Grit and Strength Growth Mindset for Strength Training Women 50+

In this Video...
Learn how to develop grit and grow your mindset with Sheree’s inspiring take on overcoming self-doubt in strength training. For women over 50 building mental and physical resilience.

Mindset | Motivation | Grit

Grit and Growth: Building Strength From the Inside Out

Doubt Is Normal - But Don't Let It Lead

I just want to talk today on grit and determination and how we overcome doubt. Do you know that we have all these thoughts that are going through our head all the time, and sometimes these thoughts take over. So what if I start strength training? What if I get hurt? What if I get too tired? And one lady I remember said, I just don't want to sweat.

I don't like to have sweat. And then many of you are probably out there thinking, what if I'm too old? And you're never too old, never too old.

Why You Must Stay In It

So when you don't think you can get better, you often give up too soon.

So if you think that this is all it is, you're not going to keep persisting, and you're not going to make this a lifestyle thing, because this is one of those things that's a lifestyle thing. It's not one of those things that's just done quickly, and that's it. It's a lifestyle thing.

Celebrate Small Wins

So take note of small wins, because I'll tell you what, a small win can totally change your mindset from being, oh, I can't do it, to having a small win. Like I had a client today that came training, and she's got severe rheumatoid arthritis of her toes. And so her toes don't really ground into the floor well, and she can't feel them, so she falls a lot.

But today we got on the fitball, one of those Swiss balls that's air-filled, and she didn't fall at all, and she felt very stable, and she was so proud of herself. And that's a win. And when you have wins, it tells you, it gets your mindset in a better place.

You kind of go, really? I stayed on the fitball today? I could achieve anything. I didn't fall, so I'm feeling good.

Push Through the Fear

And it could be that you're scared to try that bigger weight.

I also had a client in my class this morning that when I gave her a weight for the bench press, where she lifted that up from her chest, she said, oh, Cherie, that's too big. It's too big. I can't do that weight.

I can't do it. I said, oh, I think you can. Let's just have a hold of it.

I'll have my hand under here if you can't do it. She held it and actually did the bench press with that. She didn't think she could.

She was terrified. And so sometimes it's just trialing something out. And then that's a win for her because she hasn't done that weight before.

So it's small things like that that become big things because we've had a win and we feel good about it, and it starts to develop a really good mindset. And that's where you get your grit from.

Grit Is a Mindset

So developing grit isn't just a physical thing.

It's a mental thing. And many of my clients will say as they get stronger, they also feel like their mind, their mindset is getting stronger as well. And they feel like they're invincible.

They feel really empowered that they can achieve whatever they put their mind to. So being mentally tough helps you to keep going even when life gets tough. So push through when it's tough.

See mistakes as opportunities to learn and do what you'll say to do. Stick to your workout routine, make a commitment and just do it.

The Dog Walk With Kettlebells

Take your mind off the immediate results and seek out challenges.

I just get amazed when my husband suggested that we do the dog walk carrying a couple of kettlebells. I had sixes and he had eights or tens. And I'm thinking, what? The dog walk's already hard enough.

At the end of the dog walk, we have to walk up a steep hill. And often when there's rain, it's muddy and you slip and slide. I wasn't convinced at all.

And in fact, the first few steps away from my house on this walk, I was going to leave one kettlebell there and come back and get it at the end of the walk. And then I thought, no, Cherie, let's just try it out. You don't know if you don't do it.

But I was fearful. I wasn't sure whether I could do it. I had a lot of doubt.

But you know what? We did that dog walk and boy, did I feel good. I felt invincible. And in fact, every walk since, most walks since, I will take the kettlebells and I'll continue to do it with them because they make me feel good.

I know my shoulders have worked hard and I feel amazing after I've done it. And I go, wow, there were some people up the top of the hill last week, a whole lot of people, probably about 20 people that had gone on a walk with a walking club. And they watched me walking along with my kettlebell.

They said, you didn't just walk up the hill holding those kettlebells, did you? And I went, I did. They went, oh my goodness, we found it hard enough to do the hill without holding kettlebells. And yes, that's a thing.

Challenge Yourself and Change Your Mindset

So if you challenge yourself, it is amazing what it does to your whole mindset. So I want to leave you with two challenges today. I want you to take an exercise or some movement that you find really hard.

It could be getting down and up off the floor. And I want you to practice it and practice it and practice it until you get to the point where you can do it and do it quite well. That then will be a win.

And that will totally make your mind just blown away by what you can do. And also the second thing I want you to do is a challenge that you've overcome. So think about a challenge that you've overcome and just be proud of yourself that you've been able to do that.

So they are the two challenges for this week. Have fun with it.

Rewrite the Script in Your Head

I think these mindset challenges and mindset things where we have to think about how we just think because we've been thinking a certain way our whole life and we go into adulthood thinking that same way.

And unless we make changes with the way we think, we'll continue to think along. So if you've always thought life's too hard or it's I'm a failure and you go into adulthood with that, then you'll continue to feel like that unless you make changes. So let's get that mindset with grit and determination.

And I believe in you because I know that you can do it. Yes, you, you can do it.

Have fun playing around with your mindset.