The practice of taking responsibility for your actions, decisions, and progress. External support systems like a a coach or accountability partner can help with accountability as they encourage consistency and staying committed to our long-term goals.

An addiction is a compulsive behavior or reliance on something that may bring short-term pleasure, but harmful long-term consequences. These could be substances, behaviors or activities that we are driven to do because of the way they impact our brain’s reward systems. Common addictions include nicotine, alcohol, stimulants, food, porn, and social media among many others. Most of us are addicted to our phones.

In many cases, it may take intentional intervention to overcome our addictions. Overcoming an addiction usually involves wrestling with the fear of living with the substance or behavior we are addicted to— this entails exercising courage. But ultimately, it is also truly knowing that there isn’t need for fear because there is nothing to sacrifice. You don’t actually want your addiction or else you wouldn’t be interested in stopping in the first place. So there is no sacrifice. This cognitive reframing as helped me and millions of others.

Adherence is the ability to consistently stick to a plan or routine, such as a workout or nutrition program, by balancing discipline, sustainability, and personal goals. It has to align realistically with your lifestyle.

The best workout plan is the one that you can stick to. The best meal plan is the one that you can stick to.

Consistently good > occasionally great.

This is the capacity to take intentional actions and make choices aligned with your values and goals. Having agency means having a sense of control over your life. An evaluation of having of your lifestyle patterns and your work-life balance could begin with the question of if you have the kind of agency you’d like to have in your life or not.

This is a very common cognitive distortion where situations, outcomes, and/or efforts are viewed by us in absolute extremes, such as complete success or utter failure, with little to no middle ground. This mindset often disregards real incremental progress and leads to feelings of inadequacy and discouragement. It can hinder decision-making, create unnecessary pressure, and cause individuals to abandon goals prematurely because perfection wasn’t achieved.

Overcoming this entails reframing this thinking by recognizing and appreciating small wins, embracing imperfections, and focusing on consistent effort rather than unattainable ideals.

It’s important to note that all-or-nothing thinking is ultimately a protective mechanism that we use against shame and failure.

Remember this quote: “Half-ass is better than fuck all.”

Analysis paralysis is when you are in a state of overthinking and overanalyzing a situation to the point where making a decision or taking some kind of action is delayed or avoided altogether.

It generally happens when we are overwhelmed by available options, potential risks, or the complexity of a situation. It’s important to recognize that the nature of this indecision is an emotional one, as it is fear of making the wrong choice that becomes paralyzing. This is sometimes referred to as FOBO, or “Fear Of a Better Option”.

Because the core of the problem is fear, the solution is usually courage.

Overcoming analysis paralysis involves building trust in our intuition, simplifying decision-making processes with the process of elimination, and accepting that are inevitably going to be imperfections in the choices we make.

It’s important to remember that one of the only tried and true way to attain clarity is to ACT, and then use the feedback from that action to gather more clarity.

“We suffer more in imagination than in reality.” - Seneca

The process of planning and preparing for potential challenges or stressors before they occur. We do this in our consultations where we identify potential obstacles, create strategies, and build resilience to better handle the expected difficulties so that we don’t veer off our plan.

“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” - Seneca

The ability to perform behaviors or actions automatically through repetition, without conscious effort.

Automaticity is key in habit formation and we want our routines like exercising or meal prepping to become effortless over time in order to reduce decision fatigue. Eating well and exercising are hopefully lifelong staples, and we want to perceive them similar to brushing our teeth or showering— they are non-decisions, something that is a given that we just do.

These are reflexive, unhelpful thought patterns that arise without conscious control, and they reinforce doubt, fear, or negativity.

Thought stopping is a cognitive technique used in sports psychology to interrupt these intrusive, negative, or distressing thoughts. By consciously redirecting attention or using a cue like saying "stop" aloud or mentally, we can break the cycle of rumination. It’s often combined with reframing or replacing the negative thought with a more positive or neutral perspective.

Thought stopping is predicated on the understanding that our mind is not always our friend and usually does not have our best interests in mind(no pun intended).

There is a behavioral activation technique which is the idea that taking action, even if small, can generate momentum and motivation. Rather than waiting for motivation to start, initiating a task creates a sense of accomplishment, which makes it easier to continue and build further motivation through progress.

Motivation then Action, Action creates Motivation.

"Action may not always bring happiness, but there is no happiness without action." – William James

Consuming an excessive amount of food in a short period, often accompanied by a feeling of loss of control. It is typically driven by emotional triggers, stress, or restrictive dieting and can negatively impact physical and mental health.

Binge-eating can look and sound like: “Hey, I just cheated on my diet, so I’m just gonna say screw it and go all out.”

Addressing binge-eating involves identifying triggers, practicing mindful eating, managing emotions through coping strategies, and fostering a balanced, non-restrictive approach to nutrition.

This is a type of thinking that is a cognitive distortion where we view situations in extremes— things are either this or that, with little consideration for nuance and context. While similar to all-or-nothing thinking, black-and-white thinking focuses more on categorizing experiences or people as entirely good or bad.

This mindset oversimplifies reality, impeding flexibility, problem-solving, and self-compassion. Addressing it involves practicing cognitive reframing, recognizing gray areas, and embracing progress over perfection.

Body doubling and social facilitation are related concepts that leverage the presence of others to improve focus, motivation, and performance.

Body doubling is when you have someone physically or virtually present while engaging in tasks, creating a sense of accountability and reducing distractions. This approach is particularly helpful for individuals with ADHD or those who struggle with procrastination, as the simple presence of another person can provide structure and momentum.

