Even the most disciplined among us come up against that voice mid-workout. You know the one.
- “This is hard. Maybe I should take a break.”
- “I wonder what happens in the next episode?”
- “Come on, live a little.”
- “You should make this an easy workout.”
- “What’s for lunch?”
People sometimes give this negative self-talk a personality, call it a monkey or a demon or a pig on their backs. It makes its evergreen presence a little more comical and less sinister.
You won’t completely get rid of your monkey-demon-pig, but what if you could transform it into something that both helps your workouts and helps your life? Imagine looking forward to exercise rather than dreading it. And once you’re in the middle of the workout, you feel good about performing at your peak, reaching new goals and busting through limits. And what if, on top of that, it helped you make strides in your self-esteem, your career, your ability to connect and your overall happiness?
HIIT minimizes this voice naturally.
HIIT, or High-Intensity Interval Training, has positive benefits for your workout, weight loss goals, and your mood. This has been concluded by multiple studies. I believe that these benefits are also amplified by the fact that HIIT gives you very little time to have your pig-demon show up, let alone say a few words and give a monologue on the importance of opening that bottle of merlot.
So, with the monkey-pig-bear-dog-demon (or whatever he/she looks like to you) less present, you’re going to be affected more by the positive, forward-moving energies of the workout itself. In other words, you’ll experience more motivation during the workout, and this will already give you better results, better fitness and a better mood overall.
As great as HIIT is, however, it can be damaging if used to excess. It can also get boring, and getting bored with your workouts is a recipe for mediocre results and more boredom.
So what do we do when we have a slower-paced workout, one that requires us to hold better focus without the help of a timer?
I’ll tell you what: Flood your thoughts with what I call “fitness affirmations.”
These aren’t your grandma’s affirmations.
Push out the negative thoughts by intentionally flooding your mind with positive ones.
That’s it.
“Wait a second,” you say, “Affirmations?” Isn’t that just lying to yourself while ignoring reality? Didn’t I see that on talk shows in the 80s?”
So, yeah. Affirmations are an old self-development tool, and yes, they have mixed results when applied in everyday life. Bear with me here. I’m not actually advocating for affirmations in everyday life (unless it feels right to you).
These are fitness affirmations, and they exist only during the workout. They may only exist for the workout and nothing else. That may be enough for you.
How to craft your fitness affirmation.
I like to pick just one affirmation and work on it for the duration of the workout. I also think it’s helpful to pick something that’s somewhat believable to you, at least at first. Instead of, “I’m the best piano player in the country,” or “I have a Grammy!” choose, “I am a talented piano player.”
Here are other ideas (mix and match and substitute as you see fit):
- I’m a lovable person.
- I’m a great mother.
- I’m great at playing the guitar.
- I’m a strong, capable person.
- I’m a superhero!
- I’m becoming a better person every moment.
- I have a loving support system.
- I love my body.
- Working out feels so good!
- I’m a fantastic writer.
- People love hearing me speak.
- I am reaching my dream of ________.
- My marriage is getting stronger.
- My new business is a success.
- I’m a killer saleswoman.
- I’m taking this company to the next level.
As you can see, you can pick something workout-related, like “I love my body!” or something outside of the gym. It’s up to you. Whatever topic you choose, the affirmation should be something you believe, but maybe don’t have full confidence in. It should make you feel good deep down inside, like when someone pays you a compliment.
Working double-time on benefits.
The fitness affirmation technique kills two birds with one stone. It not only helps your workout, but it also improves the area of your life that you highlight with your affirmation.
And that’s not all.
It persists beyond right now. It helps in the present to make you feel better about both the workout and yourself. But also, a consistent habit of using fitness affirmations will motivate you for future workouts and fitness plans, while also paving the way for you to adopt that affirmation as a firm belief.
And then you’re well on your way to not only reaching your fitness goals but also being the person you want to be.
The fitness benefit.
Several years back, I did a training program with the Moscow Art Theatre School. For a couple of hours a day, we did intense agility and strength exercises, including a lot of painful stretching. Whenever we moaned and groaned, our instructor always said, with a smile and a beautiful Russian accent, “Tell your mind that pain is pleasure.”
In other words, don’t change the circumstances you’re in. Instead, redefine this unpleasant feeling as a pleasant one.
