The Nocebo Effect: Are You (Unknowingly) Thinking Your Way to Failure?

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A patient taking part in an experiment is told her new medication may have symptoms such as nausea, stomach pains, and loss of appetite. Four weeks later when she revisits her doctor for a checkup she complains of nausea, stomach pains, and loss of appetite. “The side effects from this medication are terrible,” she groaned.

When the doctor reports that the “medication” she’s been taking are just sugar pills, she’s silent in disbelief.

How can someone experience side effects from a medication when they weren’t actually taking a medication?

This is the nocebo effect. It’s what occurs when negative expectations of a medication lead to a more negative effect than it would have otherwise. As you’ll see, the nocebo effect is not limited to medical treatments and drugs. Most of us, at one time or another, have likely had our own nocebo experiences with health and fitness. I know I have.

3 Common Ways People Nocebo Their Way to Failure

I’ll bet you can recognize yourself in at least one of these examples.

Lack of Sleep

Did you know getting at least seven hours of sleep every night has been demonstrated to boost fat loss, build muscle, and provide a host of other health benefits? Of course you do. Coaches and health professionals love touting the benefits of sufficient sleep, and I’m no exception. Sleep should be a priority. (And you better have a great mattress.)

It’s one element of your health and fitness regimen that requires you to literally do nothing but can positively affect the results from your nutrition and workout efforts.

What does your day look like that was preceded by five hours of sleep or less? There’s no way I’m going to have a good workout today, you may have thought. And, chances are, you probably did have a terrible workout.

It may not have been due to lack of sufficient sleep, however. Your negative expectations of having a bad workout because of getting less-than-ideal sleep could be responsible for the bad workout. You noceboed your way straight to a crappy workout because of the negative expectations going into it.

What would happen if you just shrugged off the situation and didn’t give any merit to the night of less than ideal sleep? What if you approached your workout the same way you would have if you’d gotten a solid eight hours of sleep?

Circumstances can affect us (and in this example, our workout performance), but oftentimes it’s our perception of those circumstances, and the attitude we choose to embrace in response, that’s even more powerful.

Pre-Workout Supplements

I quite like the placebo effect. It occurs when someone experiences an improvement or beneficial outcome due to their positive expectations, despite receiving an inactive substance or no actual treatment.

Using the example from earlier, a patient taking part in an experiment is told the medication may give her greater energy and lead to deeper, more restful sleep. Four weeks later when she gets a checkup she reports having higher energy levels and getting more quality sleep. “It’s working!” she boasts. When told she’s been taking sugar pills, she’s perplexed as to how she’s been experiencing those positive side effects.

If your belief in something makes it have a positive effect (or even greater effect), what’s not to love? The power of placebo has been demonstrated repeatedly in research. One such study showed trained individuals increased their strength by over 300% simply because they thought they were taking steroids.

When it comes to pre-workout supplements, many include ingredients proven to boost performance (e.g., caffeine), but no doubt someone’s expectations of its affects make it more effective. The ensuing holy-crap-I-could-flip-a-tractor feeling they get after ingesting the caffeine-fueled mixture boosts their positive expectations of the product, so they may be more likely to have a great workout.

On the flip-side is the nocebo effect that can happen when someone can’t have their usual pre-workout supplement or caffeinated beverage of choice. “This workout isn’t going to be great — I ran out of my pre-workout mix,” I’ve heard people say. And when they have a lackluster training session, their previous belief about not being able to have a good workout without their pre-workout aid is solidified by the experience.

If you like to drink a cup of coffee or take a pre-workout supplement before your training sessions (especially one including squats and deadlifts), that’s great. I’m not saying not to use those things; nor am I saying they’re not effective apart from a placebo effect. But don’t be so reliant on them that if you run out or can’t have your usual pre-workout beverage/supplement that you allow negative expectations of a less-than-stellar workout cause you to actually have one.

