Fitness Mindset Shifts for Long-Term Results After 40

Nikkiey: Real quick, the only ask I could ever have of you guys is to help spread the word so we can help more women lose body fat, build muscle, reach their goals, and feel insanely confident. And the only way we can do that is if you rate, review, and share this podcast. So the single thing I ask you to do is leave a review. It will take you 10 seconds, and it will mean the absolute world to me and may change the world of someone else.

Every time you are successfully stacking a habit, you are reinforcing a positive behavior. And at this point, your brain recognizes and rewards these patterns, making it easier and more satisfying to continue.

What is going on, my friends? Welcome to The WarriorBabe Show with Nikkiey Stott, co-founder of WarriorBabe. On this podcast, we talk about mindset, methodologies, and tactics that will help you lose body fat, build muscle, be strong, and feel insanely confident. I am your host, Nikkiey Stott.

Welcome to today's episode, episode number 91, where my main goal today, in your ears, is to help shift your perspective for long-term success along your fitness journey, in terms of mastering the mindset that comes along with that.

When you really look at an entire fitness journey, we can unpack two sides of it, right? There are two types of individuals. There's the one person that wants the instant results. Wants to put their body in a microwave, and out in 30 seconds comes a toned body. And then there are the ones that have an understanding of delayed gratification. One wants instant gratification, one wants delayed gratification.

The one with delayed gratification understands that the foundation they build on a daily basis, within months and maybe even years of their fitness journey, is what's going to give them the long-term success to be able to keep up with the habits they're building for themselves, and to really embrace what it is to completely change from where you are right now, which may be not being intertwined with fitness, or eating right, or going to the gym and working out, or the mindset things that really support you along the way, to having that foundation laid, switching things along the way, and building new habits that will be there for the long term. That really just becomes an integral aspect of your lifestyle.

So that's where I really want to shift with you guys: from the ones that want instant gratification and are only looking at such a short window of time, to expanding that mindset to looking at the long term and being obsessed with the long game. Once you can fully accept that your journey may take you 6, 8, 12 months, 2 years, once you fully accept and embrace that, your whole mentality on how you look at your journey can entirely shift for the better. It's less stressful, it's more enjoyable, and all the things when you're able to shift that.

So that's what I really want to talk about today with you guys, because when you have a resilient mindset toward your fitness journey, working through the lows, celebrating the highs, being okay with the plateaus, that is a big differentiator between those who attain their goals and those who get derailed along the way. So is your mindset supporting you, or is it working against you? If it's working against you, then listen up, because I hope you can take away what I'm going to share today and start applying these things to your journey.

And understand this, too, before I dive in. This is not an overnight process, okay? Even the things I'm going to share with you in terms of the mindset shifts you have to make, along with the working out, the dietary choices, the nutrition, and X, Y, and Z, these things take time. So I don't expect you to listen to this podcast and tomorrow wake up and have all the things I'm going to talk about today in place.

I just had a coaching call, and real quick I want to share this story. It's with clients that I swear will never leave me, and I am so okay with that, because I love coaching them. One of them said, "I just had a great vacation. You'd be so proud of me, and I'm proud of myself, because I knew that if I had all of this shit food while I was there, my energy would be low. I wouldn't enjoy myself. I could be irritable, X, Y, and Z. But instead, I chose to have good food. I brought some protein things with me, I stuck to the choices and said no to things that didn't really serve me. And I had so much better energy. My anxiety was less. And it took me four years."

And I'm like, that's great, right? It took her four years, though, to have a successful experience on a vacation. Because I always say to the clients in the VIP, or to the clients in WarriorBabe, or to the clients I still coach, your first vacation is a stepping stone for you to learn the things you may not want to do on your next vacation. Then on that next vacation, you know the things you did that you don't want to do again, but you may still end up doing some of them. And then by your third, fourth, fifth, sixth, four years in on vacation, you're going to understand how to vacation the right way, in a way that supports your goals.