Social facilitation refers to the tendency to perform tasks differently when others are watching or participating. Familiar tasks often improve due to increased motivation or energy from being with a group, community or an overall environment that encourages us. An intimate gym is a great example of an environment that does this.

In fitness and wellness, both concepts can be applied effectively. Body doubling might involve working out with a friend or attending virtual exercise classes to stay consistent. Social facilitation can manifest as pushing harder in group workouts or using the energy of others to fuel personal performance.

It is important that we use as many tools as we can that are available to us to leverage ease in making the decisions we need to make.

“If you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together.” - Popular Proverb

Boundaries are limits and guidelines set to protect your emotional, physical, and mental well-being. Boundaries help define personal space, protect needs, and establish healthy relationships by clarifying what is acceptable and what is not usually in interactions with others.

While boundaries are important with other people, perhaps the most important boundaries you should have are the ones with yourself!

Catastrophizing is a cognitive distortion where you assume the worst possible outcome of a situation and blow minor issues out of proportion. It could also entail fixating on worst-case scenarios and perceiving them as inevitable or insurmountable. This pattern of thinking amplifies stress, anxiety, a sense of helplessness and is, at the end of the day, a distortion that is unhelpful.

For example, missing one workout might lead someone to believe they’ve completely failed their fitness goals. Or having a single slip in dieting or indulging on something “unhealthy” could be seen as proof of a total lack of self-control and then lead to saying screw it and then binge-eating.

It is important that we question our thinking or challenge our thoughts.

CBT is a popular form of psychotherapy that is structured and goal-oriented towards helping people identify and transform negative thought patterns and behaviors. CBT is very multifaceted but it broadly focuses on building more desirable frameworks for thinking about things.

“When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at begin to change.” - Wayne Dyer

The mental discomfort caused by holding conflicting beliefs, values, perspectives or behaviors simultaneously.

In health and fitness, this can look like being committed, but skipping workouts, following restrictive diets while valuing balance, or neglecting recovery despite prioritizing long-term health, buying gym equipment and memberships without taking concrete action.

Coaches, accountability friends/partners and family can be helpful in overcoming cognitive dissonance and creating more alignment with out thoughts and actions.

This is the act of managing emotions by changing how a situation is interpreted. This involves reframing negative thoughts into more helpful or positive ones, reducing stress and enhancing emotional resilience.

This can look like:

I have to go to the gym vs. I get to go to the gym.

I have to meal prep all this food vs. I get to meal prep all this food.

Afterall, being able to exercise and eat nutritiously is a tremendous privilege.

Speaking to oneself with kindness, understanding, and encouragement is essential for managing challenges, countering self-criticism, and building resilience.

The majority of us haven’t had the experience of receiving this from our family/environment and consequently, our internal dialogue becomes a very hostile one. Many of also do not respond to “tough love” and may actually shut down in the face of it. This practice can nurture self-esteem, support emotional well-being, and reinforce progress.

However, excessive self-compassion may lead to complacency, avoidance of accountability, or rationalizing unhealthy habits, so the need for balance between self-kindness and self-discipline is critical.

This is a conceptual framework that describes the progression of skill acquisition in stages. The stages are:

1. Unconscious Incompetence: You don’t know what you don’t know.

2. Conscious Incompetence: You realize what you don’t know.

3. Conscious Competence: You can do something but must focus on it.

4. Unconscious Competence: You perform the skill effortlessly, without conscious thought.

This model shows how learning evolves from unawareness to mastery → highlighting the shift from effortful practice to automatic proficiency.

The steady practice of acting in alignment with your goals and values over a period of time.

Consistency is about identity, and not so much frequency— the emphasis is on long-term commitment over perfection. We want to prioritize regular effort rather than intense but sporadic bursts of action.

I’m a big believer in taking it one day at a time with habits that we want to remove or implement.

Core beliefs are the deeply rooted assumptions and convictions that shape how we view ourselves, others, and the world. Often formed in childhood or through significant life experiences, these beliefs serve as the foundation for our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Positive core beliefs, such as "I am capable" or "I am deserving of healthy and fit body," support growth and resilience.

Self-limiting beliefs, a subset of core beliefs, are negative or restrictive assumptions that hinder personal progress. They often manifest as thoughts like "I’m not good enough," "I’ll never succeed," or "I’m not athletic." These beliefs can arise from past failures, societal expectations, or fear of rejection. In fitness, self-limiting beliefs might stop someone from starting a workout routine or pursuing health goals due to perceived inadequacies or feeling unworthy of having the successes they desire.

Identifying and challenging self-limiting beliefs, while reinforcing empowering core beliefs, helps unlock potential and create pathways for personal transformation. Techniques like mindfulness, affirmations, and cognitive reappraisal are tools are helpful in this.

It may be worth asking from time to time: “is this true or is it a belief?”

This is the mental exhaustion that arises from having to make too many decisions, which ultimately leads to poorer choices and reduced self-control.

This is why we want to streamline stuff, SIMPLIFY decisions, and create routines where we don’t have to think but just do.

By doing this, we can prioritize our precious cognitive energy for more important choices and tasks that require critical thinking.

Delayed gratification is consistently ranked one of the most important attributes needed to become successful in the fitness and nutrition domain. It is the ability to resist immediate rewards in favor of achieving long-term goals.

Practicing delayed gratification builds self-discipline, improves impulse control, and most importantly, building trust with yourself.

