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Summary
On episode 633 of 40+ Fitness, Coach Allan tackles limiting beliefs, the quiet self-image and internal story that decide whether someone believes weight loss and fitness are even possible for them.
Allan breaks belief into two parts: your self-image, how you see yourself based on things you have been told (big boned, genetic, bad metabolism), and the story you tell yourself about your own track record of success or failure. He argues that waiting to change your self-image until after you see results is risky, because unresolved limiting beliefs can pull you right back into old habits and regained weight.
Instead, Allan lays out a process: pressure test your beliefs against real evidence around you, reset your belief system by unlearning false narratives, make a genuine commitment, gather any missing knowledge, then do the actual work with the right resources and support.
Links
- https://40plusfitness.com
Key Takeaways
- Belief is built from two things: self-image and story. Self-image is how you see yourself, often shaped by things you were told growing up. Story is the narrative you repeat about your past attempts and your odds of success. Both have to be addressed to change behavior.
- Waiting for results to change your beliefs is a trap. If you only expect to believe in yourself after you have already lost the weight, unresolved limiting beliefs are more likely to resurface and pull you back into regaining it.
- Pressure test your beliefs with real evidence. Instead of assuming your age, condition, or history makes success impossible, look around for people in your exact situation who have already done it. That evidence, not hope, is what shifts belief.
- Growth only happens outside your comfort zone. Allan argues that nothing significant in anyone’s life happened while they stayed comfortable, so real change requires deliberately pushing past that edge.
- Resetting your belief system means unlearning bad information first. Ideas like “I have a slow metabolism” or “menopause makes this impossible” have to be actively unlearned and replaced before new habits can stick.
- Commitment depends on belief, not the other way around. If you do not believe your vision is achievable, you will not truly commit to it, so belief work has to come before goal setting sticks.
- Most people already have the knowledge they need. After years of trying different diets and programs, the missing piece usually is not more information, it is belief, structure, and support, which is where a coach or group can help.
- Change requires real work and real resources. Batch cooking, grocery shopping differently, and clearing out the pantry take time and effort, and often some financial investment in a coach, gym, or better food.
- Old beliefs can resurface even after success. Yo-yo dieting is often a sign that the underlying limiting beliefs were never resolved, so ongoing self-check-ins are needed to keep the new story in place.
“If you’d sat there race morning and said, I cannot do this, you would have been right.”
Coach Allan
Another Episode You May Enjoy
Episode 665 – Do you love yourself enough to change?
Episode Notes
Podcast: 40+ Fitness
Episode: 633
Published: 2024-03-12
Host: Allan Misner (aka Coach Allan), author of The Wellness Roadmap
Guest(s): —, our co-host, Coach Rachel
Listen & Subscribe: Apple Podcasts · Spotify · YouTube (audio only)