How to boost your performance by exercising, and training your brain
Integrating the habit of exercising daily is vital for self-care. It benefits your performance in other areas also. Besides the widely known advantages of exercise boosting your energy, while the brain releasing happy chemicals like endorphins that trigger a positive feeling, there is also another way your performance and exercise intertwine - and you can use this to your benefit, if you’ve previously struggled to accomplish something you’ve been trying on multiple occasions, to no avail. I’m talking about a nifty combination of purpose, habits and inspired action.
Why do you desire this goal so profoundly?
Whether you want to feel confident wearing a bikini, or want to feel comfortable in a bespoke tailored suit, there is usually a deeper reason why you want to achieve your exercise goal. Perhaps it’s that you’ve heard all your life by not so lovely family members that ‘you’ll always be the chubby one, and it’s just so you’, and you want to prove them wrong (a negative driver, albeit an effective one!). Perhaps it’s that you’ve taken on the challenge of participating in a national debate on television, and you need a truck load of energy to be able to carry yourself in good shape through this challenge. Perhaps you’ve climbed the corporate ladder and you want to look the part in a nice suit that adds that little bit extra to your confidence. Perhaps one or both of your parents died prematurely because of their unhealthy habits and preventable disease, and you don’t want to go on that route. Perhaps you’ve been in an unhealthy relationship that undermined your self-respect and the way you took care of yourself, and you’ve decided to choose self-respect and self-care from now on. Perhaps it’s all of the above, or something else entirely. Whatever your internal driver might be, acknowledging and feeling through what drives your purpose and goal, is a powerful thing to remind yourself of on a daily basis. Especially when you’re just about to sink into the fluffy couch instead of cracking on with your fitness routine or samba dancing session.
The one technique that swiftly supports me on my journey
This is all fun and (mind) games here, but how do you apply this on a daily basis? For me, this turned into a thought pattern that (usually) supports me on my journey towards my goal…in a relaxed way. No ‘gritting it out’, or ‘pushing through’, no feeling of ‘having to make this sacrifice in order to…’, or anything like that. This however doesn’t mean that the actual work that needs to be done in order to evolve and achieve doesn’t take an enormous amount of effort and strength. Because of course, it does! But the switch from doing nothing to taking inspired action without the procrastinating hassle, is far more easily pulled. So, what’s my magic button? It’s this thought:
“If my purpose is clear, and if I know my goal will serve me well, and if I act on these precise healthy habits…my body and mind will get the message sooner or later. I don’t have to mentally battle to get there, because the inevitable results will become visible, because there cannot be any other way: pile up the actions, wait for the consequences. If I do my part and act on what I actually do have some influence on, things will work out the way they’re supposed to.”
I can’t emphasize enough how much peace this gives me on my journey. From time to time, I do fall off the wagon and choose couch, Toblerone & Netflix over an exercise session, writing articles, or something else I should be doing. But it’s not so bad when this happens, because…it’s not my habit anymore. The ingrained pattern is a healthy one. When a habit gets ingrained in your brain, not acting on it (on more than one occasion) actually makes you feel uncomfortable and grumpy. This might be because you’re depriving yourself of getting your shot of endorphins, or because you’re feeling disappointed with your lack of performance, or both. Along the way, with every decision you make (don’t consider it a sacrifice- it’s a deliberate choice you make), the more naturally this process works for you. This thought can also help you TREMENDOUSLY in terms of personal and professional performance. For example when you’re working your way up in your career.
You might not have influence on every aspect of your journey (perhaps someone else gets the promotion, or you can’t organise a live event due to a pandemic, or your outdoor fashion show faces a bad weather forecast, things like that), but there’s ALWAYS a level of influence you have, and that you can act upon. Focus on what you can control, not on what you cannot.
Adjusting neural pathways: changing habits
If you’ve struggled with keeping up your training regimen, chances are that your older, less-healthy habits re-emerged on a weak moment, and your brain felt wonderfully comfortable while munching crisps on the couch. If we however embrace the notion that this is just our brain responding to the engrained neural pathways doing their usual thing, we can decide to build new neural pathways by getting accustomed to new habits that support our desired goal. That way, it becomes easier to get momentum. It takes approximately 45 to 60 days to build a new habit. So at first, it might be somewhat of a challenge to get yourself in action mode, but after a couple of weeks, it’s just one of those things you do.
We’re working on consistent action here, and priming our brains for this, so that it can benefit us in more situations than ‘only’ achieving your desired goal. This has an amazing extra bonus in its slipstream: you’ll feel a lot more confident in taking on other challenges, and it keeps us more energetic and focused while pursuing those other goals. And along the way, you’ll notice that the way you feel about taking on challenges improves quite a bit. Things aren’t as overwhelming as they might have been beforehand. Training session? Sure. Extra presentation? Bring it on. New project? Yes, please. Speaking gig? Schedule it in.
PRACTICAL TIPS THAT HELP YOU GROW NEW HABITS THAT SUPPORT YOUR GOAL:
Set your alarm on the exact same time every morning, and develop a morning routine that helps you prepare for your day. For me, it’s waking up at 6:45, brushing my teeth, taking my daily dose of Hashimoto's medication, starting my 45 minute workout via the BodyFX app, taking a cool shower, weigh myself, have breakfast, and check my journaled priorities for my working day (that I’ve set the evening prior, using the Eisenhower Matrix), and start the working day by 9AM. This daily ritual helps me get more energetic, and mentally and physically healthy, and strong. It also helps me muster up the courage to take on any challenge I’d usually dread. If you have a completely different routine, that’s totally okay!