Delayed gratification hinges on the brain’s ability to regulate dopamine, a key neurotransmitter in the reward system. Immediate rewards trigger a dopamine surge, reinforcing impulsive behaviors. Examples of this can be: sweets, treats, social media scrolling, procrastination, alcohol.

What we have to do is resist this short-term spike in order to prioritize long-term rewards— this activates regions like the prefrontal cortex which are responsible for self-control and planning. Repeatedly practicing delayed gratification rewires the brain's reward pathways, shifting dopamine responses from instant pleasure to the anticipation of achieving meaningful goals. We want to strengthen the connection between [“effort” and “reward”] and not [“outcome” and “reward”] and ultimately create a more balanced and productive reward system.

Discipline: is the consistent application of effort toward a goal, even when it’s challenging or inconvenient. It relies on habits, routines, and self-control to sustain progress over time, regardless of emotional states.

Motivation: is the emotional state in which there is desire and enthusiasm to act. Motivation can and does catalyze action, but it tends to fluctuate and is influenced by circumstances, making it unreliable for sustained effort.

Motivation may inspire initial action but is unreliable in the long-term, especially when challenges arise. We’re not going to be motivated all the time.

Discipline, in contrast, ensures continued progress by relying on structure and commitment rather than fleeting emotional energy. Discipline is crucial because relying solely on motivation can lead to inconsistency, as motivation is unpredictable and influenced by mood, environment, and energy levels.

At the end of the day, we have to rely on discipline to do what we have to do regardless of how we feel about it.

Disordered eating is when you have unhealthy patterns like overeating, undereating, or restrictive habits. They are usually driven by emotional distress, body image issues, or societal pressures. These behaviors harm physical and mental health, disrupting natural hunger cues, and increase the risk of chronic conditions.

Disordered eating can be addressed with therapy to explore underlying causes and nutritional guidance from a nutrition coach to foster balanced habits. We ultimately want to try to build a healthier, more intuitive perspective on food. One where food does not have power over us and we see food as fuel and means to achieve our goals. Mindfulness, self-compassion, and setting realistic goals are key to our long-term nutritional well-being.

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter crucial to the brain’s reward, pleasure, and motivation systems.

With regards to fitness and nutrition, dopamine is one of the major actors responsible for reinforcing habits by creating a sense of satisfaction when achieving milestones— these milestones could look like completing a workout, eating healthily, seeing some muscles appear.

However, unhealthy sources of dopamine, like processed foods or excessive screen time, can disrupt this system, leading to cravings, diminished motivation, and reliance on short-term rewards. We want to balance our dopamine and reinforce positive behavior through sustainable habits, such as regular exercise, balanced nutrition, and mindfulness.

Emotions are instinctive physiological responses to stimuli, while feelings are the conscious interpretations of those emotions. The word emotion can be broken down etymologically as “the impulse to act/move”. Our feelings usually dictate what we are moving towards when we experience emotion.

These impulses clearly influence our choices when it comes to emotional eating, working out consistently, and managing stress. For example, stress may trigger overeating or skipping workouts, while positive emotions can reinforce healthy habits. Recognizing and understanding emotions by becoming emotionally intelligent helps create awareness of when they are adversely impacting the choices we make. It’s important that we are present to our emotions and properly feel them, they have important wisdom to share.

However, we have to regulate them and not allow for them to call the shots on how we move through life. This is called emotional regulation and it is the ability to recognize, manage, and respond to emotions in constructive ways.

Emotional Intelligence is the ability to identify, understand, and regulate emotions in yourself and possibly others.

EQ is important and operative in managing stress by first cultivating awareness of your own emotions and then self-control over them. For example, good EQ allows us to pause and assess emotional triggers before turning to food or skipping a workout.

The main takeaway is that we need to first identify our emotions before they have the chance to make our decisions for us.

Empowerment in fitness and nutrition means viewing healthy actions like exercising or eating well as opportunities to care for and strengthen your body. It focuses on growth, long-term benefits, and intrinsic rewards, such as feeling strong or energized.

Punishment sees these actions as ways to compensate for perceived failures, often driven by guilt or shame. This mindset can lead to negative emotions, inconsistency, and burnout.

We want to shift our perception in this from punishment to empowerment, otherwise it will be an unsustainable story of emotional burnout.

Endorphin therapy is when you engage in activities that stimulate the release of endorphins, the body’s natural “feel-good” chemicals, which improve mood, reduce pain, elicit some level of euphoria and enhance overall well-being. Additionally, such activities stimulate the release of other neurotransmitters that work synergistically with endorphins, like dopamine (pleasure and motivation), serotonin (happiness and emotional stability), norepinephrine (focus and alertness), and anandamide (the "bliss molecule"), further amplifying the positive effects. Oxytocin may also be released during social activities, promoting bonding, while GABA aids in stress reduction.

Regular exercise, such as running, yoga, or strength training, is a common way to boost endorphins, creating a sense of euphoria known as a “runner’s high.” Beyond physical benefits, endorphins play a crucial role in mental health by reducing stress, alleviating anxiety, and improving focus and mental clarity.

Essentialism emphasizes focusing on what truly matters(the essential) by identifying and prioritizing core objectives, eliminating distractions, and saying "no" to nonessential tasks.

Similarly, the K.I.S.S. principle—"Keep It Simple, Stupid"—advocates for simplicity and clarity in problem-solving, design, or decision-making.

Both concepts reject overcomplication, encouraging efficiency, focus, and effectiveness. Together, they underscore the power of simplicity in achieving meaningful results by doing less but doing it better.

“It’s not easy, but it is simple.”

