Mastering Motivation: Fitness Mindsets, Self-Compassion, and Sustainable Change with Allan Misner | Anew Ep 64

In this powerful second installment of our conversation with 40+ Fitness founder and personal transformation expert Allan Misner, we go far beyond traditional fitness advice. Allan returns to the ANEW Body Insight Podcast with Dr. Supatra Tovar to dive deep into the psychology behind behavior change, the barriers to lasting motivation, and the practical strategies that anyone over 40 (or any age!) can implement to reclaim their health.

This episode is a masterclass in mindset. Allan introduces his Five Fitness Personality Types—Pedals, Co-Pilot, Windshield, Tires, and Atlas—that help explain why we often stall out on our health goals and how to overcome those roadblocks with clarity and confidence. Whether you're the person who hits the gas and brakes repeatedly (Pedals), the one always taking care of others before yourself (Co-Pilot), or someone haunted by a “former self” image (Windshield), Allan provides an actionable framework to break through.

You’ll learn how to:

• Redefine fitness goals with compassion and self-awareness
• Use tiny habits and positive reinforcement to build momentum
• Identify your fitness mindset and unlock your unique “superpower”
• Reduce friction around healthy habits (and add it where it counts!)
• Cultivate self-compassion as a motivational strategy, not a weakness
• Set goals that are not just SMART—but SMART-A (Actionable!)
  
  

Dr. Supatra and Allan discuss real-life client stories, including how one woman’s journey from getting winded walking to her car evolved into daily walks around the neighborhood, simply by stacking micro-wins and celebrating progress. From the emotional impact of food triggers to the importance of setting healthy boundaries, this episode will leave you inspired and equipped with tangible tools.

We also explore why community and accountability are the missing keys in most wellness journeys—and how building self-efficacy is less about willpower and more about designing your environment to support your future self.

If you’ve ever felt stuck in a cycle of fitness starts and stops, or if you're looking to find a more compassionate, psychologically sound path to wellness, this episode will resonate deeply.

Here are Allan Misner social media channels:  https://40plusfitness.com/  ,  https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachallan/  ,  https://www.instagram.com/coachallanm/  ,  https://40plusfitnesspodcast.com/author/allan/  ,  https://www.amazon.com/Allan-Misner/e/B07KFQ3KJD/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1  ,  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwcdiTW3uoeGyTjo38aLzUw

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Thank you for joining us on this journey to wellness. Remember, the insights and advice shared on the ANEW Body Insight Podcast are for educational and informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before making any changes to your health routine. To learn more about the podcast and stay updated on new episodes, visit ANEW Body Insight Podcast at anew-insight.com. To watch this episode on YouTube, visit @my.anew.insight. Follow us on social media at @my.anew.insight on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Threads for more updates and insights. Thank you for tuning in! Stay connected with us for more empowering stories and expert guidance. Until next time, stay well and keep evolving with ANEW Body Insight!

Transcript

Dr. Supatra Tovar: 0:00

Welcome back to the ANEW Body Insight podcast. We are back for the second half of our interview with 40+ Fitness podcaster, author, and personal trainer, Allan Misner. Allan gave us some really invaluable insight into his road from unhealthy, I won't use the term he used, to health icon. We cannot wait to learn more. Yes.

Allan Misner: 0:02

Okay. So, and I have a quiz that I came up with to help other people kind of know what their primary mindset is.

Dr. Supatra Tovar: 0:03

That's how my mom drives. Bleh. Please, not the cabbage soup diet. Yes. Yes. I treat a lot of moms like that, and I tell them you gotta put the oxygen mask on yourself first.

Allan Misner: 0:06

And then you want to do this. Will you help me? The change that it makes in their behavior to know that this is important to you and important to them. Now did he always remember and not bother me? No. Sometimes I'd get a call. He's like, I need you. I'm like, okay. And I'd, I'd go see him maybe if I was already there, if I was already at the gym, like I'm at the gym. Is this something you need before four o'clock? No. You'll have it by four o'clock. I was the athlete when I was younger. Super athlete. And I kept trying to do stuff that I couldn't do anymore. And it was very discouraging. I had one client when she first hired me, we were talking, she says, I get winded walking to my car and I'm like, okay, I said, so here's your workout for tomorrow. You can be closer to that person.

Dr. Supatra Tovar: 0:11

That's where I'm from.

Allan Misner: 0:12

And she needs this tires thing. I'm like, okay, I want you to get a paper calendar. And every day. When you do your walk, cause she wanted to do a 30 minute walk every day.