I mean, that’s pretty Russian.
But it was also pretty great, at least in this context. And it worked. Like I’ve said before, much of the pain or discomfort in life is caused by resistance to something, not the thing itself. Once you welcome it in, it loses its teeth. It’s not so scary or painful.
(I should mention that you should have a solid understanding of the difference between harmful pain and helpful pain. Some discomfort while stretching your hamstrings is helpful. A sharp pain in your knee? Usually hurtful. Do not always redefine pain as pleasure. Pain has a purpose.)
Introducing fitness affirmations during a workout works the same way. You’re associating the pain and strain of working out with pleasurable thoughts. By eradicating the negative voice and replacing it with a positive one, you get rid of the resistance you’ve created in your mind. You’re also getting an extra boost from the positivity and confidence you’re feeling at the moment.
It makes you conquer the momentary urge to stop and less likely to leave before the end. Over time, your mind will associate working out with the good-feeling mindset you’ve created and you’ll be excited to hit the gym.
Pretty great, huh?
This is your brain on…fitness affirmations.
Affirmations aren’t just for a quick fix, however. They are a popular tool because of how they might benefit our mental state, and thus, our lives in general. We all are plagued with doubts about our worth, value, abilities or lovability. Using fitness affirmations not only helps your fitness journey; it has the power to change your entire life.
When you work out, your brain enters a different state, one that is calmer and more focused. You might even reach a point where your brain gives off alpha waves, which is tied to peak performance, increased happiness, and more creativity.
In this state, your brain is less likely to deny your affirmations and more likely to turn them into beliefs.
You’re getting verrrry sleepy…
This is how hypnosis works, and yes—hypnosis works, if not consistently. It’s not like the cartoons, either. It’s a way to implant a belief or behavior into someone’s subconscious, often by bypassing the critical mind.
(Side note: If you have some time to kill, check out Derren Brown, He is a hypnotist/magician/illusionist that creates incredible circumstances and behaviors. He has numerous videos on YouTube from his show in the UK, he has a fantastic and positive Netflix special, and he’s working on a Broadway show.)
So, you sneak into the brain with a positive thought, one that normally would never get past the guards—the logical, critical mind. Eventually, you start to believe that you’re pretty awesome rather than constantly putting yourself down.
It’s a win-win situation.
But do affirmations work?
Here’s the thing: Affirmations do not always work, as they are generally used. If you have good self-esteem, they might work well. Otherwise, they can make you feel like crap.
Why? Well, if you don’t feel great to begin with, and you pick an affirmation that feels very different from the reality you’re experiencing, it will only point out to you how far you are from where you want to be. Instead of climbing out of a hole, you’re digging a deeper one.
Fitness affirmations work, even if regular affirmations don’t.
Fitness affirmations are different. They exist only during the workout. Using them during a period of heightened clarity bypasses your normal critical guards. This is why your fitness affirmation may work wonders during the workout and fail to work at other times.
What if the fitness affirmation makes me feel worse?
The good news is that your thoughts can be coaxed upwards or downwards, so you need to find a fitness affirmation that’s close enough to your current mindset and also a positive stretch upwards. If it’s too far away from your current mood, you’ll reject it.
For instance, if “I’m a talented piano player” still rings false, even during a workout, take it down a notch. Try “I’m getting better at the piano every day.” Use an affirmation that feels like a positive but believable (to you) interpretation of where you are. Over time, you can increase the positivity of the affirmation as your self-esteem rises.
What about manifestation?
You can take this technique a step further, using it to manifest something you desire. To do this, try exchanging the affirmation for something you want to have or be, but isn’t here yet.
So, instead of “I’m a talented piano player,” it might be, “I am a world-renowned concert pianist.” You’re using the zone of the workout to find the vibration of the manifestation you want to occur. Because you will be saying things that aren’t true (yet, anyway), I suggest only trying this once you have a decent foundation of positivity and confidence in the direction you’re looking to manifest.
How do you tell? Pay attention to your feelings. Don’t use something that doesn’t feel empowering.
The bottom line.
I found this technique as a way to get over the negative hump mid-workout, and you can, too. And it works. Over time, you naturally associate exercise with feeling good, and isn’t that the point?
Give it a try!