Celebrate any small victory that leads you towards your goal. Anything that helps you forward, however big or small, goes in the right direction. Acknowledge your achievement, write about it in your journal, and proceed with your schedule for the day.
Incorporate one way of daily exercise, and choose a set time for this. It might be as simple as a walk around your block after dinner. Do this daily for at least 45 days.
Decide which act of self-care you can incorporate in your day. For instance, shutting down all screens 1.5 hour before you go to sleep.
Connect with and confide in a cheerleading accountability partner. Someone who cheers you on when you’ve achieved something that matters to you, and empathically yet clearly confronts you when you haven’t done what you agreed upon. And return the favor, help each other nurture your habits.
Keep track of your new habit in your journal. How many days have you successfully committed to your new habit thus far?
Troubleshooting: what if you get into your own way and self-sabotage your process?
Chances are that in this case, you’re not acting on what you actually want, but on what you expect. Wants and expectations can be completely opposite. When they are, chances of success get blown into oblivion. The invitation to you in this situation, is to figure out what your underlying thoughts and convictions are, without glossing them over. What do you really want? And why do you want this? Dig deep. Then ask yourself: what do I really expect? Dig deeper. Often, the difference between what you want and what you expect is the reason why affirmations and that kind of mental exercise don’t seem to work for so many people. Just repeating something you don’t actually believe or expect, has a poor chance of becoming reality. The thing you expect - whether you’re consciously aware of this or not - usually takes you to a desired, or dreaded, outcome. For this reason, getting honest and clear on this is super important.
And if you discover that your expectations are not exactly matching the thing you want to achieve, this doesn’t mean that your goals can’t be achieved. It just means you have to do your inner work. Start by reading this out loud:
I don’t have to get stuck in the present because of something I didn’t do right in the past.
I don’t have to get stuck in the present because of something that happened to me in the past.
I don’t have to get stuck in the present because of something I thought about myself in the past.
I don’t have to get stuck in the present because of something someone said to me in the past.
I don’t have to walk the route of some fictional ‘fate’, that would happen despite my actions.
I’m figuring out what I want, and I’m getting clear on what my expectations are.
I’m getting clear on what I want and what it is I need to expect, in order to make this come to fruition.
I will act upon what I want and expect, in the most practical ways I can.
How does this feel in your body when you read this out loud? Does it give you a peaceful feeling? Does it raise your anxiety level? Does it make you feel excited? Do you believe what you’ve just said? Do you feel joy? Do you feel sadness? There are no wrong answers here: we’re just uncovering the truth of your convictions and expectations here. Grab a notepad, and jot any thoughts and/or feelings down. This process might be somewhat of an emotional rollercoaster, but it’s 100% worth your time, attention, empathy, and energy. Because YOU are 100% worthy of your time, attention, empathy, and energy. And the truth may hurt - before it sets you free. If you’ve experienced many setbacks and ‘proof’ of why what you want ‘just isn’t possible for you, but rather for other people, for some unknown yet unfair reason’, you have some work to do. And it might take some time to reframe this into a countering thought such as ‘I’ve experienced some things in the past because I had this particular unhelpful expectation. But now I know what the culprit is, I’m working towards changing my expectation, and digging deeper into who I really am, and into my reasons for wanting the things I so deeply want to achieve. I’m curious about where this will lead me.’
Time machine
You need a time machine, and this is actually easier than reconstructing a DMC DeLorean with a flux capacitor that requires 1.21 gigawatts of power and needs to travel 142 km/h to get you where you need to go. It may be as simple as writing a Thank You Note to your present self, as if you were two years older (and wiser) than you are today. You can freestyle this any way you want, and/or you can use this guideline:
“Thank you, [your name], for making the effort of doing your inner work, because this has led to the results I’m so chuffed about today. I know it has been quite the emotional journey, with lots of practical effort. But having learned this process, I now rely on this quite often, and it helps me perform to the best of my abilities. So thank you. And remember, you know you’re not responsible for anything anyone has ever said or done to you - you however do have the responsibility to treat yourself the way you want to be treated in order to thrive, and to work towards your goals. As a reminder and as your inner mentor, I ask you:
What is it exactly that you want to achieve? ………………………..
Why do you want this, really? ………………………..
What is it that you honestly expect? ………………………..
Does what you want match up with what you expect? yes/no
If there is any, what is the difference between these two (and what are you going to do about getting them to match up)? ………………………..
If you’d make a plan for achieving your goal right this minute, on a single piece of paper, what would this look like? Define your 1 goal, and chop it up into 5 to 10 practical steps. ………………………..
What would achieving the goal on this single page plan feel like in your body, mind and heart? ………………………..
What are the 3 first practical and vital things in this plan that will help you achieve what you want? ………………………..
What's the 1 thing you will do today? ………………………..
Good job, [your name]. I have confidence in you, and I know you have the ability to work towards this, regardless of any external circumstance. Keep going. Big hug, [your name], 2023.”
Having written down your answers, how does this feel in your body? If it’s anything else than feeling excited, hopeful and focused, there is a bit more inner work to be done. you might want to dig a little deeper in where the hiccups might be. If you need help in this area, don’t even hesitate to get it. Perhaps I could be of assistance (if my schedule allows), or perhaps you have a mentor who already helps you with related issues. Whatever the case: don’t give up on getting clarity and focus, and work towards matching up your wants and your expectations.
You can get momentum, and fuel the way your healthy habits, your exercise regimen and your greater goal setting and achieving traits grow in your life and career. If you’re prepared to do your inner work and take responsibility for your process, the results will emerge.