So that's what I wanted to share in a short little story there. It takes time, okay? Even these things I'm going to share with you today take time to fully grasp and understand. I would encourage you to come back to this podcast, because some things may resonate with you right now, and some things may resonate with you in six months. Everybody is at a different point in their journey, and they're willing to accept some things now, and maybe accept other things later. So just take that with a grain of salt. All right, guys? Cool.

So the first thing I want to dive into, which will help with a shift in perspective toward long-term success along your fitness journey and help with your mindset, and I know you've probably heard this time and time again from either myself or other people in the fitness space, but I just want to nail it home: patience is a virtue. Patience is a virtue.

Like I said with the two types of people we can unpack here, a lot of people want immediate results, right? Every drop of sweat, every meal choice they make feels like an investment, and y'all want and expect returns on that immediately. However, I need you guys to understand, and I really need this drilled into your brain, that true fitness success is not instantaneous. It is a journey, and it is often a long one. I am eight years into my journey, and I am still learning things on a daily basis.

So embrace the journey, like I said earlier, not the month or weeks of starting out. Even if you're three months in, you're still starting your journey at that point. It's baby steps. You're still learning how to lay a foundation for yourself. When you embrace that your journey may take six months, eight months, 12 months, one year, two years, five years to change the habits you've had leading up to this point that weren't helping you or were making you gain weight, if you can embrace that your journey may take this long, you set yourself up for lasting success. Understand that every step, even the setbacks, is a part of the growth process you're on.

Hey, hey, just want to drop a huge appreciation to you guys listening to the show. It means a lot. I hope you guys are enjoying it, and there's so much more to come. If you are enjoying it, hit the subscribe button. I'd appreciate that tons, and it would also help this podcast reach others who need to hear these messages too. Thanks so much, guys. Let's get back to the show.

I just want to drill into your head that you've got to accept that patience is a virtue. You've also got to think about it in this light. I like to use the marathon analogy. Think of fitness as running a marathon, not a sprint. I'm sure you guys have heard that: this is a marathon, this isn't a sprint. Sprinters use all of their energy in short bursts, but marathon runners pace themselves, understanding that there is a long road ahead.

How many of you guys have run half marathons, right? I think about this for myself, the first time I ran a half marathon, and it is so congruent with a fitness journey. You burn out your energy in the first mile, and then when you're getting to mile seven, eight, nine, 10, you are hating yourself for trying to get ahead of everybody at the beginning, right? That is exactly how it goes with this analogy. Your fitness journey is a marathon. You have to pace yourself at the beginning, be realistic with yourself, be honest with yourself about the things that have to change to support you for the long term and the long road ahead, right?

In the same way, viewing fitness as a long-term commitment rather than a quick race can shift your focus from immediate results to accepting the sustainable progress you're about to be making. So use that analogy whenever you need it. Be reminded of it. I'm sure you've heard it before, but maybe it's hitting and resonating with you today in a different light.

Another thing with patience as a virtue is embracing plateaus, okay? There will be periods where you feel stuck. I already talked about this in a very recent podcast, where the scale doesn't budge or the strength doesn't increase. But understand that these plateaus are completely normal in your fitness journey. They're not a sign of failure; rather, they're an indication that your body is adapting to something. It's adapting to what you've never done before. It's getting used to whatever new habits you're implementing. It's adapting.

These moments can also be used to reassess, to refine, to refocus on your goals, okay? It doesn't mean you need to give up. It means, okay, my body's adapting here. How can I focus on shifting my mindset to understanding that this isn't a setback, and that if I just keep going, in two weeks I'm going to break through this plateau if I keep doing the same things, literally? That's what it really comes down to. You don't need to change anything up. You just need to keep doing the things, okay? So this all really encompasses patience is a virtue. Patience is a huge virtue, my friends.

The second thing I want to talk about is consistency over intensity. Imagine trying to get through all of your workouts in one intense 20-hour session. Not only is that approach so freaking unsafe, but it is also so freaking ineffective. I just talked about this in a very recent podcast too, with the importance of rest days. But fitness overall is a game of consistency. So spreading your efforts, such as working out for an hour across a 20-day period, is far more beneficial than trying to go all out for three hours in the gym for the first two weeks of starting your fitness journey.