Intrinsic motivation is the drive to engage in an activity because it is inherently satisfying— common examples of this are working out for the joy of movement or feeling stronger. Extrinsic motivation is driven by external rewards like praise or achieving a specific aesthetic. Similarly, external validation is the approval or recognition from others, such as compliments or attention for physical appearance and grit/work ethic, while internal validation comes from self-recognition of personal growth, effort, or internal goals like improved health, wellness and quality of life. While both forms can motivate, a balance is crucial—external validation offers encouragement, but internal validation fosters long-term self-trust, fulfillment, autonomy and is ultimately more sustainable.

Visualization is a powerful tool that involves intentionally creating mental images of desired outcomes or goals. It is a purposeful practice that can enhance motivation, focus, and confidence— some consider it to be synonymous with the Law of Attraction or the Law of Assumption. Titans like Arnold Schwarzenegger are big on having a vision in order to have a blueprint and schematic to guide you towards the right directions.

HOWEVER, visualization has the potential to metastasize into maladaptive daydreaming! This is the excessive dwelling within fantasies that replace real-world engagement. The key thing about these fantasies is that they provide temporary escape, comfort and dopamine! This release of dopamine may make the fantasy more appealing than reality, and at times the mind can mistake the fantasy for reality. Sometimes this release of dopamine can also demotivate us from investing in our goals in reality— another reason why seemingly harmless fantasies can actually be dangerous.

Mental contrasting(discussed later) helps channel the imagination needed to power visualizations more constructively, rather than them being a means for escapism.

Fear of failure occurs when we avoid challenges or risks because we dread the possibility of making mistakes, facing criticism, or falling short of our goals/standards. This fear can lead to procrastination, indecision, or avoidance of new opportunities. For example, you might hesitate to join a gym due to fear of judgment from more experienced members or avoid starting a healthier diet because you’ve failed in the past. Fear of failure often stifles growth, as the individual prioritizes avoiding discomfort over potential rewards.

Fear of success, on the other hand, is subtler and less openly discussed but equally limiting. This fear arises from the pressure or scrutiny that accompanies achievement. Success often brings increased expectations, scrutiny, responsibilities, or visibility, which can be overwhelming. For example, you might sabotage your fitness journey by skipping workouts or overeating because they fear the attention they might receive after significant weight loss or because they are just deeply afraid of the unfamiliarity of healthiness/success.

Fear of failure and fear of success both manifest as self-sabotage or reluctance to commit to change.

Finite games have clear rules, goals, and endpoints— it exists within very fixed parameters time with specific considerations for effort. An example of a finite game would be trying to hit a specific weight for a competition or lose X amount of body fat before the summer or even a sports game like a basketball game. While motivating initially, this approach often leads to stagnation once the "game" ends.

Infinite games exists for the purpose of continuing to play and entails emphasis on ongoing improvement. Working out and eating well are, or should be, infinite games. There is no beginning, middle and end— we play this infinite game until we die.

In health and fitness, we want to adopt an infinite mindset to ensure sustainability by focusing on growth, adaptability, and learning. It shifts the goal from temporary results to continuous progress, making health and wellness a lifelong, evolving journey.

Flow state, or Wu Wei, refers to a mental state of deep focus, full immersion, and effortless action. In the Daoist tradition, it embodies a harmonious alignment with the natural rhythms of life, where actions unfold seamlessly and without resistance. In this state, effort feels fluid rather than forced, as you act in alignment with your present abilities and the demands of the moment. Wu Wei isn’t about passivity but about engaging in an intuitive, balanced way that reduces friction and maximizes ease.

Achieving a state of flow can transform your workouts into enjoyable experiences rather than tasks, which hopefully promotes consistency and peak performance. Wu Wei teaches the value of embracing progress as a fluid journey and letting go of the ego’s perfectionistic and rigid expectations. Activities like running, yoga, or lifting weights are popular means of inducing flow when they properly balance challenge and skill. Cultivating this state not only boosts motivation but also enhances mental well-being, as it fosters mindfulness and reduces stress by anchoring you in the present moment.

Fun is the experience of pleasure and/or joy when we engage in activities that bring us happiness.

We generally want to incorporate fun into our routines so that they feel less like obligations and more like enjoyable pursuits. We want to look forward to exercises more than we dread them. We should periodically try creative workouts, work out and cook with friends, explore new recipes, or participating in group activities can inject fun into a health journey, boosting consistency and reducing burnout.

Gamification is the integration of game-like elements (such as rewards, XP points, levels, and challenges) into non-game contexts to increase engagement, motivation, and participation. Sometimes it really benefits us to gameify challenges in our life like fitness and nutrition and leverage the psychology of gaming to make it more enjoyable, interactive, and goal-oriented. Achieving our objectives through a sense of accomplishment, competition, and progress really resonates strongly with a lot of people.

Grit is the combination of perseverance, passion, and a long-term commitment to achieving goals in the face of adversity. The fitness journey demands grit as it is what enables us to push through plateaus, recover from setbacks, and maintain focus on our goals, whether building strength, improving endurance, or refining dietary habits.

Unlike fleeting motivation, grit is like discipline because it emphasizes resilience, effort, and adaptability. It reminds us that sustainable health and fitness are marathons, not sprints, and that consistent effort over time outweighs short-lived bursts of energy.