Schedule Conflicts

If you’re the type of person who enjoys her routine, this one no doubt has affected you. Let’s say your routine got interrupted and you had to work out much earlier, or later, in the day than usual, or you had to work out on a different day of the week. Did you go into that workout thinking This is gonna be terrible because you weren’t able to work out at your preferred day or time?

Hopefully you’re starting to see how your mindset can greatly affect your performance, and results. This isn’t to suggest you can simply positively think your way out of extreme exhaustion or circumstances. If you’ve been operating on very little sleep for an extended period, for instance, it will eventually affect you. Or if you just got over the flu you can’t have an I’m-going-to-set-a-personal-record! expectation the first time you get back in the gym and simply will it to happen. But hopefully you see the importance of mindset when facing common, every-day situations.

There are countless other scenarios when you could be succumbing to the power of the nocebo effect. Regardless of the situation or circumstances, the takeaway is the same: Don’t make situations worse than they really are by piling negative expectations on top of them.

What you think has a powerful effect on your actions and outcomes. Your mindset can be a potent force of construction, or destruction. It’s your choice how it will be used.

Recommended Articles:

• One Simple Hack to Stop Screwing Yourself Over
• When Life is a Raging Dumpster Fire, Lead With Your Ass
• Don’t Respond Emotionally to Health and Fitness Slip-Ups

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Podcast Ep 71: Sports Psychology Expert Amy Baltzell

Are you looking for help creating sustainable goals that keep your motivation high so that you can tackle new challenges — and feel really awesome doing it? Well, get ready to learn about how to do just that from Amy Baltzell, President of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology and a certified Mental Performance Consultant who taught the very first Sport Psychology course at Harvard University. She joined us for an enlightening chat about motivation, how to overcome nervous energy, the qualities elite athletes share and the power of incorporating mindfulness into your fitness routine. Amy has quite a bit …

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Grab Your Bestie and Get Healthy With This Special Edition of the 10 in 4 Challenge!

I think we can agree that the best things in life are shared, right? via GIPHY The best meals … the best trips … the best bottles of wine … the best conversations … the best workouts … the best Netflix sessions … via GIPHY But wanna know what’s even better than those things? (And, yeah those things are pretty great so we know this is a tall order). via GIPHY Sharing what it feels like to be truly healthy — inside and out. via GIPHY And that’s exactly what this round of the 10 in 4 Challenge that’s coming …

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Do You Spend More or Less Than the Average American on Fitness?

If you’re like us, you probably spend a fair amount on fitness and health goodies and services. After all, it’s all worth it because it helps to keep you healthy and feeling good, right? via GIPHY But how does the amount you spend compare to other people around the U.S.? And how does what region you live in affect your rates on all those things? via GIPHY Yeah! We were curious, too. Which is exactly why we’re sharing this cool infographic from Myprotein on exactly that — plus more. via GIPHY Check it out and see how you compare! (You know, …

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How to Unleash Your Inner Wonder Woman

If you found yourself as moved and motivated by Wonder Woman as I was last year, listen up. I’ve been looking for ways to hold onto that emotion — that inspiration — ever since the first time (out of three) that I saw it in the theater, because while watching it over and over again certainly does the trick, I don’t want to miss a bootcamp because … I was too busy watching a movie so I could get pysched for my bootcamp. You know? You know. So, here’s what I’ve been doing. And it’s working. Take up space. I’ve …

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Podcast Ep 70: Meditation Expert Light Watkins

If you have tried (and failed) several times to form a consistent meditation practice, get ready to be inspired by this episode with meditation expert Light Watkins. Light talks to us about his past career as a male model and yoga teacher and how he entered the meditation space to bring his message to more people. (Seriously, we get deep in this episode about how anyone can develop a meaningful meditation practice.) Light talks about his new book, Bliss More: How to Succeed in Meditation Without Really Trying and his passion for mindfulness. He offers tips for beginning and maintaining a …

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The Best Dumbbell Exercises for Your Glutes

