It’s been a tough year, and we could all do with feeling a bit more upbeat. When times are challenging, it’s not always easy to have a bright outlook for the future, but it can be done. Andrea Rogers, a former dancer and creator of Xtend Barre available on Openfit.com reveals how to keep a more positive attitude…
Andrea Rogers enjoys motivating other people. She wants everyone to appreciate the benefits of leading a healthy lifestyle and giving purpose to others gives her own mood a boost. ‘I have found purpose in motivating others to enjoy movement since I was a child,’ she says. ‘I’m so profoundly lucky that I found my passion early on and have been able to build a career out of it. At age 12, I started teaching dance, and prior to that, I was a dance teacher’s assistant. The power of movement brings so many benefits to body, mind and soul. The most fulfilling thing is to witness women across the world discover their strength and a level of confidence they never knew existed.’
Andrea shares her positive tips for a happier mindset…
1. Abolish negative self-talk
There is no place for it and it is 100 per cent within your control to shift those thoughts toward positive ones. When thoughts creep in such as, “this seems too daunting,” or “I am not up for this and might not succeed,” simply stop and turn them around. You decide what you think and what you tell yourself. You can be your own worst critic or your own best cheerleader.
2. Give Yourself a Pep Talk
Tap into the words that resonate with you and inspire you, and say them out loud. Tell yourself that you can do it and you will do it. That you believe in you. That you are fully worthy of this goal and wholly able to achieve it. I use a great app called Think Up which helps you to create self-motivation pep talks… and helps you to think up!
3. Break It Down
Looking at an aspiration you’ve set for yourself can seem daunting and exhausting. It can wipe you out before you start. What works for me – every time – is to break it down into bites. Identify one or two or three things you know you can do today to move toward your goal and execute. Get them done, be proud, then go to bed and do it again tomorrow. Just Press Play.
4. Perpetuate the Positive
Along the way, there will be dips in motivation, and the negative self-talk can sneak right in. One creative and simple hack you can do to avoid this is to be prepared to perpetuate the positive! Prepare your positive thoughts on a simple message on your phone, or a sheet of paper next to your bed, or that you carry with you throughout the day. Even a sticky note on the mirror. Whatever works for you. Just keep pushing toward positive.
And above all remember that exercise is not about obtaining your perfect body shape, it’s about discovering your body’s strength, embracing your power, and creating a healthy long term relationship with movement.
5. Find your passion
Dancing is my absolute go-to movement and I crave it. Not only does it raise my heart rate and calorie burn, it feeds my soul. For me, dance is a form of expression, release, and just plain unbridled fun and abandonment! In fact, my two girls and I have nightly dance parties in our apartment. We push the furniture aside, turn up the music and just move!
More information
Find out more about Xtend Barre classes here.
