the long haul” she claims, “I fully expect to be doing handstand push ups when I’m 60!.”

This entry was posted on April 7, 2014 at 1:00 am. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

Posted in Mindset by Shawna 2 Comments