My friend, and fellow CrossFitter, Sam, recently went on a work trip that involved a hotel stay. When she arrived, she posted on her Instagram story a sweeping view of the hotel gym she had to work with for the length of her stay. Needless to say, it wasn’t her usual set-up … essentially, her options were a few pieces of cardio equipment and some dumbbells. For those of us who are used to the convenience of having a full gym nearby that provides all the fitness (kettle)bells and whistles, this sort of situation can be somewhat disconcerting. But it …

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How Oscar Chavez of the The Voice Australia Lost 160 Pounds By Changing His Mindset

Looking for a little healthy inspiration and body positivity? Look no further than the following interview we did with Oscar Chavez of the The Voice Australia who has lost 160 pounds by opening up, getting real and doing the deep inner work that real, lasting change requires — and often times isn’t talked about, especially with men. You can read more about his journey here — and below, obviously! Many people experience an ah-ha moment when it comes to lasting weight loss. What was the moment when you knew you needed to change? I was sitting in the doctor’s office, recounting my …

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6 Ways to Make Old Exercises New and More Effective

Getting in a routine at the gym is fantastic … until it’s not. On the one hand, knowing what you’re doing — and being able to do it with confidence — rocks. via GIPHY But on the other hand, getting comfortable with what you’re doing can lead to complacency. And that’s not the way to improve your fitness. Gotta keep those muscles guessing! via GIPHY So today, we’re sharing a few tips for mixing up your workouts without reinventing the wheel from Bryan Forsing, a certified personal trainer from Anytime Fitness. 1. Try supersets. “Supersets are great for burning more calories, …

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For the Best Results, Women Must Use Fractional Plates for Barbell Exercises

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What the heck — I only added 5 pounds to the bar! Why does it feel so heavy?

Maybe you’ve done it — added a mere 5 pounds to the bar, lifted it for a few reps, racked the bar and immediately checked the plates. Surely you did the math wrong and added more to the bar than just 5 pounds.

Nope. The math was right. You added a 2.5-pound plate on both sleeves of the barbell. Why did that 5 pounds feel more like 15?

Putting 5 Pounds in Perspective

Most gyms have weight plates in the following amounts: 45, 35, 25, 10, 5, and 2.5 pounds. That means the smallest increase possible for a barbell exercise is 5 pounds (a 2.5-pound plate on each side). This 5-pound jump isn’t usually drastic for a squat or deadlift, since these two exercises can handle a lot of weight and can grow substantially. For example, a beginner may start out squatting an empty 45-pound barbell, but she can quickly progress to squatting 125 pounds or more in a few months.

The problem with this minimum 5-pound increase becomes evident with upper body exercises like the bench press, and especially the standing barbell press. Here’s a question from an amazing woman who has tackled the Building the Beautiful Badass Course and is currently on Phase 2 of Lift Like a Girl:

“Nia, one exercise that never seems to get easier or show much improvement is my overhead press. Could you expound on why this is?”

Deadlift, squat, bench press, press — that is the order of the major barbell lifts from strongest and heaviest loading potential to the least. As you can see, the press has the lowest strength and loading potential. Whereas a woman may progress to bench pressing 115 pounds for numerous reps, she may have to fight her way to attain an 85-pound press. Strong woman competitors and powerlifters aside, the average female trainee will have a difficult time pressing 95+ pounds overhead and getting close would require specialized programming.

Do you see the problem with 5-pound weight increases yet, particularly for upper body exercises? This is where fractional plates become exceptionally beneficial.

Why are Fractional Plates Beneficial for Women?

Because you can add a more manageable weight increase to the bar than standard weight sets allow. Instead of a 5-pound increase, fractional plates give you the ability to add 1 pound to the bar, or less.

I know what you’re thinking: I don’t want to add a single pound to the bar! That’s pathetic!

That, my well-meaning friend, is your ego talking. That has been my ego’s words too. Shut her up; she doesn’t serve your short- or long-term training interests. Your ego has no place in the weight room if you want to make the best progress possible.

Let’s bring this to life with an example.

