One should never underestimate the power of the mind. An important part of successfully accomplishing a task is determined by an individual’s belief in his or her capacity to tap into the resources required to perform that task. The confidence we have in ourselves has a major impact on our chance at success. If you believe in yourself anything is possible. Mind over matter.
Self-efficacy
Our level of self-efficacy is made up of four elements:
- our past accomplishments
- observing people who are similar to ourself succeed
- the encouragement of important people in our lives
- our psychological or emotional state (for example, if we are stressed, we may lack the confidence needed to accomplish a task).
Specifically, a low level of confidence will have you avoid situations that could disadvantage you, whereas a higher level will incite you to persue more challenging yet attainable goals. Furthermore, your level of self-efficacy will determine the effort and time required when faced with an obstacle. Finally, it helps in developing resilience : you cannot let a small setback defeat you.
So, what can do you do to increase your level of self-efficacy?
Here are a few pointers:
1. Acquiring skills. Eating well and being active requires a certain degree of knowledge. Consulting with a nutritionist and a personal trainer will help develop this skill set.
2. Fixing realistic goals. Every time you reach a goal, your self-efficacy beliefs will improve.
3. Remembering past achievements. Like the time you completed your first 5K run and brought home the trophy (even if it was for the second place finish!)
4. Surrounding yourself with and being inspired by people who have reached similar goals. Group classes will allow you to meet people with similar objectives.
5. Surrounding yourself with people who give constructive feedback. Accept encouragement and positive reinforcement instead of dismissing it. Take note of the small victories and draw from them when you feel like giving up.
6. Reducing stress. Learning the art of relaxation will help you live in the moment, savour the victories and overcome the setbacks (because setbacks are inevitable…failure is not!)
7. Talking about it! You will experience highs and lows, but so will all the others who are trying to lose weight. By talking to key people, you will soon realize that you are not alone! Your nutritionist and your personal trainer are there for you.
8. Having a positive attitude about yourself!
Successful Weight Loss Using Confidence is a post from Nautilus Plus. The Nautilus Plus blog aims to help people in their journey to fitness through articles on training, nutrition, motivation, exercise and healthy recipes.
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