A growth mindset is the belief or attitude/perspective that skills, abilities, and intelligence are not fixed traits but can be cultivated through effort, learning, and persistence. It encourages seeing challenges as opportunities to grow, viewing failures as learning experiences, and recognizing progress as part of a continual journey. For example, if you have a growth mindset, you might view struggling to complete a workout as a stepping stone to improvement rather than a sign of failure. You’ll seek feedback, explore new techniques, and embrace the discomfort of pushing past your limits because they see effort as the pathway to mastery.

A fixed mindset assumes that talents and abilities are very limited, predetermined or downright unchangeable. People with a fixed mindset often avoid challenges to protect their sense of competence or give up after encountering setbacks. This perspective creates stagnation and limit personal growth.

Cultivating a growth mindset involves shifting your perspective:

"I can’t do this." → "I can’t do this yet."

"I can’t do this." → "I presently struggle with this."

We want to see our fitness journeys not as destinations, but journeys— lifelong processes of joyous self-discovery and personal improvement.

Habit formation is the process of establishing consistent behaviors and creating automaticity over time through repetition and structured practice.

This is rooted in the habit loop framework, which consists of three components:

1. cue (a trigger that initiates the behavior)

2. routine (the action itself)

3. reward (the positive outcome that reinforces the behavior).

   For us, this might look like:

   • setting out workout clothes the night before (cue)

   • completing a morning workout (routine)

   • experiencing an endorphin rush or a sense of accomplishment afterward (reward).

     Over time, repeating this loop helps solidify habits, making them more effortless(automatic) and ingrained— we want to try to do this with habits like mindful eating, regular exercise, consistent hydration and good sleep hygiene. This same framework is responsible for building bad/undesirable habits of course, so we want to make sure that we leverage our knowledge in a way that benefits us.

Healing is the process of restoring physical, emotional, spiritual and mental well-being after experiencing trauma. Trauma disrupts emotional regulation, self-perception, and physical health, making the healing journey deeply tied to holistic wellness and fitness. When we heal, we’re looking to address the underlying wounds that trauma leaves on the body and mind.

Post-traumatic growth (PTG) is the concept that recovery from trauma can be a catalyst for profound personal growth. PTG emphasizes the opportunities for resilience, insight, and transformation that emerge from adversity. PTG is far less discussed than its popular counterpart, PTSD.

Healing can involve:

• Physical recovery, such as rehabilitating injuries, managing chronic pain, or reconnecting with the body through practices like yoga, physiotherapy, or mindful movement.

• Emotional recovery, which includes addressing shame, self-criticism, or negative body image through tools like self-compassion, reframing beliefs, and mindfulness practices.

• Psychophysiological processing of trauma, recognizing and releasing stored trauma in the body through approaches such as somatic therapy, nervous system regulation, or exploring the mind-body connection.

Post-Traumatic Growth builds on this by fostering:

• New perspectives, such as reframing adversity as a source of strength, deepening one’s sense of purpose, or discovering renewed motivation for health and fitness.

• Increased resilience, where individuals learn to embrace challenges, adopt healthier coping mechanisms, and grow beyond prior limitations.

• Stronger connections, including fostering deeper relationships and cultivating self-compassion and self-trust.

Understanding Healing and PTG help us transcend cycles of self-sabotage, perfectionism, or punishment and transform exercise and nutrition into acts of self-care and empowerment.

Identity is the deeply held conceptualization of who we are which is shaped by our values, beliefs, life experiences, and the roles we take on. It profoundly influences how we view ourselves and interact with the world.

Identity plays a pivotal role in shaping behaviors and sustaining habits and we try to understand that by being aware of the relationship we have with ourselves. How do you see yourself? Have you built trust and rapport with yourself? Do you find yourself to be reliable? How do you identify yourself?

When health and fitness become integral to one’s identity, they’re less likely to be perceived as temporary efforts and more as a reflection of personal values.

Shifting identity to align with your goals:

“I try to work out” → “I’m someone who works out”

“I’m trying to quit smoking” → “I’m a non-smoker”

"I can’t control my sweet tooth” → “I’m a mindful eater”

Imperfect action refers to taking steps toward a goal, even if those steps aren’t flawless or ideal or “perfect” .

It emphasizes progress over perfection and it looks to foster momentum. We just have to get moving! We all rather would not have the uncertainty that comes from the absence of perfection, but the way to get more clarity is to take action and get feedback from that action. This over time builds confidence and helps overcome analysis paralysis— where overthinking prevents action.

Imperfect action for us might look like completing a shorter workout instead of skipping it entirely or choosing a slightly healthier meal option when a perfect one isn’t available. We want to focus on action and effort rather than perfection.

This is the pre-requisite to healing. Inner work is the ongoing process of self-reflection and addressing unresolved trauma or limiting beliefs to foster personal growth and well-being. It involves the very hard and frustrating work of digging into one’s thoughts, behaviors, and past experiences to uncover patterns that no longer serve us and intentionally cultivating healthier ways of thinking and being.

With regards to health and fitness, inner work could mean exploring the emotional reasons behind self-sabotaging behaviors, such as avoiding exercise due to fear of judgment or overeating as a coping mechanism for stress. Tools for inner work include mindfulness practices, journaling, therapy, and meditation, which help us connect more deeply with our emotions and motivations. The objective of inner work is cultivate more self-respect and inner alignment with the choices we make and want to make.

Coming Soon.

Learned helplessness is a psychological state where repeated exposure to uncontrollable or adverse situations leads you to believe that you lack the power to change your circumstances, even when opportunities for improvement exist. This develops a defeatist mindset which is characterized by passivity, low motivation, and apathy/resignation. For example, we may stop trying to lose weight or build strength after repeated setbacks, feeling incapable of achieving our goals. Overcoming this involves small, achievable goals, reframing failures as learning experiences, and focusing on areas where control can be exerted.

