Healthy Lifestyle

Why fitness increases your confidence (and no it’s not all about weight).

You hear it all the time. “I want to get fit or lose weight so that I feel more confident.”

“If I’d just have the body of my dreams, I’d be so confident in myself.”

Sure that may be part of it. When you look and feel better in your body, of course you’re going to feel more confident. But there’s a whole lot more to it.

Remember when you were a kid and you learned to tie your shoes? Your parents probably showed you how hundreds of times. It looked so easy but then when it was your turn, you couldn’t get it. You couldn’t remember what they just showed you. You kept practicing and often got frustrated. But one day you got. And then you got it again and again. You were finally able to tie your own shoes. How did you feel afterward? Probably like a badass and confident as hell – even as a kid. Why? Because you mastered a skill and got good at it. Getting good at things and smashing goals increases our confidence. You also built your self-efficacy which essentially is your belief that you can do something.

Self-efficacy plays a big role in fitness.

When we believe we can do something and then actually do it, it increases our confidence. So by getting fit and in shape (lifting those heavy weights or running further) you show yourself and your mind you are capable of it. And you keep doing it to get better at it. Within fitness this can range from working out three times a week for 6 months, running your first half marathon, getting 7 hours of sleep a night, and even eating a serving at veggies at 80% of your dinners each week.

The more self-efficacy, the more confidence. And that confidence spreads to all other areas of your life. It can be applying for your dream job, speaking up at your weekly meeting, saying hi to the guy at the gym you’ve been eyeballing or even taking the next step in your relationship.

Have confidence that if you have done a little thing well, you can do a bigger thing well too. – David Storey

So how can you flex your self-efficacy muscles and build more confidence?

Here are 3 ways.

#1 Start small. You know I’m a fan of small choices and changes. Pick something you know for certain you can do for at least 2 weeks. It could be a glass of water before leaving the house for work or walking the stairs during your 15 minute break 3 times a week. Starting with an easy win builds your confidence right away.

#2 Add another small change. Use that boost of confidence to your advantage and add another small change. Now you’re drinking water before leaving the house or walking the stairs during your 15 minute break. As each one feels like part of your life and you’re confident you can achieve it each time, it’s time to add another.

#3 Challenge yourself. You’ll never know what you’re capable of if you don’t challenge yourself. The confidence that you’re building through the small changes will help here. When we challenge ourselves and come out on top, our confidence to do new and challenging things grow. Maybe you challenge yourself to train for a 5 or 10k or you decide to get those veggies in when you eat out. By building your confidence and self-efficacy foundation during the small changes, you’ll likely believe in yourself more and tackle that new challenge head on! This is me, I still believe that if I didn’t grow my confidence through fitness, EffiFit would not exist today.

What have you done that’s built your confidence? Let me know in the comments.

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