Not only is that a far more beneficial approach, but it also allows for recovery, for adaptation, for growth. Because you guys know I've said this time and time again: you don't build muscle inside of the gym. You build muscle in the following hours, with proper nutrition, sleep, hydration, all of the things after that workout.

So it's not about how hard you can go all at once, you guys. It's not about how hard you need to change all of these things when you're first starting your fitness journey. Some people focus on changing a hundred things when really you need to just focus on one thing, whether that's drinking more water, or throwing out all the processed shit inside your house and putting in whole foods so you have better options to choose from, right?

It's not about how hard you can go at once and changing up a hundred things, but how consistently you can maintain your effort over time. How consistently can you maintain eating whole foods over processed foods? How consistently can you maintain drinking more water on a daily basis? How consistently can you maintain going outside for a walk more times than you have in the last six months? Okay?

Because when you focus on consistency over intensity, it helps with the risk of burnout, right? Going all in might feel commendable, but it's not sustainable. When you focus on intensity, it will lead to burnout, it will lead to injuries, it will lead to fatigue. But the consistent approach ensures that you keep showing up day after day, right? Instead of trying to go all in at once, you're focusing on the more sustainable approach by just showing up day after day.

And I really harp on this too. When we're talking about consistency over intensity, fitness is as much about mental growth as it is about the physical, right? You're physically getting stronger, but you're also mentally getting stronger. Consistent routines not only improve muscle strength, they also boost mental resilience, discipline, and focus.

So when I said at the beginning of the podcast that it's often the resilient mindset that's the key differentiator between those who actually reach their fitness goals in a sustainable manner and the ones who get derailed along the way, the difference is that people can keep up with consistent routines. Because it helps build discipline, it helps build focus, right?

I've talked about motivation versus discipline before. I don't believe in motivation. Motivation ebbs and flows. You really have to develop your discipline muscle. You have to be able to show up even when the temptation is to not show up. When you don't feel like going to the gym, when you've had a long, stressful day, the discipline is that you still show up for yourself and focus on getting your workout done. And you can do that by consistently, day by day, showing up for yourself.

Over time, those mental gains you are developing play a significant role in overcoming challenges and handling the ebbs and flows of motivation. And that's huge for you guys to understand. Fitness isn't just about the physical strength. It is also about the mental growth you are establishing for yourself.

So we just talked about consistency over intensity. The first pillar was patience is a virtue, right? Marrying these two things together is how you are going to shift your perspective from immediate, instant results to delayed gratification and long-term success with your fitness journey.

And then the last one is huge. This one I want to dive into is freaking huge, because you have to undergo this in order to lay a solid foundation, right? I say this a lot with our VIP community.

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Whatever your goals are, your coach, the people you work with, focus on laying the foundation for you. And so many of you guys are focused on the decorations that are going to be in the second bedroom and the drapes that are going to hang in your master bedroom, right? You're so focused on all these other things that are not necessarily important yet, until you lay down a solid foundation, creating better habits than what you had a month or six months ago. Those habits need to be shifted, or else you're just going to find yourself back in that same boat. They need to be shifted in order to create long-term success.

So: the power of habit stacking. If you guys haven't read the book Atomic Habits, I highly recommend that you do. I tell everybody in the fitness space it's one of the key books; our WarriorBabes read it. It is just a game changer when it comes to helping you shift your perspective in the way I'm talking about today.

Success in fitness is often about the small habits you integrate daily, right? Instead of overhauling your entire life, start by stacking one good habit on top of another. Instead of trying to change a hundred different things at once, start by stacking one good habit on top of another. For instance, maybe you begin with a 10-minute morning stretch. Then you add a healthy breakfast, followed by a midday walk, and so on, right? But you start with something. Over time, these stacked habits form a solid foundation, ensuring that your fitness journey is sustainable and enjoyable.

It's not about changing everything on day one of your fitness journey. While there are people with the mindset who can do that, 95% of people cannot. So by beginning with just waking up and stretching for two weeks, and then adding in a focus on a healthy breakfast, you will move into these habits naturally throughout your day once you stack them on top of each other.