Learned optimism is the practice of developing a positive and empowering mindset by interpreting challenges as temporary, specific, and solvable/surmountable. It involves recognizing one's ability to influence outcomes and viewing setbacks as opportunities for growth rather than signs of personal failure. Learned optimism could mean seeing a missed workout as a chance to adjust plans rather than giving up altogether. There is an infinite reservoir of motivation to be found from adopting this attitude.

By transitioning from learned helplessness to learned optimism, individuals can break free from defeatist cycles and adopt a more proactive and empowered mindset in fitness and beyond.

In behavioral science and decision-making, recency refers to the tendency to give greater weight or importance to the most recent events or information when evaluating situations or making choices. This cognitive bias influence memory, judgment, and behavior, often causing people to overvalue recent experiences and undervalue older ones.

Low Recency, on the other hand, refers to situations or patterns where recent events have less influence on decisions or perceptions. This occurs when individuals consciously prioritize a broader perspective, consider long-term trends, or value cumulative experiences over immediate or recent occurrences. We want low recency.

In practice, recency can skew evaluations, such as disproportionately focusing on recent workouts or meals when assessing fitness progress, while low recency supports a more balanced, holistic approach, ensuring decisions are informed by the bigger picture rather than short-term fluctuations.

An example could be focusing solely on recent feedback, such as a number on the scale or your appearance in the mirror, disregarding the progress and cumulative evidence of your consistent efforts. This short-term focus could lead to actions that feel urgent but are ultimately counterproductive to your goals, such as over-restricting calories or skipping recovery time.

Loving awareness refers to the ability to observe one's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors with compassion, kindness, curiosity, and acceptance without too much judgement. Loving awareness not only helps us observe our own thoughts with kindness but also shapes how we provide feedback to others. When we bring awareness to someone about something, are we doing it gently, kindly, and constructively, focusing on growth instead of judgment? That is how you would creates a safe space for reflection when doling out criticism.

Shameful awareness is the antithesis of loving awareness. In interpersonal communication, shameful awareness has the potential to come across as harsh or critical, which can cause defensiveness or hinder growth. This is because change has to be in tandem with vulnerability, and people don’t want to be shamed when they’re vulnerable. Whether in fitness, nutrition, or personal development, practicing loving awareness with ourselves and others promotes understanding, connection, and positive change.

Mental contrasting is a powerful goal-setting technique that combines positive visualization with realistic planning. Its primary utility is to keep us from living too much in a fantasy/day dream. It involves imagining the successful achievement of a goal while simultaneously identifying and confronting the potential obstacles that could arise. This dual approach fosters both optimism and practical action, and keeps us from confusing and conflating fantasy with reality.

Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being.

In fitness, mental health is both a driver and an outcome of regular exercise. The mind and body work synergistically.

As highlighted in the distinguished book “Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain” by John Ratey, MD, exercise enhances brain function by promoting neuroplasticity and resilience, underscoring its transformative impact on mood and cognitive health. Physical activity boosts mental health by reducing stress hormones, releasing endorphins, and improving self-esteem. The irony is that exercise is one of the best antidepressants available, but you need to not be depressed to begin working out in the first place.

Mindfulness is the practice of bringing focused, non-judgmental awareness to the present moment. It involves observing thoughts, emotions, and sensations as they arise, which fosters a sense of clarity and calm.

It is vital during a workout to practice mindfulness to enhance focus so that you are executing proper form and developing a solid mind-muscle connection with your body.

In eating, mindfulness encourages savoring food and recognizing hunger and satiety cues, which can help prevent overeating.

The mind-muscle connection refers to the intentional focus on engaging specific muscles during exercise. This practice increases neuromuscular activation, ensuring that the target muscle is doing the majority of the work.

When you are doing a bicep curl, consciously focusing on contracting the biceps amplifies the effectiveness of the movement. It enhances workout quality, is necessary for fine-tuning form, helps avoid injury, and ultimately maximizes gains. Precision and control are often indicators of strength and experience, and this can’t be achieved without practicing mindfulness while exercising. I recommend visualizing in your mind the muscle(s) that are being used.

Nervous system regulation is the process of maintaining balance between the sympathetic (fight-or-flight) and parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) systems to support emotional, physical, and mental well-being. When dysregulated, often due to trauma, the nervous system can become stuck in hyperarousal (anxiety, stress) or hypoarousal (numbness, fatigue), affecting overall health and decision-making.

Trauma-informed approaches to fitness and wellness emphasize reconnecting with the body through gentle, intentional actions that prioritize safety, bodily identification and self-awareness. We want to become good a regulating our nervous systems so that we can exercise control over our emotional responses, rebuild trust in our bodies, and create a sustainable foundation for health, healing and working out long-term.

Neurodivergence refers to the natural variations in brain function and structure that lead to differences in thinking, learning, behavior, and sensory processing. Examples include ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, and dyslexia. These differences from neurotypicality don’t have to necessarily be deficits, but unique expressions of human diversity accompanied by distinct strengths, such as creativity, hyper-focus, or innovative problem-solving.

In fitness and dieting, personalized approaches that align with a neurodivergent person's needs and preferences are crucial. For example, someone with ADHD might benefit from shorter workouts with more variety to maintain engagement and adherence. As someone with ADHD, understanding neurodivergence is very important for my journey because instructions and guidelines for neurotypical simply do not work for me most times— acknowledging this helps me avoid a lot of unnecessary guilt and shame.

Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP) is a psychological approach that examines how language, thought patterns, and behavior are interconnected. By analyzing the way people frame their experiences, NLP provides tools to rewire negative self-talk or unhelpful mental scripts into positive and empowering beliefs.

NLP is similar to cognitive reappraisal— reframing a thought like “I’ll never lose weight” into “I’m taking steps to improve my health” can transform motivation and perspective. Techniques like visualization, anchoring positive emotions, and setting clear intentions can help us create lasting behavioral changes.

Neuroplasticity refers to the brain’s ability to adapt, reorganize, and form new neural pathways throughout life in response to experiences, learning, and environmental changes. This capacity for change underpins the development of new habits, skills, and behaviors, even in adulthood.

Learning proper squat form or transitioning to healthier eating patterns relies on the brain’s neuroplastic abilities to reinforce new behaviors and make them second nature over time. Exercise significantly improves the brain’s capacity to be neuroplastic!

Object Permanence/Impermanence is the psychological awareness of whether things continue to exist when they’re in or out of sight— another common expression for this is “out of sight, out of mind”, but this is a little too literal in the case of those with ADHD or some kind of neurodivergence.

This is why I always use a clipboard to track my exercises when I workout because otherwise it is too transient and I don’t have a solid grasp over my progress or lack thereof, trends with my health and strength, or my general progressive overload. Physical tracking with working out and meal plans are sometimes essential for focus and accountability because they counter impermanence by keeping goals tangible and present.

Outcome goals are your actual goals, the desired end result.

Process goals are the goals that are the specific actions or steps taken to achieve your outcome goal(s).

Process goals emphasize the behaviors needed to achieve success— what the author of Atomic Habits calls your “systems”. Process goals are also helpful emotionally because they break down to a smaller, less intimidating increment of the goal that you have. These help maintain motivation by providing smaller, more immediate wins which we can then work towards.

For example, a process goal in yoga might be “attend yoga classes twice a week,” whereas an outcome goal could be “improve flexibility enough to touch my toes.”

“You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.” - James Clear.

Perfectionism is likely the one of the most formidable obstacles we face on our fitness journey.

It is the tendency to hold yourself to excessively high or unattainable standards that are usually fueled by a fear of failure, self-criticism, and an “all-or-nothing” mindset. While striving for excellence can motivate some, perfectionism frequently leads to stress, procrastination, analysis-paralysis, burnout, or a fear of starting new challenges. It can hinder progress by making individuals overly focused on flaws rather than celebrating their efforts and achievements.

For our concerns, perfectionism may manifest as obsessing over perfect macros, really strict workout schedules, or an inability to forgive “slip-ups” like missing a workout or indulging in a treat. This mindset can create an unhealthy relationship with exercise and food, leading to feelings of failure or discouragement. For us to overcome our perfectionism, it might be helpful for us to examine our fears first and embrace flexibility and prioritizing progress over perfection.

Procrastination is when you delay important tasks, and this usually happens by opting for distractions or less critical activities instead of what you need to do. Most of the time, procrastination stems from fear, perfectionism, or overwhelm— this means that procrastination is resolved by resolving our fears and the stress that comes from it.

Procrastivity is when you engage in tasks that are seemingly productive in order to avoid addressing more significant or challenging priorities. This can look like doing too much research before doing something that you need to do when what you actually should be doing is just doing the thing!

In fitness and nutrition, procrastination might involve putting off workouts or meal prepping, while procrastivity could manifest as spending hours researching the “perfect” diet instead of starting a simple, actionable plan. Both behaviors can stall progress. Overcoming these patterns involves breaking tasks into manageable steps, setting realistic goals, and focusing on getting feedback from taking action.

Self-compassion is the practice of treating oneself with kindness, understanding, and patience, especially during difficult times or after making mistakes. The majority of people generally do not respond positively to shame(shameful awareness) and judgmental attitudes, so it’s more sustainable and practical for us to respond to our challenges with encouragement and self-acceptance.

The inner critic, on the other hand, is the internal voice that focuses on self-judgment, often amplifying feelings of inadequacy, shame, or failure. The inner critic usually undermines confidence and prevents progress by creating a fear of imperfection or rejection.

For us, self-compassion might look like celebrating small wins and approaching setbacks with curiosity and a growth mindset. Conversely, the inner critic may lead to guilt over missed workouts or overeating, which can derail motivation and self-esteem. I would not make the argument that shame should never be used— it exists for a reason. I would say however, that sometimes our default is to be very critical of ourselves and positive feedback and support would likely be a more holistically beneficial approach.

This the process every gym-goer should go through which is gaining practical, experiential knowledge through consistent effort and application in the gym and kitchen.

As you train, experiment with nutrition, and study exercise science, you accumulate "XP" (experience points), like in a game, by learning what works best for your body. Over time, this hands-on approach builds wisdom and a deep understanding of fitness, movement, and dietary strategies, making you both a student and practitioner of health. This experiential learning transforms theoretical knowledge into applicable skills and insights which you can then share with others and have under your belt for the rest of your life!

Self-efficacy refers to the belief in your ability to successfully complete tasks and achieve goals you set out to do.

Self-efficacy is synonymous with confidence. Confidence plays a critical role in motivation, perseverance, and performance. The way we develop confidence in order to become a person with high self-efficacy is by building evidence— the way we build evidence is by showing up and trying and getting feedback. With this feedback, we have more data to make better decisions and perform better. These increments of improvements are the raw material needed to build confidence!

