We are often told that diet and exercise are the two pillars of fitness. But a fitness professional argues there is a third, more important, pillar: mindset. This is not a “pillar”—it’s the foundation that the other two rest on. If your foundation is cracked, the pillars will fall. Here are three ways to build a stronger mental foundation.
The first part of the foundation is patience. We are tempted by “instant results” and try to build our house in a “hypersonic” rush. A veteran coach warns this is a critical error. Rushing leads to a weak, unstable foundation. You cut corners, you make mistakes, and you burn out. The fix is to slow down. A slow, deliberate, patient pace is the only way to build something that lasts. This careful approach is what leads to faster, more permanent progress.
The second part of the foundation is focus. A weak foundation is built by people who are distracted by results—the scale, the mirror. A strong foundation is built by focusing on the work. A fitness expert insists you must focus on your efforts, not your outcomes. You must be 100% focused on the “brick” you are laying today.
This means your energy must be invested in controllable, daily actions: your sleep, your water, your food prep, your scheduled movement. This is the “work.” This leads to the third part of the foundation: process. You must choose small, consistent changes over big, intense ones. A big, drastic change is like trying to build a wall with one giant, unliftable boulder. A small, manageable change is a “brick.” A strong foundation is built one small, consistent brick at a time.