Self-efficacy: Knowing You Can

What if we can predict our weight loss success?  Would we waiver and stop so frequently if we knew we would meet our weight loss goals?  As the commonly used adage states, knowing is half the battle.  If we had one hundred percent belief that we could meet our wellness goals, wouldn't we continue on our journey?  This theory is called self-efficacy. According to the American Council of Exercise, "Self-efficacy is the belief in one's own capabilities to successfully make a change."  We'll often tell ourselves, "I know I can pass this test, or I know I can lose those last 10 pounds."  This is self-efficacy.  It's your belief in yourself that you can reach your goals. 

How well do you believe in yourself?  I'll speak for myself here that I sometimes suffer from low self-efficacy.  The mountain to lose weight looks so big and hard to finish when looking from the bottom, your starting point.  The journey it takes to reach our goals may cause us to doubt ourselves and create low confidence in believing we can meet our goals.  Self-efficacy begins in the mind and your beliefs. This is why mindset is considered one of BareTherapi's key foundational elements of weight loss success.  Changing your mindset and knowing you can and will reach your goals changes the game. We gain more confidence in ourselves, and it prompts us to take appropriate actions.  Our internal thoughts prompt our actions. Your mindset, thoughts, and actions paired with consistency equate to success.  This is the formula for program adherence and weight loss success.

There have been many times when I've questioned myself within my personal weight loss journey.  I've asked myself why am I doing this? Is it possible to get back to the weight that I once was, how is this time different than any other time you've tried to lose weight, and is all this effort worth it? The answers to these questions vary day to day depending on my mindset.  However, in this current journey, I have been continuing to move forward with actions. Why? Because I know I can reach my goals.  I know this sounds cliché, but I know I can do whatever I put my mind to.  By having self-efficacy, not only do I want to lose weight, but I know I can lose the weight. 

Have you ever struggled with low self-efficacy? Or are you at a point in your journey where you fully believe in your abilities to reach your wellness goals? Do you put those beliefs into action within your daily lives?  Rate your self-efficacy on a scale of 1 through 10, with 10 being the highest. If you rated yourself on the higher end of the scale, kudos to you, and keep going! If you're on the lower end of the scale, think about ways to increase your self-efficacy. 

I will dive deeper into the importance of self-efficacy to create more awareness of its importance in succeeding in a wellness journey.

Thank you for stopping by.

Be true, be balanced, and be well.