Cursing (swearing) makes you less fit.

Did that catch your attention?

Allow me to explain:

Gandhi and You

This quote is often attributed to many, but I heard it first given to Mahatma Gandhi.

“Your thoughts become your words.

Your words become your actions.

Your actions become your habits.

Your habits become your character.

Your character becomes your destiny.”

Therefore, we can conclude that you quite literally become what you think about. Hence the age-old adage: “You are what you think.”

Thoughts and Words

Your words, therefore, are verbal manifestations of your thoughts.

That’s worth repeating.

Your words, therefore, are verbal manifestations of your thoughts.

So what about swear words? How on earth does a four-letter word make you less fit?

To answer that question I invite you to think back to the last time you swore.

What were you thinking about?

How were you feeling?

Why were you thinking and feeling that way?

Whining, Complaining, and Making Excuses

Swear words are almost always expressed as adjectives — and the nouns that they describe are usually coming from a flustered mind. Have you found yourself in any of these situations?

You swear as part of a story to your friends when you have to stay up all night doing homework. (whining)

You swear when you are grabbing the cleaning spray underneath the sink and you hit the back of your head when you stand up. (complaining)

You swear at someone in an argument because they don’t understand your point of view. (excuses)

If you believe what Gandhi believed — namely, that your thoughts dictate your character (and destiny) — than you must learn to control your words. More specifically, you must learn how to stop whining, stop complaining, and stop making excuses.

Takeaway

What is the voice inside your head telling you in a workout? Are the mental words telling you that you’re tired and it’s time to give up? Or are they buoying you up and motivating you?

There’s no question that the fittest athletes on earth also have the strongest minds. So how do you develop a stronger mind?

Discipline.

Strong minds are disciplined.

Strong minds don’t whine, complain, or make excuses.

And above all, strong minds don’t let pathetic adjectives slip out of their mouths.

Maybe that’s too intense, but I’m your coach here. It’s time you stop settling for medicority in your health and performance and start striving for fitness — or excellence — in everything you do.

And it starts with the thoughts inside your head.

Tyler