Remember that it is very easy for confidence to compound and build upon itself, and the exact same is true for doubt!

“You don't become confident by shouting affirmations in the mirror, but by having a stack of undeniable proof that you are who you say you are. Out work your self-doubt.” - Alex Hormozi

Self-image is the mental picture or perception an individual holds about themselves. This encompasses physical appearance, abilities, and worth and it significantly influences our behavior, confidence and the decisions we make.

In health and fitness, self-image shapes how we perceive our bodies and our capacity for change. A positive self-image encourages healthy habits, while a negative one can lead to self-criticism or unhealthy behaviors. A positive self-image is also positively correlated with self-worth— the more worthy we feel, the more motivated we will be to cultivate and improve our self-image.

Becoming fit is one of the most straightforward ways to build and/or improve your self-image!

Remember that a fit body is one of your most prized accessories!

Self-soothing are things that we do to calm our emotional distress and provide us comfort during challenging times. There are constructive self-soothing practices, such as deep breathing, journaling, or going for walks, which are meant to regulate emotions and promote well-being.

However, self-soothing tendencies can sometimes manifest as self-sabotage when the methods chosen provide short-term relief but conflict with long-term goals. Some examples of these include stress eating, using drugs and alcohol, or engaging in high-risk behaviors. They may soothe immediate discomfort but ultimately undermine health and fitness aspirations and can create cycles of avoidance.

Recognizing when self-soothing crosses into self-sabotage is key to breaking this cycle. We have to identify our triggers when we are dysregulated and consciously replace self-sabotaging behavior with ones that are more aligned with our goals and principles.

It is also important to remember that sometimes we subconsciously self-sabotage in order to have some level of control or agency over our lives! There is a certain comfort in the familiarity of failure and distress that may be more deceptively appealing than the actions we need to take to head in the right direction. We mustn’t let this soothing nature of this comfort get the better of us.

Self-worth is the intrinsic value we assign to ourselves, independent of external achievements, appearance, or approval from others.

It is a foundational aspect of mental and emotional well-being, and it shapes how we perceive our worthiness of love, respect, resources and success.

In fitness and health, I would argue that one of the most important aspects of training and self-development is that we need to feel as though we are worthy of the success and the goals that we want! We have to feel worthy of taking the time, energy & resources needed towards going to the gym, shopping for our meal plan items, spending hours cooking and meal prepping! We have to feel worthy of the time and space it takes to build the body and the life we want too.

The Stages of Change Model (also known as the Transtheoretical Model) is a framework that can be used to understand how we go through different stages when we’re trying to change our behavior. There are 5 stages:

1. Precontemplation: Not considering change.

2. Contemplation: Aware of the need for change but not ready.

3. Preparation: Planning for change.

4. Action: Actively making the change.

5. Maintenance: Sustaining the change over time.

Relapse is also recognized as part of the process.

Which stage are you in right now?

Trauma-response behavior encompasses actions or patterns that emerge as a reaction to unresolved trauma, and in some cases trauma that is unresolvable. These behaviors might include fight, flight, freeze, or fawn responses, manifesting as avoidance, hypervigilance, people-pleasing, dissociation, perfectionism, self-harm, substance abuse, overworking, aggression, overeating or under-eating, avoidance of intimacy, hyper-independence, chronic worry or anxiety, somatization, excessive control, numbing behaviors, trust issues, commitment issues, chronic self-criticism or emotional shutdown among many, many others.

Here’s a metaphor: when we experienced trauma, it caused us to put on armor to protect ourselves— the more trauma, the more armor. After some time, the trauma stopped, but we still kept on the heavy and dense armor that protected us in the past. The more we kept it on, the more pain and discomfort we experience from keeping it on and the harder it became to take it off. The armor(trauma response behavior) ultimately becomes the source of even more trauma and adversity as it keeps us from healing, growing and living life freely and fully with liberty. It’s also hard to exercise and eat well freely with all that armor on.

When you really understand the extent of trauma and how our responses to it shape our lives, I feel like it may not be entirely inappropriate to think of us as puppets that are pulled by the strings of our past.

In order to regain agency in our lives, it is important to for us to have the courage to identify our traumas, do the necessary inner work and live a life free from outdated self-protection mechanisms we’ve done to keep ourselves safe.

Willpower as a finite resource is the idea that self-control and decision-making draw from a limited mental reservoir.

As willpower is exerted throughout the day—such as resisting temptations or making challenging choices—it becomes depleted, making it harder to sustain disciplined behaviors that we made commitments to.

For us, in the realm of fitness and nutrition, we want to structure our environments to reduce decision fatigue to make things like eating well easier with meal prepping and going to the gym easier by scheduling workouts. Creating automaticity as mentioned above is a big part of making sure that our willpower isn’t made too elastic and thin.

A victim mindset is a perspective in which individuals see themselves as powerless in the face of challenges, often blaming external circumstances or others for their struggles. There is a difference between being an actual victim and victimizing ourselves— being a victim is situational, victimizing oneself is a psychological and behavioral pattern. The latter is what we want to be conscious

The critical thing to remember about the victim mindset is that it is appealing because it relieves us of responsibility. But it is for that exact same reason that it is dangerous, because it gives power to the things or people that we blame. As a result, we become disempowered and that hinders our ability to transform our circumstances in the first place!

Sometimes we may entertain a victim mindset and behaving accordingly without being consciously aware of it.

“Where you place blame, you also place power.”

“It’s not your fault, but it is your responsibility.”