Fit And Focused With Allison Moyer: Park Your Mind in a Positive Spot & Get the Body You Want
"Change your thoughts, and you can change your world." ~Norman Vincent Peale
If I had a nickel for every time someone sent me a faceb
ook message, an email, or a text message asking me, “what are the most effective exercises to lose weight?” or “what are the best foods to eat to get lean?”, I’d be rich. I love giving recommendations when and where I can, but speaking from both my educational background and my personal experience, I know that the number one thing that most often prevents people from living fit, healthy, empowered lives in lean bodies isn’t eating chicken or fish and it isn’t whether they do or do not do lunge jumps. What prevents individuals from achieving the results they want is their attitude. The power of the mind, when focused and when positive can achieve just about anything. Consequently if you have a negative attitude towards yourself and your goals, or a demeanour that focuses on failure rather than victory, you are never going to be able to be at your best.
From personal experience, I know this to be true. Over the last several years of my fitness journey, I have learned a few hard lessons about what happens when your mental attitude does not support your goals. It’s not enough to tell everyone around you that you want to lose weight, compete in your first show, or achieve your pro card- you have to deeply, truly BELIEVE yourself capable. That belief has to be consistent, as consistent as your training and your nutrition. On the days where eating chicken seems like torture and lunge jumps are the last thing on your list of “want to’s” for the day, that belief, that knowledge that you ARE CAPABLE of achieving your goals, is what will push you through. That’s the difference between those who achieve their physique goals, and those who do not. It’s not some magical exercise. It’s not some secret, hidden diet trick. It’s the presence of a consistent positive belief in yourself that will make your dreams a reality.
By now you’re thinking- this is all well and good, but maintaining a positive mindset is easier said than done. In fact, in my opinion GETTING motivated is easy. It’s not hard to find that spark, to speak to a friend about your goals, to go to a physique competition, to pick up a copy of Oxygen, to watch an inspirational movie, or find motivation in a song. Getting motivated is the easy part, it’s STAYING motivated that is the true challenge. Establishing a positive attitude amidst negative circumstances, stressful days, and challenging times is, I think, where most of us hit a wall that we simply cannot climb. Motivation is not something that just happens- it’s something we need to work at with diligence and dedication. Maintaining this ideal mental attitude really comes down to the ability to do one thing- park your mind in a positive spot. If you can do that with consistency I think you’ll notice HUGE changes in your physical, spiritual, mental, and emotional well being.
Be Obnoxiously Optimistic: On the path to your physique goals you’re going to face challenges. There is no way around it. You’ll slip up when it comes to nutrition, you’ll over-eat at a cheat meal, maybe turn a cheat meal into a cheat day, eat off your plan, get stuck in a trainin
g rut, gain back the 10 lbs that took you forever to lose, cave in to the bagels hanging out at the office, etc. In the grand scheme of things these are small setbacks, but when you suffer little daily defeats, you can start to be overcome by feelings of negativity and guilt. You may start to doubt your ability to achieve your goals and have serious doubts as to whether or not you will truly ever get into the body you want. One small setback has the potential for the domino effect- it can lead to another falter, and another, just as one cookie can easily lead to ten, if you’re not careful a small failure can send you into a deep downward spiral. Once that occurs, your ability to reach your goals begins to deteriorate.
So, it’s imperative to be obnoxiously optimistic. I mean it. OVERSHOOT the optimism. You will need to have an unwavering positive mental attitude to help combat the daily setbacks that are inevitable. While this may seem unrealistic, I have found it is actually really simple. It’s as easy as simply making up your mind that you are going to be a positive person. It’s a decision, just like any other, all you need to do is make it. I refuse to dwell on any single negative thought for too long lest it grow from a negative thought into a negative belief. I know, from experience that the more time and energy I spend obsessing about what went wrong, is going wrong, or could go wrong, the less time and energy I have to dedicate towards making things right. There is absolutely no way you can move forward and progress if your mind is parked in the midst of negativity.
Each and every one of you will need to establish your own strategies for maintaining a positive mindset on a consistent, relentless basis, but some of the tips I use in my own life are;
- Create a vision board. NEVER underestimate the power of a visual, especially an entire board full of visuals which are based on your goals. It’s a space that is entirely your own, filled with tangible, visual, positive images, words, and motivational media to keep you centered. When I feel myself faltering on difficult days I look at that board. It helps me to crowd out my negative thoughts and re-focus on what I truly want. Crowd out negative thoughts with positive visualizations and affirmations. If I start having a series of thoughts that are negative and unsupportive of my goals, I immediately change the mental conversation by envisioning in detail what it looks and feels like to achieve my goal.
