6 Weeks out from a Photo Shoot- Mind Hacks and Tips

So I am 6 weeks out from my next fitness shoot. This is where things can get pretty dicey, and to me it is a serious mind game.

People tend to do one of two things wrong when approaching a deadline- 1) overdo it- exercise or restricting diet too severely OR 2) freak out, sabotage themselves, and derail progress. I have done both! One thing that training for a half marathon taught me was to stick to the plan that was laid out from the beginning AKA trust the training. If it has been working so far, then what is the problem?! So there are some things that I do that I lovingly call- mind hacks.

Mind Hack #1 Counting Down your Deadline

Whether it be X's on a calendar or post it notes that you rip off your mirror in the morning, keeping a moving countdown to the day will keep you on track. I like to keep a weekly post it countdown on the tachometer in my car as I look there daily. You could also set an alarm on your phone or ipad to send alerts.

 

Mind Hack #2 Putting the Goal in your View

I just discovered that writing my goal pic weight on my hand keeps me on track with calories pretty well. I have to see it everytime I lift my hand to eat as it is written in Sharpie on the side of my index finger! Some other ideas are to put your picture on the fridge or pantry door. Or even just a post it on your mirror.

Mind Hack #3 Break it into Chunks

Telling myself that I have 6 weeks to go, so I can go ahead and have XYZ is a recipe for disaster. Instead I like to look at it in chunks of 3 weeks. This will give you a push for those 21 days.  You could do monthly or quarterly goals too, just depends on the end point. Give yourself a reward if you meet the goal- a message, a pedi, new top, etc. I have weekly mini-goals too which include calories and workouts. Those I track in a spreadsheet. #dork.

Mind Hack #4 Support Yourself with Like-minded People

April is another Venus who did VT5 with me; although she lives across the country, we keep in touch!

You may be blessed to live in area where other people you know pursue similar physique goals. My girls in my gym class help out a lot. I also have a few girls across the country that I text and email. This helps immensely with accountibility and 911 human contact!

What if you do not know anyone? April (above) is inspired by girls in fitness mags so she pastes them into her gym routines to see. I need to listen to Venus Index podcasts almost daily, especially past contest winners and the Censored podcasts. They keep me driven and pushing to the end goal of looking good in less than business casual attire ;) it is hard to do that if your friends all tell you that you look good already. This may cause you to be lax with your plan, and could get you off track!

These are just some ideas that work for me. Do you have mind hacks that work for you?