Many people set weight-loss resolutions for the new year, especially women. January typically brings an increase in gym memberships and visits. But one fitness guru has some unusual guidance for women looking to get fit...
Your mindset shows up in your muscles
Bartha says your body knows when you’re moving from panic instead of presence. When movement is rooted in stress, punishment, or the urge to “beat [your] body up in the gym,” the physical response follows. Cue the tension spikes, inflammation rises, and results that have clearly plateaued. Instead of zoning out, distracting yourself, or blasting music to get through the hard parts, Bartha wants you actually in your body. She explains that when movement becomes mindless, “you can’t necessarily be the most effective in that time that you’re working out.” Your muscles follow your mindset—meaning frantic energy creates frantic effort, and grounded intention creates grounded strength.
15 minutes is actually enough
Bartha knows the spiral well—the one where you’re convinced a workout doesn’t feel like enough unless you’ve crushed yourself for hours. She admits when she stopped dancing, she fell straight into that trap. What started as harmless treadmill walks with friends turned into a mindset where “that doesn’t feel like enough because I’m not even thinking about what I’m doing,” which then led to feeling like she “needed more and more time there.” Before long, she was working out so intensely it ruined her day.
Her fix? Less time in the gym.
Bartha tells listeners the shift happens when you replace quantity with actual connection. Instead of zoning out on autopilot for hours, she wants people to try small, intentional sessions. If a workout is truly working with your body, not against it, you shouldn’t need three hours. You shouldn’t even need one. Fifteen focused minutes, done with presence instead of panic, can do far more than a marathon treadmill session you dread.
For more tips, read the full article here.
Of course, the best workout routine is the one you enjoy and fits into your life. That way, you are more likely to stick to it. Be willing to try new things in the new year. But know it doesn't have to be a major commitment. Just 15 minutes could be all it takes to achieving your goals!