A woman is on Phase 2 of Lift Like a Girl and she performs the standing press with a standard 45-pound barbell for 4×7 (4 sets, 7 reps); she’s ready to add weight to the bar to build more strength. She uses the smallest weight increase possible at the gym: a 2.5-pound plate on each side, for a 5-pound increase.

But she could barely squeeze out 3 reps despite “only” increasing the weight 5 pounds. What the heck happened?

We need to put this 5-pound jump in perspective: those 5 additional pounds increased the weight by more than 10%. Now you see how significant that increase is. And that is a perfect example why women must use fractional plates with barbell exercises, especially as they get stronger.

When Smaller is Better

When you look at a weight increase by a percentage instead of pounds, you immediately see the benefit of fractional plates: Increasing the weight by 2% is significantly more manageable than 10%.

Let’s compare two trainees on Phase 2 of Lift Like a Girl. That program focuses on building strength with the double-progression method. The goal is to perform 4×5-7 (4 sets, 5-7 reps). Once the trainee performs 4×7 with the same weight for all sets, she is to increase the weight slightly. Trainee A makes a 5-pound jump, since the smallest plates at her gym weigh 2.5 pounds. Trainee B makes her own fractional plates (details to follow) so she can increase the weight by 2% instead of a mandatory 5 pounds.

Trainee A

• Week 1: 45x4x7 (45 pounds, 4 sets, 7 reps)

• Week 2: 50x4x3 (50 pounds, 4 sets, 3 reps — she missed the target of 5 reps because the load was too heavy)

• Week 3: 50x4x3 (she was unable to perform more reps)

• Week 4: 50x1x4, 3×3 (she was able to perform 1 additional rep on the first set only)

Trainee B

• Week 1: 45x4x7

• Week 2: 46x4x7 (she increased the weight approximately 2% and was able to perform 7 reps)

• Week 3: 47x4x5 (an approximate 2% increase in weight)

• Week 4: 47x4x7

Trainee B stayed in the 5-7 rep range and improved her performance every week by adding weight or performing more reps for each set. This is why I say in Lift Like a Girl to use fractional plates. It makes a tremendous difference.

But 50 pounds has to be better, because it’s heavier, you may think. In this context, it is not when you look at total training volume (i.e., total weight lifted when you multiple the weight by the total number of reps performed).

• Trainee A Week 2: 50x4x3 (50 pounds, 4 sets, 3 reps)
  • Total training volume = 600 pounds (50 pounds lifted for 12 total reps)

• Trainee B  Week 2: 46x4x7 (increased the weight approximately 2%)
  • Total training volume = 1,288 pounds (46 pounds lifted for 28 total reps)

That is a difference of 688 pounds!

Let’s say Trainee B increased the weight to 46 pounds on Week 2 and performed 4×5 instead of 4×7:

• Total training volume = 920 pounds

Even if Trainee B added a single pound on Week 2 and performed 4×5, that total training volume is over 300 pounds more than Trainee A who used 50 pounds.

Smaller weight increases — even a single pound — are, in fact, much better in this example.

I use fractional plates in my own training. I’m currently running a muscle-building program and, for example, bench press for 5 sets of 8-15 reps. Last week I benched 115 pounds for 8 reps and increased the weight to 117.5 (approximately 2%) this week.

The fractional plates aren’t visible because they blend in (but can be heard rattling at 0.13): 117.5 x 8

I performed 8 reps with the heavier load. (I would’ve been happy with 7 reps, and would’ve stuck with that weight the following week with goal of hitting 8.) Because I hit my goal of 8 reps, I’ll increase the weight 2% again, to 120 pounds, the next workout.

Get Fractional Plates and Make Better Progress

You’ve got two options: make your own fractional plates or buy a set.

Save Money and Make Your Own

I had no idea you could make your own fractional plates when I purchased mine over a decade ago. Do yourself a favor and make your own; you’ll save quite a bit of money.