And think about it like this, for all my plant moms out there. You can see behind me, if you're watching the video, that I have plants. I love plants, so I love using this analogy. Think of each habit as a unique plant, right? Alone, by itself, it might look insignificant, but when it's combined with other habits, you start building a thriving ecosystem. And this ecosystem supports and sustains itself, right?

For instance, regular exercise might improve your sleep quality, which in turn boosts your energy levels for your next workout the next day. So think about how they all stack on top of each other. You can build an entire fitness ecosystem by just stacking one habit on another. Regular exercise will help improve your sleep, which will then give you the energy to go crush your workout the next day and the following days.

And when you're doing this, I think it's really important, and a lot of people overlook this, that you reinforce and reward yourself. Every time you are successfully stacking a habit, you are reinforcing a positive behavior. At this point, your brain recognizes and rewards these patterns, making it much easier and more satisfying to continue.

A lot of people don't recognize that they're doing that, but think about it. The easiest one I can shed light on is going to the gym and how good you feel after, right? You feel so good about yourself. You're reinforcing a positive behavior. Your brain recognizes that, the positive feel-good hormones, all of the things, and will reward these patterns for you, which makes it much more fun and much more satisfying to go get your workout done.

Over time, these stacked habits become second nature. They're integral parts of your daily routine that you'll miss when skipped. Trust me when I say that. For me, eight years into this fitness journey, if I miss a workout in a week, I miss that workout. I cannot emphasize enough the mood swings I experience when I don't move my body as I normally do. And when I miss a day, or two days, or go a bit of an extended period without working out and then I go and work out, I've missed it so much. I miss moving my body so freaking much. And I find everything else is just so much easier at that point, and so much more satisfying too.

So when you stack these, it literally just becomes a part of your lifestyle. But it's so important to understand what I said at the beginning: you need to start by stacking one good behavior on top of another.

And that's why I think it's really important that you have a fitness coach or somebody coaching you along the way, because a coach is not only important for the tools of nutrition and workouts, they can also hold you accountable to stacking these daily habits that you may not be able to follow through on yourself. Actually, I think habits are the hardest thing for people to follow through on establishing for themselves. So find yourself a good coach. If you need WarriorBabe and want to check it out, see the description below about our VIP program. We have 30 coaches on our team, professional certified coaches who do this every single day with our clients.

So in conclusion, you guys, this podcast covered three pillars: the power of habit stacking, consistency over intensity, and patience is a virtue. Shifting your mindset from seeking quick fixes to embracing consistency and gradual growth is insanely vital for long-term success with your fitness journey. It's about understanding that fitness is not a destination, but a journey of self-discovery, of developing self-resilience, of developing self-perseverance.

With the right mindset, every challenge you encounter on your fitness journey, and you will encounter challenges and setbacks, you'll recognize as an opportunity and a lesson propelling you toward long-term success. So don't think your whole journey is going to be sunshine and rainbows, because I'm telling you, it's not. It's going to be up and down, up and down, until you recognize, in each of these down moments, the things that can make you better, as an opportunity to shift things and be better. That's going to propel you to tackle all the new setbacks that come your way. And then all of these things just become second nature.

That is how you shift your mindset away from instant results, right? People go into a fitness journey wanting results in two months by following whatever plan someone tells them to do, and they're so focused on the outcome that they forget to pay attention to the habits they're trying to build. If you can switch that, you can see results quickly, but pay attention to the habits you're building so those habits can serve you for the long term, so you're not coming out of a quick result and then gaining all of your weight back. That's what happens.

And that's why I say the habit part I just spoke to is so hard for people, because they're so focused on the outcome and the destination rather than the actual journey they are on, which encompasses not just the physical strength, but also the mental growth. Okay?

So I hope you guys enjoyed this podcast. I enjoyed sharing it with you. If you did like it, please screenshot it, put it on your socials, your story, and tag me. I love watching the impact this podcast is making for everybody listening. All right? Appreciate you guys, and I'll see you in the next one.

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