Stop Overthinking. Just Lift!

It seems to me that there are two things that prevent a person from lifting. One is a lack of confidence (and fear of being judged in the gym), and the other is overthinking. 

If you’re one of those who asks yourself a pile of questions before you hit the gym and lift, join Beast Gear as we take a look at how to quit those obsessive thoughts.

Forget The Results 

A few years back, I read an Eastern text called The Bhagavad Gita. This ancient text pushes the idea that we should learn to love the labour and not the results.

See, we live in a results-driven society. In the workplace, that’s fine. After all, a business needs to meet certain objectives in order to survive. But you as an individual? If you’re to free yourself from obsessive thinking, you need to learn to see lifting as a duty and not as a means to achieving X results all the time. 

By doing this, you reframe the narrative and switch from focusing on something you can’t always control (the results) to what you can control (the work required).

Be Positive! 

When we overthink, we always think negatively. We never obsess over how well we’re going to do something - we always obsess over how badly we’re going to do something!

Whenever you start to overthink, remind yourself of all that you’ve got to be grateful for, as well as why you’re doing this in the first place. You can go to the gym today = positive. You can work out today and eat well = positive. When you lift, you’ll feel and look better = positive. 

Meditate 

Meditation isn’t just for spiritual types who live up in the mountains. On the contrary, many of the world’s top athletes meditate, including the late, great Kobe Bryant. 

Meditation liberates your mind from negative thoughts and anxieties. It shifts focus to the present - the here and now. It soothes you, calms you down and increases your learning capacity. It also stimulates your immense system and boosts oxygen capacity.

In short, meditation prepares you mentally and physically so that you quit overthinking and just do what you have to do. 

Breathe Calmly 

In order to quit overthinking and get lifting, we need to be ready mentally. Meditation can help, and so can the ability to breathe calmly. 

Take a moment to inhale deeply through your nose. Take 5 very deep breaths. I can guarantee that, at the end of these 5 deep breaths, you will feel refreshed, recharged and focused. You will think and feel differently, and your approach to lifting will thus be different. 

Change Your Environment 

Lastly, it might be that the gym you’re visiting isn’t the right one for you. That’s okay - you don’t have to keep working out there. 

You could, for example, lift at home. As long as you’ve got the equipment and the space, there’s nothing wrong with putting out in your own studio.

Environment is crucial to our success. If something isn’t right, if we feel as though we’re being watched or judged, or if we’re constantly comparing ourselves to others, it’s much better if we get out of there and try somewhere new. 

Are you reading to get lifting? Quit the obsessive, damaging thoughts with these tips! If you’ve got suggestions of your own, don’t forget to leave us a comment below.