Go to your local hardware store and buy 2-inch washers (standard barbell sleeves are 2 inches in diameter). Weigh them into 1-, .50-, and .25-pound stacks and glue them together (a kitchen scale works well for this). Voila! You have fractional plates for a fraction (cheap joke, but I don’t care) of the cost.

Buy a Set of Fractional Plates

Don’t want to bother buying, weighing, and gluing washers together? Buy a ready-made set.

I bought a set years ago that has a pair of 1-, .75-, .50-, and .25-pound plates. I can add just one-half pound to the bar if I want to.

If you’d rather get a made-for-you set, you can check out the sets from Micro Gainz and Ader Fitness; they got rated well, but I’ve never used them so I have no personal opinion. (The set I bought over a decade ago is no longer available.) You can no doubt find more options online.

What Percentage Increase Is Best?

In the beginner stage of strength training, most women can add 5 pounds to the bench press, and maybe even the standing press, for the first several weeks to first couple months; and likely 10 pounds for squats and deadlifts the first several weeks. After the first couple months of training and initial quick strength gains, it can be helpful to increase the weight of barbell exercises by a percentage instead of a fixed 5 pounds.

An increase of 2-5% is a good target. Someone in the earlier stages of training can likely increase the weight 5%, whereas someone with a year or more of consistent training experience and strength may do better with a 2% increase.

Once you’ve been strength training for a couple months, start using fractional plates, especially for upper body exercises, so you can milk out all additional strength gains and achieve the best possible results.

Recommended Articles for You:

• How to Squat
• How to Deadlift (and Why Everyone Should)
• How to Perform the Bench Press and Standing Press
• How to Perform Barbell Rows and Chin-ups

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Podcast Ep 69: Replay of Our Olympic-Sized Interview With Mary Lou Retton!

The Olympics are here and we can barely contain our excitement! In fact, “Woot!” is the common shout you will hear from us when talking about the games in Pyeongchang. So what better way to celebrate the occasion than to record a fun, new, Olympics-themed preshow and replay one of our favorite interviews ever with the amazing Mary Lou Retton? Not only was she the first women to win a gold medal for gymnastics, but also she’s managed to remain a legendary representative for women in sports for three decades, which is no small feat. These days Mary Lou is …

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Love It! TRX Home2 System Giveaway

This is a big week for love, and we wanna show you guys some love today with a seriously fantastic giveaway! Working out is a great way to show yourself a bit of self-love. After all, what better way to say, “I’m worth taking care of,” than to work up a sweat? And we’ve gotta say, working out at home is awesome. It’s affordable, you don’t have to worry about well-meaning weirdos trying to talk to you on the treadmill, and you can do it any time — even on days when the roads (and gyms!) are closed due to …

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4 Ways to Ease Your Sciatica Naturally

If you’ve ever experience sciatica pain then you know that it’s pretty much the worst. But do you know what’s really causing? Today Dylan Jawahir, founder and CEO of Battle Balm — a natural plant-based topical pain reliever — is giving us the scoop on a possible hidden reason for this pain. (And if you want to read more about Dylan — he’s amazing! — be sure to read our interviews with him here and here!) Your Sciatica Could Literally Be a Pain in the Butt The new year has arrived and you’re feeling motivated to become the best possible version of yourself. Now …

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Common Running Injuries (and Water Workouts to Try While You Heal)

Today’s post comes from Melis Edwards, author of  Deep End of the Pool Workouts: No-Impact Interval Training and Strength Exercises — and you might recall that she shared a great pool workout with us last year. Melis has more than 30 years of experience as a running and triathlon coach, personal trainer, fitness instructor and athlete, and has participated in Ironman distance triathlons as well as the Western States 100-mile endurance run. She holds a Master’s Degree in Health Promotion, a Bachelor’s in Health Education, and several teaching and training certifications. And she’s got some great tips for workouts runners can do …

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Podcast Ep 68: Fit Couple Cooks’ Adam Bannon

