If you feel like you’re stuck in a fitness rut, your first instinct might be to find a new workout or a new diet. But according to a fitness authority with 18 years of experience, that’s precisely the wrong move. The real issue, he claims, isn’t your plan—it’s your perspective. Mindset is the often-forgotten third pillar of health, and without it, the other two (diet and exercise) will crumble. He suggests that what most people need is a “mindset reset.” Here are his three core rules for building a mental framework that breeds success.
The first rule is to obsess over your efforts, not your results. When we embark on a health journey, we tend to fixate on the outcomes: the number on the scale, our body fat percentage, or how we look in the mirror. A veteran coach warns that this is a frustrating and “uncontrollable” way to measure progress. You can’t force your body to lose weight by a specific date, and obsessing over it only creates anxiety.
The solution is to pivot your focus to the things that are 100% within your control. You can control your actions. You can control how many times you move your body this week, the quality of the food you purchase and prepare, and whether you get at least seven hours of sleep. A leading expert insists you pour your energy into these controllable aspects. This shift is empowering. It allows you to “win” every single day simply by following through on your intentions, and the physical results will naturally follow.
Second, you must embrace the power of “slow” to speed up your journey. In our fast-paced world, we want instant results from our fitness efforts. This leads to the “hypersonic” approach: crash diets, extreme deprivation, and over-exertion at the gym. A top coach explains that this is a recipe for failure. When you rush, you make too many mistakes, you lose sight of what really matters, and you make consistency an impossible burden.
This is why, paradoxically, slowing down is the best way to move forward. When you are careful and deliberate, you make fewer errors. You can focus on proper form, mindful eating, and adequate rest. This sustainable pace prevents the burnout and frustration that causes most people to quit. You stop going around in circles and start making real, linear progress toward your goal, ultimately getting there much faster.
Third, the expert strongly advocates for choosing small, consistent changes over big, intense ones. The “all-or-nothing” mentality is a trap. We think that to get results, we must radically overhaul our entire lives overnight. This often involves cutting out entire food groups or committing to grueling, unrealistic workout schedules. The coach cautions that these major changes are rarely sustainable.
Instead of this drastic approach, focus on gradual, manageable improvements. These “small, consistent changes” are far less overwhelming. They are easier to adjust to and integrate into your life as permanent habits. Think of it as building a foundation brick by brick. A 10-minute daily walk is more powerful than a 90-minute gym session that you only do twice before quitting. These small wins build momentum and compound over time, leading to massive, lasting results.