The Role of Mindset and Self-Talk in Women’s Strength Training

Your health and fitness journey is both a physical and mental one! Maintaining a positive mindset and practicing self-talk is crucial to achieving any fitness goals. They directly influence motivation, perseverance and overall well-being. A positive mindset also helps you to stay focused, overcome obstacles, and helps you stay committed to exercise, nutrition and self-care for the long-term. Mindset and self-talk are really so empowering, and we want to show you how!

Power of Mindset

As mentioned above, a positive mindset helps you to maintain motivation, resilience and stick to your healthy habits. Additionally, it helps you to view any setbacks as opportunities for growth rather than a hindrance. When you maintain a positive mindset in your strength training journey, you are more likely to believe in yourself and your capabilities, and approach your goals with optimism and determination. 

A positive mindset is also known as a growth mindset. This is the belief that your abilities and skills can be developed through dedication, effort and continuous learning. Those with a growth mindset believe in their potential for improvement and are more likely to achieve higher levels of success and growth. 

One way to realistically practice having a positive mindset is to surround yourself with positive people! Surrounding yourself with supportive and like-minded people (AKA Booty Lab!) has a huge impact on your mindset and how you view your journey. Therefore, seek out fitness communities or online groups that include people with shared-goals and values and see your mindset improve! 

Secondly, practice positive affirmations that help reinforce the idea that you are capable and strong (AKA positive self-talk!).

Power of Self-Talk

Self-talk is the inner dialogue that we have with ourselves in our minds. It plays a crucial role in influencing motivation, confidence and performance. Positive self talk can enhance confidence and improve your strength training performance by creating a resilient mindset. Negative self talk can hurt your strength training performance by removing motivation and confidence, and instilling self-doubt and fear.

Here are some examples of what positive self talk can look like for you and your strength training journey:

• “I am strong. I am capable. Every workout that I push myself I am building physical and mental strength.”
• I embrace any challenges in my journey and celebrate the progress I make. With every rep and every set I am getting closer to my goals.”
• I am proud of myself and my dedication and consistency. I am committed to myself and my training. With each workout I am becoming a more powerful and resilient woman.”

If you want to create a personalized self talk strategy for yourself and your strength training journey, here are some tips:

• Identify any negative thoughts you have while training and challenge them. If you catch yourself having negative thoughts about yourself, recognize it and reaffirm it with empowering statements.
• Create personalized affirmations and visualizations that align with your goals and continually repeat them in your mind. For example, visualize yourself completing the set to reinforce a confident and determined mindset. 

Overcoming Mental Barriers

A common mental barrier that many women face with strength training is the idea that you will become masculine and bulky. This is not true! Strength training helps you to tone muscle, lose weight and gain strength, not become bulky! 

Another way to overcome some mental barriers or self-doubt is to set realistic goals and track your progress. When you can literally SEE yourself reaching your goals, it gives you the motivation and confidence to continue in your training! 

Maintaining a positive mindset and positive self talk is crucial for success in your strength training or fitness journey. The most important thing is to embrace your inner strength and push past mental barriers that come your way. We are here to be a resource to help you along your journey and get you closer to your goals! Just reach out!