Does meal prep sound like a lot of, er, prep to you? Well, our latest podcast ep with YouTube star Adam Bannon proves that healthy eating meal prep doesn’t have to take up half your weekend downtime. In fact, Adam and his wife, Stef, created their own channel — Fit Couple Cooks — that combines their passion for cooking and fitness with weekly videos talking about meal prep and healthy living that are shared with their 400,000 fans (!). Adam joined us for a spirited conversation, sharing his tips for meal prep that won’t bust your budget or take several hours to …

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Goal-Setting Words Of Wisdom From Top Health Bloggers

We were so honored to be featured in this article from NordicTrack on how top bloggers make their resolutions stick — and we’re so pumped to be able to share some fantastic snippets from it below!  We’ve jumped feet first into a new year. Hello, 2018! Say goodbye to the yuck of 2017, cherish the good from the past year, and get ready for another roller coaster ride. We might not know exactly what’s coming for us in the future, but by setting a few goals for ourselves, we can take control and bring a little predictability to our daily …

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And Your New Workout Tracks for the Month Are …

It’s a new month and we know you’re just dying to refresh that workout playlist, right? via GIPHY Us, too. So, let’s get on with it, shall we? via GIPHY Filthy by Justin Timberlake He’s back! Right To It, Louis the Child featuring Ashe Get right to it … that workout that is. Lay It On Me – Portugal. The Man Remix, Vance Joy A fun higher-energy remix of Lay It On me (which we love). STREET LIVIN’, The Black Eyed Peas They’re back, too! And speaking some serious truth. Symphony, Towkio & Teddy Jackson Just try not to run …

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Screw Fat Loss

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The goal of fat loss isn’t (usually) the problem. It’s the mindset that often evolves from a seemingly never-ending fat loss pursuit. Fat loss isn’t executed as a simple objective, structured process that lasts for a designated time — it gradually morphs into a definitive, emotionally-fueled, all-consuming infinite lifestyle.

This unrelenting, long-term focus on fat loss is brutally effective for one thing: making women chronically dissatisfied with their bodies.

The Deep-Rooted Fat Loss Mindset

If you’ve spent more than several months, or years, constantly thinking about shedding fat, it’s time to terminate the fat loss mindset, and take a new approach.

Tons of women vow to more closely “watch what they eat” or to work out more frequently, lamenting the pounds that have packed on gradually over the years. The only goal a woman can have is slimming down; her actions in the gym and kitchen must be offered as a sacrifice to the fat loss gods. At least, that’s how it seems for women who, for years, have been focusing on losing fat, whether it’s the “last few stubborn pounds” or those that have always seemed to live on their frame.

Women are barraged with social media advertisements for products and programs that promise rapid fat loss with their revolutionary, one-of-a-kind system. (Or to sell products that make you look like you lost fat — body wraps, anyone?) And so it goes month after month, year after year; women try different diets and workouts and everything else possible to burn off stubborn body fat, embedding the fat-loss-matters-most mindset further.

Screw fat loss.

You can set health and fitness goals that don’t have a thing to do with losing fat.

The reason you eat a chicken salad doesn’t have to be I’m trying to lose weight. You can eat a slice of pizza without declaring you’re cheating on your diet or, even worse, bemoaning I’m going to get fat from this, while indulging in what’s been labeled a guilty-pleasure food.

The reason you perform a workout doesn’t need to revolve around the desire to incinerate fat stores or because you overindulged at last night’s dinner and think you have to go into damage control to minimize the effects of your food choices.

Screw fat loss.

Slimming down your waistline doesn’t have to be the dominate thought prodding your return to the gym each week. You can choose to move your body and eat well because, oh, I don’t know, you’d like to feel good about yourself instead of hating your body and relentlessly berating yourself until you can get the button on that smaller pair of jeans to clasp. Because you want to discover what your body can do, and then do more for no reason other than because you can.

Screw fat loss. Exercise should not be punishment.

You don’t have to go on the latest diet that promises to be “the one” or think about torching calories or turn to quick-fixes that use misleading marketing messages like “lose up to ten pounds in one week” or revolve every waking moment around a nonsensical regimen that’s too impractical to be sustained more than a couple weeks. (While we’re at it, screw you too, quick-fix fads and cleanses that have been proven repeatedly to be utterly useless.)

