Feel like it's time for a mental tune up?

I'm obsessed with helping you use strength training and nutrition to transform your body, and your life.

In order to do that effectively (and super quickly) it helps to be also working on your mindset.

Without a strong mental strategy, it's hard to stay on track when striving for challenging goals.

Earlier this year I did a free Get Back on Track Challenge and shared my step by step system for radically shifting mindset in order to take the actions needed to achieve any goal you set your mind to.

Now, several months later, I continue to get messages about how those principles are helping women to lose weight, become stronger, and quiet the negative voices.

I'm also receiving messages that lead me to think it's time for a refresher!

If you are working hard to shift your mindset and ways of thinking, know this...

Changing the way you think takes time, consistent effort, and repetition.

Today I'm condensing all of the principles that I shared during the 5 Day Get Back on Track Challenge down to 5!

Take note...you can cut to the chase, and start practicing these five concepts today, and start seeing the benefits quickly.

Step 1

Identify a behavior that you want to change. It could be simple like, "I want to stop eating sugar" or it could be something more long term like, "I want to lose 50 pounds."

Grab a journal and start digging in to your thoughts, feelings and emotions.....

1. What benefit are you getting from the behavior that you want to change? If you look close enough, even troubling behavior like smoking gives you some kind of benefit. If it didn't, you wouldn't do it.
2. Then, what problems do you experience as a result of the behavior you want to change? This one is a bit easier because the pain of your action is often quite obvious. Take some time and really feel into the pain that your actions are causing you.

Step 2

Most often if you're engaging in a behavior that you want to change, there is some degree of self-judgment. If you weren't judging yourself for your actions, you probably wouldn't be motivated to change. One of the best ways to neutralize this self judgement is through self forgiveness.

1. See if you can identify the ways that you're negatively judging yourself because of your actions or thoughts.
2. Get quiet, get deep, and really and truly forgive yourself for those judgements. You can write, or whisper to yourself, "I forgive myself for judging myself as...." or you can make it really simple and just say, "I forgive myself for...."

Step 3

This step is my favorite and the most powerful in my opinion. Take a good look at the thoughts and feelings you have around your the behavior you want to change. Remember, no judgements here. Just recognize all the feelings and thoughts that come up. Here's the cool thing: many of your thoughts are actually not true. And yet, they cause you to feel all kinds of things! The feelings you are having may be caused by thoughts that aren't even true.

1. Write down the thoughts and feelings that come up around your behavior
2. Trace every feeling back to a related thought. Ask yourself: "Is this thought even true? Am I absolutely certain it's true?" Most of the time you'll find your thoughts are not accurate, and often not even based on reality!

Step 4

If the feelings you have around your behavior are the result of erroneous thinking, it's time to kick those thoughts to the curb. And guess what? It's easier than you think.

1. Look at the untrue thoughts you're having, and consciously choose to put them aside
2. Instead, is there another thought you could choose that is true, or at least believable? Write out that new thought.

Step 5

Identify a few thoughts that you could believe instead of the outdated and untrue ones. Then, turn these new thoughts into a whole new mindset.

1. Create a statement (or mantra) that feels really good and true. Right it down. Right it out everyday. Put it on sticky notes or your phone and repeat them throughout the day.
2. When your confronted with a feeling or situation that brings up the old, unproductive feelings, grab your truth statement, repeat it, and cling to it for dear life.

Changing yourself take repetition. It also takes action.

Once you're clear on your new thoughts, it's important to get clear on the actions that support your goals.

The next step in making your goals happen is to simply start taking action. Over and over.

If you find yourself struggling to take the necessary actions to reach your goals, remember....

It's time to just "do the damn thing" and practice what I call Adulting 101.

There comes a point where all of the mindset and mental strategies mean nothing if you don't take action!

I'd love to hear from you. Drop a comment below!