Be Your Own Superhero

It seems like you can’t go to the movies anymore without seeing something related to superheroes. Now don’t get me wrong, I love a good superhero movie and even got really into the Marvel stuff.

When we revisit the original Superman movie, there was something awe-inspiring about a hero to help us through our hardest times.

And for many, the brief daydream of us being that caped or masked person, flying through the air and running faster than a speeding bullet, was truly special.

But before we completely come back to earth, realizing this fantasy may never come true, it is possible for us to be our own superhero. Not the vigilante type, fighting crime and evil geniuses, but a hero to ourselves with the ability to save ourselves from harm’s way.

Of course, I’m talking about your health and fitness. The way we can be our own superheroes is through realizing that we are in control of ourselves and our actions.

Without boring you with tons of info and details from our exercise psychology textbooks, we are going to touch on perhaps the biggest idea of what contributes to a more successful mindset with health and fitness goals.

And that is where the control is coming from (sometimes called the “location of control”).

You see, if the location of control is viewed as coming from outside of ourselves, we often find this doesn’t lead to success. Feeling like our success is based on outside circumstances and events can be overwhelming.

Feeling that you are too busy, that you have never been able to make exercise work in the past or maybe that you just aren’t a fitness person, are all scenarios where the control lies outside of ourselves.

Now don’t get me wrong, they are all understandable reasons. Life can get in the way sometimes and obviously some situations are easier than others.

The challenge is that when we place the location of control outside of ourselves, it removes a lot of our ability to take charge and make lasting change.

When it feels like our health, wellness and quality of life is up to someone or something else all the time, it makes it difficult to start and stick with a routine that supports our fitness goals. On the other hand, when we place the location of control inside ourselves, it changes everything.

If I want to change my nutrition, I may need to start small, and it might require some planning ahead. This could look like finding some lower-calorie recipes that actually taste good and determining which days you are going to eat what. It might also be starting a healthy meal service that delivers these meals to your doorstep.

Similarly, if I want to work out somewhat consistently, I am going to have to make a plan and execute it.

The first and most important step with any of this is to just start, no matter how small that step may be.

Whether it is going for a walk, calling a friend to work out together, or booking a workout at the gym, just do the thing.

When we begin to view the location of control for these things as something inside ourselves, it opens the door to so much more. You can make this happen, you can be successful, and you can do the things necessary to make the change.

Regardless of what you do, just the act of doing something and taking a step forward is powerful and can also be empowering because you are in control.

Being a superhero of your own is probably the greatest thing you can do for yourself as well as those in your life.

And a little real talk here: the reality of this life is that no one is coming to save you. We have to do it ourselves. But with this simple mindset shift, we can put on our own boots and cape and begin flying today.