You don’t have to hate parts of your body, loathe so called “flaws,” or proclaim to be happy once the Fat Loss Fairy flutters by sprinkling her butt-blasting, calorie-torching, cellulite-incinerating, age-defying magical dust upon you.

Screw fat loss and the hate-your-way-skinny mindset it often encourages.

What if I don’t care about getting crazy strong or improving my performance and just want to look great naked; what if I need to lose fat to alleviate achy joints or for health reasons? you may be wondering. Wouldn’t choosing to embrace the screw-fat-loss mindset while flipping the double-bird salute to the rampant nonsense in the health and fitness world be stupid or irresponsible?

Nope. In fact, if the only thought that has pulsed through your mind for countless months or years when you see yourself naked or when you look at your reflection in a full-length mirror as you slide on your jeans or when deciding what to eat, or what not to eat, is fatlossfatlossfatlossfatlossfatloss then you should swat fat loss off the why-I-will-work-out-and-eat-well pedestal.

Examining the Dark Side of Fat Loss

Confused or have lingering questions about eradicating thoughts of losing fat from your mind? This will help.

How many diets have you tried because of their tantalized promises of fast, almost effortless fat loss? Have you been sucked in by a confusing, rigid diet thinking it had to work because it was so complicated? Have you ever stated, “This time will be different. This time I’m finally going to shed these lingering stubborn pounds,” as you examined the lengthy list of do-not-eat foods and other unbreakable rules of the new diet? And … and … how long did you practice the diet before quitting and reverting to previous eating habits?

Your answers exposed the dark side — the ugly side — of the relentless pursuit of fat loss.

If indelible fat loss obsession worked — i.e., working out and eating well and trying diets with the sole intention of losing fat for a span of many months or years — then that’s what I’d tell you to do. Over the past decade I’ve worked with too many women who developed eating and binge eating disorders, obsessive eating habits, and a ballooning negative body image from the relentless pursuit of fat loss spurred on by the belief they would finally be happy and beautiful if they gutted it out and adhered to the miserable diet long enough.

One glaring truth emerged from these synonymous stories.

Obsessing over fat loss for an extended time — dictating your choices in the kitchen and actions in the gym based on their ability to maximize fat loss — is brutally effective for one thing: making women chronically dissatisfied with their bodies. Developing disordered eating habits and using exercise as punishment (until eventually not even doing that because who wants to punish themselves nonstop) comes in a close second and third.

People tend to get carried away with a fat loss plan. I repeat: The goal of fat loss isn’t (usually) the problem. It’s the mindset that often evolves from a seemingly never-ending fat loss pursuit. Fat loss isn’t executed as a simple objective, structured process that lasts for a designated time; it gradually morphs into a definitive, emotionally-fueled, all-consuming infinite lifestyle.

And that is why I encourage those who have been riding the fat loss rollercoaster with no end in sight to break away from that mindset. To choose other goals and actions to focus on.

How to Break Away from the Fat Loss Mindset

It’s not uncommon for people to assume that choosing to stop thinking about fat loss every time they stab a forkful of food or load up a barbell means they’ll compromise the results they wish to achieve. They assume they can’t build a better, stronger, healthier body if thoughts of fat loss don’t loom in their mind.

If you’ve been obsessing over fat loss for so long you can’t recall when you weren’t always thinking about losing fat — or you’ve simply never considered reasons for eating well and working out for any reason other than fat loss — then it’s time to break away from that mindset.

What should you do instead? I’m so glad you asked.

What must be done? Focus on the answer to this. Hone your attention on what you must do to achieve results. Schedule three strength training workouts per week in your calendar and a 30-minute walk or other body-moving activity the other days of the week. These are actions; define them, clearly, and practice them consistently. Checking off actions taken is superior to obsessing over an outcome because you know exactly what must be done to achieve results. Obsession and intent don’t produce results, but action does. Furthermore, actions create habits. (And sometimes our actions create bad habits, like those developed from a life ruled by the fat loss mindset. That is why we’re replacing the habits we don’t want with empowering, positive habits we do want; those that serve us.)

