From Scarcity to Abundance: The Mindset Shift Women Need
What if staying consistent with a healthy lifestyle has less to do with what to eat or how to move? What if it's more about mindset?
In this article, we'll explore how moving from a mindset of scarcity to one of abundance is essential not only for long-term health, but in finding peace and joy in the process.
The Scarcity Mindset
So much of the health world is rooted in scarcity—and women especially are conditioned to operate from this place of lack.
We've all seen the messaging, subliminal or otherwise: burn more calories, lose weight, minimize imperfections, avoid "bad" foods, restrict, restrict, restrict. While these approaches sometimes work short-term, they almost always backfire.
One of the most common scenarios is that in an effort to "be good" and "eat clean", we white-knuckle our way through the week, only to crash and burn on weekends or at the next holiday. The result? Yo-yo dieting that reduces muscle mass and slows metabolism, resulting in little to no progress despite serious effort—not to mention the shame, exhaustion, and frustration along the way.
The Abundance Mindset
What if true health—and the results we're looking for—comes from a mindset of abundance instead? One where we nourish, strengthen, and care for ourselves because we value our bodies and recognize our inherent worth.
Instead of looking through the lens of restriction, let's look through the lens of expansion—one where we fuel, strengthen, learn, progress, and discover. Consider these simple yet powerful mindset shifts:
Instead of "I can't control myself around the pantry at 3pm," consider "What protein and fiber can I add to my meals so I'm less tempted by kid snacks?"
Instead of "I just need to eat less," consider "How can I add strength training to increase my muscle mass and improve my metabolism?"
Instead of "I don't have time to meal plan," consider "Where are the opportunities in my week to make space for meal planning?"
Instead of “I’m stuck and have tried everything - I guess this is just how it is in mid-life”, consider “I can create new skills and habits to better serve me in this stage of life.”
When we decide we will no longer make ourselves smaller, but instead make ourselves stronger, physically and mentally, everything changes.
The “Yet” Mentality
Another way to operate from abundance is to adopt the "yet mentality." One of the most powerful words in the English language is "yet." Whenever we're doubting or judging ourselves, adding the word "yet" to the thought completely shifts the energy and intention behind it.
"I'm not good at tennis" becomes "I'm not good at tennis yet." "I don't know how to cook healthy meals" becomes "I don't know how to cook healthy meals yet."
See the powerful shift that one word makes?
It instantly moves someone from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset.
Adopting a growth mindset—where you believe your abilities and habits aren't fixed but can be improved with effort, learning, and practice—is what sets apart those who make sustainable habit change and those who don't. Because anything we want to do is just a matter of learning a new skill, prioritizing it, and looking at setbacks as data points to modify, not as failures.
Actions follow our beliefs. And incorporating these simple mindset shifts has the power to change our beliefs which influences not only our health outcomes, but also our overall sense of confidence, fulfillment, and joy in daily life. And isn’t that what having good health is all about?
