The ThriveLife Mindset

Welcome back to the LenDentonThrive Letter!

As I write this week, it's now the middle of June. The year is nearly half over. Most of those New Year’s fitness resolutions are now in the trash, and it’s a good time to change the subject.

So, let’s talk about mindset!

A mindset typically means a set of established attitudes and/or opinions about a particular topic. You might think of it as a lens through which you view something. That lens affects how you see something. And what you see depends as much on the particular lens (mindset) as the actual item being looked at. 

So, mindsets really matter! That’s especially true when it comes to fitness.

The Conventional Fitness Mindset

The conventional fitness mindset is typically viewed through the lens of building muscle. It’s an exercise-dominant lens where progress tends to be viewed by how much muscle mass we gain and how much our lift capacity goes up over time. 

This mindset is promoted by the fitness industry through their multi-million dollar marketing budgets and by social media fitness influencers (many of whom are professional trainers). 

There is nothing wrong with building muscles. We need muscle mass to be healthy, especially as we age. But the conventional fitness mindset promoted by the fitness industry tends to lead guys to a specific set of behaviors:

• Lots of new gym memberships

• Setting big, aspirational goals

• Adopting a “Go Big or Go Home” mentality

• Massive effort in the beginning 

• Quick stalling out through burnout, lack of immediate results, or injury.

There’s nothing wrong with going to the gym. The problem is the approach and its lack of long-term success. Most guys don’t realize this when they sign up for new memberships. But the gym manager knows that 50-60% of all new members will be gone by the end of May. 

Ultimately, this is a failure of the conventional fitness mindset.

An Atomic Influence

Someone who knows a lot about mindsets and reaching desired outcomes is James Clear, the author of Atomic Habits. This is one of my favorite personal development books. I’ve read it several times. Most of my friends have as well, and we often find ourselves quoting various themes from the book to each other. (What a bunch of Nerds, right?!!)

I’ve applied the principles from Atomic Habits across almost every area of my life. And, especially, the fitness aspects of my life. Three principles from Atomic Habits have had a powerful impact on my fitness:

1. Small habits compound into remarkable results (the power of 1% better every day)

Tiny, consistent improvements (or declines) add up dramatically over time due to compounding. Getting just 1% better each day for a year leads to being ~37 times better overall, while getting 1% worse daily leads to nearly zero. Focus on marginal gains rather than dramatic one-time changes—success comes from daily habits, not occasional big efforts.

2. Focus on systems, not just goals

Goals are useful for setting direction, but systems (your processes and habits) are what drive long-term progress. Many people achieve a goal and then revert because they haven't built the underlying system. True success comes from building better processes that you fall in love with, rather than fixating only on outcomes.

3. Habits shape (and are shaped by) your identity

The most effective way to change habits is to focus on who you wish to become. Every action is a "vote" for your desired identity (e.g., "I am fit and healthy" instead of just "I want to lose weight"). Start with identity-based habits: decide the type of person you want to be, then prove it to yourself with small wins. This creates lasting change at the deepest level.

The ThriveLife Mindset

As soon as I read the book, I knew that Thrive Guys would benefit from knowing about the principles. So I put them to work in the ThriveLife Mindset, and in my own ThriveLife. 

And here is my ThriveLife Mindset. It’s the lens through which I view the fitness process:

• Food First - The weight loss journey is won in the kitchen, not the gym. Once you get your food right, everything else gets easier. Because you can never outwork a bad diet. 

• Gym Optional - Muscles and strength matter, but food matters more. It's like an 80/20 proposition.

• Smarter, Not Harder - Science is our friend, so use it often!

• Small habits compound - just focus on getting 1% better today. Worry about tomorrow later. This is the formula for a 37X improvement!  (This is why the ThriveLife focuses on a set of six smart daily habits. See more below.)

• Systems Over Goals - goals are good, but simple, repeatable systems are better. After all, New Year’s resolutions are just big, fancy goals! 

• Habits shape (and are shaped by) your identity - we are exactly who our habits say we are. But here’s the secret unlock - we choose our habits! So choose well!

ThriveLife’s Smart (Atomic) Daily Habits:

• Eat Smarter - just stay out of the Red Zone today!

• Move More - Motion is medicine, so move your body!

• Track Daily - measure what matters today (food, weight, sleep, steps)

• Daily Meal Planning - avoid more calories with 5 minutes of planning than an hour in the gym!

• Sleep Better - you need more sleep! Learn to sleep better.

• Train Smarter - build better muscles, not just bigger muscles.

Smarter, Not Harder

The ThriveLife Mindset teaches us:

Habits over hustle.

Consistency over intensity.

Focus on and win today’s plan.

That’s how you build a healthy lifestyle - one day at a time. Because nobody ever signs up for short-term fitness.

Here are two ways I can help you build your own ThriveLife:

1 - Subscribe to the LDT Letter for weekly tips and strategies

2 - Join the wait list for my upcoming new book ThriveLife Transformation, where I’ll show you how to build a healthier version of YOU with 6 Smart Daily Habits that you can do in 30 minutes a day. 

To join the waitlist, just reply to this newsletter and say “Sign me up!” I’ll send you an email when the book is available.

Thanks for reading today.

And remember, God loves us. He wants us to thrive. So, let’s do this together!

All the best… Len

Healthy dads raise healthy families!

My mission is to help 1 million men raise healthy families for the Kingdom of God. So, I write this newsletter to make a positive impact on the lives of men and their families. If you found this information useful, please consider subscribing to receive new editions each week. And, please share this with friends or family that would benefit from the ThriveLife!

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