Revolve workouts and eating habits around a positive, measurable purpose. Working out because you hate the fat on your thighs isn’t a positive purpose. Lambasting yourself because of less-than-ideal food choices isn’t productive. Learning how to correctly squat and deadlift and press a barbell is a purpose. Building your strength to see how strong you can truly be is productive, and measurable. Improving your performance from last week’s workouts is a positive purpose, as is eating foods that satisfy and nourish you.

Screw fat loss — get strong. Be more, not less.

Ditching the Fat Loss Mindset in Action:

“I went from constantly thinking about food and how much (or little) I could eat. From stressing about what my body fat percentage was and what size pants I could fit into. I started to care about how much weight I could load onto my barbell. I started to care about the fact I can now do push-ups and prior I couldn’t do one to save my life. I started feeling proud, strong and energized. And guess what happened when I changed my mindset to being MORE and not LESS? I fit into smaller pants. My muffin top faded. My arms became gorgeously toned … read this book. You won’t regret it.”

– Erin K. Amazon review of Lift Like a Girl: Be More, Not Less

Don’t be misled. This isn’t about fat loss even though Erin lost fat when she said, “Screw fat loss!” It’s about what happened when she chose to focus on actions (changing her mindset to focusing on more) and revolving her workouts around a measurable purpose (adding weight to the barbell). Building muscle and shedding fat was simply a side effect. A change in performance and body composition quite often accompanies a preceding change in mindset; I think it’s because the process becomes more enjoyable, and when you enjoy something, you’re likely to keep doing it.

Set yourself up for success. Attempting to follow a diet or workout program that’s too strenuous, time consuming, or rigid is why people often fail to reach their goals. It’s why people who go “all in” on a diet and demanding workout schedule quickly abandon it — it dominated their life. They either do “all” (I’m not going to miss a workout or cheat on my diet!) or do nothing (I cheated on my diet so I might as well eat whatever I want the rest of the day … and weekend). Set yourself up for success. Can you realistically commit to no more than three trips to the gym each week because you’re a busy woman? Then don’t vow to go four or more! Follow a three-day per week program if that’s best for you, right now. In addition, work on making sustainable changes to your eating habits.

The way you eat and move your body must fit into your life, accommodate your schedule, and have built-in flexibility. Don’t underestimate this truth. Choose the most important actions, practice them consistently for several months, have a positive and measurable purpose with your workouts, and set yourself up for success.

Why, you may be wondering, is this more effective than a typical fat loss obsessed approach most people are accustomed to? Because you can actually feel great about yourself, for a start, instead of physically and mentally punishing yourself for having fat on your body or missing a workout or eating a donut. Because you can have a social life and enjoy your favorite foods with a dose of flexibility and responsibility. Because working out with a positive purpose builds you up instead of tears you down. Because a crazy diet or quick-fix program isn’t necessary when you take the time to turn guidelines into sustainable habits. Because what you think affects what you do and what you will become.

Screw fat loss. Choose to get strong. Or choose to become more awesome.

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The Best Dumbbell Exercises for Your Chest

It’s amazing to me how much fitness equipment is out there now. Just yesterday, I had a call with a start-up company that has designed a new piece of equipment which they’ve asked me to test drive. On one hand, I love all the enthusiasm and innovation in the fitness industry. On the other hand, it’s no wonder so many people feel lost and overwhelmed when it comes to working out. If you like all the whiz-bang fitness gadgetry, no problem — and rock on with yo’ bad self. But if you feel completely bewildered by the huge number of …

The post The Best Dumbbell Exercises for Your Chest appeared first on Fit Bottomed Girls.

source http://fitbottomedgirls.com/2018/02/best-dumbbell-exercises-chest/