As many of you know I have just spent a long weekend in Belfast. One of the highlights of my trip was a visit to the ‘Titanic Experience’ (photo below), the visitor attraction covering everything from the construction and launch of the ship to her catastrophic demise and legacy. We all know the basic story of how 1514 people lost their lives on a moonlit April night 100 years ago, and the exhibition perfectly brought it to life.
Whilst I was walking around I had plenty of time to think about the many factors which had contributed to the disaster; the speed of the ship, the course she was sailing and the unusually high number of icebergs in the area. Regardless of any of these, the loss of life was higher than it should have been because of one majorly flawed belief – that the Titanic was ‘unsinkable’! This, combined with some outdated maritime regulations regarding the required number of lifeboats on a vessel of this size, meant that the boats only had capacity for 1178 of her 2223 passengers and crew.
So what does this have to do with health and fitness? We certainly can’t change everything about the world around us, but when it comes to maintaining a healthy lifestyle our individual belief system governs so many things, from the types of exercise we choose, to the food we eat and how well we adhere to our programme. This is both positive and negative, as our beliefs not only protect us but equally can hold us back and prevent us from reaching our goals.
I found many definitions of belief, including ‘the psychological state in which an individual holds a proposition or premise to be true’ or ‘confidence in the truth or existence of something not immediately susceptible to rigorous proof’. Both of these statements highlight that a belief is not necessarily the truth, and has the capability to lead us astray if we place absolute faith in it.
Once we acknowledge this, we must also recognise that we have the power to question, and if necessary change our beliefs. I will confess now that as I have increased my knowledge and practical experience, I have discovered that a fair bit of what I once thought to be true about diet and exercise was actually incorrect. I could make this a very long list, but here are just ten of my flawed beliefs which undoubtedly hindered my progress over the years.
- It doesn’t matter what I eat providing I get enough exercise to ‘burn it off’.
- Doing a lot of cardiovascular exercise will give me the body shape I desire.
- Consecutive days off from exercise will make me weak – rest days are for sissies!
- I don’t need a plan – as long as I vary my workouts then I will keep getting fitter.
- I can catch up on missed workouts by doing one mega session.
- It doesn’t matter how slowly I ride my bike or run, its miles in the bank which count.
- I am my best coach and I don’t need help and advice from anyone else.
- I need to push myself a little bit harder in every workout otherwise I won’t improve.
- I have a long-term health condition so I can never become ‘good’ at my chosen sport.
- The quick stretching I do at the end of a workout or class is enough to maintain my flexibility.
Changing some of these beliefs has been a slow and at times painful process. I want you to ask yourself if any of your beliefs about diet and exercise might be similarly incorrect? Remember, our beliefs drive almost everything we do, and until our beliefs change we will always regress to the same place.
Our belief systems are so strong that it is interesting to note how we react when somebody provides information which conflicts with our current beliefs – we tend to feel defensive or angry. We are quick to dismiss the bearer of this confronting information as wrong, often without giving it a second thought.
It is only natural to build up ‘evidence’ to support our current beliefs. Even when we get an inkling that our beliefs may be flawed, there is a very strong temptation to ignore the new information. Few people want to admit, even to themselves, that they have been wrong. On a deeper level, our network of friends tends to reinforce our belief system, so the desire to stick to the same routine, take part in the same classes, or go on the latest diet can be very strong. In order to instigate change, we may even need to distance ourselves from our old routine and find new allies, as the existing group will always try to drag us back.
To save you from repeating my mistakes, my best piece of advice would be to always keep an open mind so you can think things through before forming a judgement. Two of the most influential fitness professionals I know, Charles Poliquin and Paul Chek, are very different in their approach. Both have such an incredible depth of knowledge that at first I found their thinking was so at odds with my current level of understanding, that I was tempted to simply dismiss it all.
Even now, whenever I have the honour of listening to either of them speak, I am forced to confront some of my own biases. Over time, I have found that some their seemingly more radical concepts have ultimately proved to be the most powerful in my own development as a personal trainer. Had I not been open to changing my beliefs, I would have missed out on a lot of incredible information which I can share with my clients.
The chances are good that your beliefs, even if they are incorrect, are unlikely to have such a disastrous effect as those of the Titanic designers. Even so, they may cost you dearly when it comes to making progress towards your diet and exercise goals, or indeed other personal goals which you have. If you keep trying to change an aspect of your life, only to repetitively fail, there is a good chance that it is your beliefs which are holding you back.
I am going to write more about this in future blogs, as I think this is an area where we can all benefit from increasing our understanding. As always I welcome your comments or questions, as I would like this space to become a two way dialogue where we can all grow and evolve.
Your Merlin Fitness friend,
Beth