- Write out your goals. My favourite method is Post Its. I write out goals on Post Its and stick them to my computer monitor, to my bathroom mirror, to the dashboard of my Hummer (no lie!). I write things like “IFBB Figure Pro Allison Moyer” or “Train Insane” or “EAT CLEAN”. Whatever my current goals, whether big or small, it’s important to write them out and place them where you can see them and be reminded of them daily.
- I pray- A LOT. My faith helps to keep me calm, positive and focused. I ask for God’s continuous strength in helping me to stay the course on my goals.
- I keep a gratitude journal. This is probably one of the simplest and easiest exercises to do when you feel negativity seeping in. I have a small notebook I keep in my office by the computer, and in it I write down things I’m grateful for daily. I strive to do at least 3 things each day, but on days where I’m really struggling, I’ve been known to sit down and pen out a dozen or so to get my mind re-parked in a positive spot. Force yourself to think of things you’re grateful for. They can be as big and important as family, a spouse, or a roof over your head or as simple as “a good cup of coffee.”
View your life with an empowered perspective. No matter what
is happening all around you (stress, commitments, a cold, travel, etc.), you are in control of your choices and attitude. If you are irritable, it’s because you’re choosing to be so. With each bite of food you take and each workout you complete you are making choices. How you VIEW those choices will determine how successful you are in your goals. If you can draw a sense of empowerment and fulfilment from the ability to make those choices, you will feel confident and in control. If you feel deprived or victimized you will be unsuccessful. If you view the structure of your nutrition plan as “depriving” or the daily scheduling of your workout routine confining, then you’re not going to be successful in your goals. You need to view your life and your decisions with an empowered perspective. It is easy to blame a situation or someone else when your goals are derailed. I’ve been down that road, we all have and trust me, from what I have experienced, there are very few situations in life where you have absolutely zero control and are unable to make decisions that will bolster rather than bust your goals.
So formulate a training protocol and stick to it. Get on a nutrition plan and make the choice to DO IT. If challenges arise in which it is difficult to perfectly follow your plan, adapt and overcome. Stuck on the road with no food? Chances are there is grocery store within the same distance as a fast food joint. Find the salad bar, grab some raw nuts, have an apple, do the best you can to make empowered decisions conducive towards reaching your goals. You can make anything happen, if you really want it. If you find yourself falling into a pattern where you are making excuses for not making progress on your goals, I recommend the following:
- Write down the excuses you’ve been making. Once they are on paper, it will be easier to recognize opportunities to stop being a victim and take control. We can either become victims and stay victimized or become victims and chose to overcome it.
- What are the obstacles you’re running into? If you’re finding that you’re stuck on the road with no food- what are some things you can do to seize back control and prevent the situation from happening? Plan ahead and prepare for the obstacles you know you may face and choose to grab the reigns and take control so that the situations coming at you will not derail your progress. Almost every challenge has a solution and every goal can be reached if you’re working from a perspective of empowerment.
Don’t view your obstacles with a defeatist attitude. Don’t view your lifestyle as depriving, challenging, “odd” or a pain. If you do there is no way to find success on your journey. The choices we make regarding nutrition and training are about more than just what we eat and what body part we lift. It’s about putting ourselves in a position to reach our ultimate goals. It will help perpetuate a positive mindset and a sense of victory if we view our decision making ability through empowered eyes. Your nutrition plan is in place not as a sign that you’re deprived, or as a trigger for you to pout and say “unfair”. It’s a sacrifice you’re willing to make in order to gain something better. It’s empowering. It’s a symbol of your discipline, your dedication, and the blueprint to your goals!
Living a healthy fit life in an unhealthy world is a constant challenge and I wish I could say it wasn’t. But it is. It’s easy to get derailed, but more often than not I’ve found that those departures from our goals are usually the result our own failed mindset. When you can maintain an obnoxiously optimistic attitude and an empowered perspective on your lifestyle, nothing will stand in your way. When you can effectively park your mind in a positive spot and stay there with consistency, you’ll find your fitness goals are well within reach.
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