Dr. Supatra Tovar: 0:13

I was like, wow, I totally did that. I love, I love that tactic. I love the countdown, That's actually really important for behavioral change is the positive reinforcement aspect of it is. And I think I love what you're talking about because this is kind of the basis of tiny behaviors is that you pick something that you want to do as a new behavior. You make it as short in duration, as you can complete it every day if you add on great, but if you only do that, then that's your goal. right.

Allan Misner: 0:16

Okay. And so an Atlas, and that's kind of where I am right now from a mindset, I occasionally find myself back at tires when I'm trying to make a behavior change. I'm like, okay, got to get the traction first, then set the big goal. in your control is eating five servings of vegetables per day, She gave herself could give herself a confidence of seven that she could walk seven miles. For 30 minutes, days a week. She knew she Se we want to make sure we're setting goals that we can reasonably do. We don't want to set ourselves up where we're just discouraged.

Dr. Supatra Tovar: 0:20

I love it. Tell me about self compassion. How is self compassion integral to staying motivated? Oh,

Allan Misner: 0:21

It could be other traumas. It could be a lot of other things that aren't you. I'm not equipped to do counseling and then those types of things. So I'm not even going to pretend to be able to help you solve that. But what I do know is that you can recognize it pretty easily because there's some keywords that we, we use. If you use the word, always or never. That's probably the wrong person to be talking to. Now with any behavior that you don't want, you have to take three steps to solve it. Okay, the first step is to forgive yourself. Okay. A lot of people skip that. They're like, okay, I just got to solve the problem. But the problem is if we don't take the time to forgive ourselves, that never goes away. It's just going to come back. Okay. So there's no perfect person on this planet. Okay. you're not either. So forgive yourself. Now the second step is to think through what happened because there was a trigger, there was an action and then there was a reward. it. Why did you do it? Well, they were in the break room or second. I drove this way and Krispy Kreme does this wonderful way of just fluffing out the smell out into the street. So I pull up, pull up to the shop and then I can smell them and I see the hot donuts sign and all the triggers that they've set up to catch me in their net right there and I'm pulling off into the, into the parking lot or into the drive through and so recognizing, okay, did I have to go to work that way? we, they had these, these donuts in Arkansas, they're called spud nuts. They make them out of potato flour. Now, have a higher glycemic index than sugar. I can't even imagine what the glycemic index of potato flour is. It has to be astronomical. And then the sugar and then the donuts, they were just freaking delicious. When I would come off the elevator, you could smell them in the break room and people were like, chumming like sharks. So again, not something I felt I had good control over at the beginning. So I said, what solution can I have? Well, forgive yourself. You're normal. They're delicious. Okay. So the second thing was, I've forgiven myself. What can I do? So I would come off the elevator as soon as I smelled them or saw the churning of the water with all the sharks, I would say, okay, I got to go straight past them. Just say, I got to drop a drop off my bag, go to my office, grab a pre prepared bag of nuts that I had in my desk drawer. Go to the break room, get my coffee, stand away from them, but be in the break room, having a conversation, eating the nuts, a healthier choice, in my opinion at the time. Um, and then I would have that coffee and I would go to my office. Now I had a rule for the rest of the day. I was not to go by that break room again. And that's so the bathroom. For our floor was right there. The break room was right there. If I wanted another coffee or I need to go to the bathroom, I had to go to a different floor. I made that rule. So what that meant was when I had to go, I'd go down the stairs, the opposite direction, go down the stairs, go to the break room, go to the bathroom, whatever I needed to do. I ended up getting more steps in each day. Including additional stairs. so it was like this win win thing that I developed as a strategy to make it easier to not do the doughnuts. So again, not something I felt I had good control over at the beginning. So I said, what solution can I have? Well, forgive yourself. You're normal. They're delicious. Okay. So the second thing was, I've forgiven myself. What can I do? So I would come off the elevator as soon as I smelled them or saw the churning of the water with all the sharks, I would say, okay, I got to go straight past them. Just say, I got to drop a drop off my bag, go to my office, grab a pre prepared bag of nuts that I had in my desk drawer. Go to the break room, get my coffee, stand away from them, but be in the break room, having a conversation, eating the nuts, a healthier choice, in my opinion at the time. Um, and then I would have that coffee and I would go to my office. Now I had a rule for the rest of the day. I was not to go by that break room again. And that's so the bathroom. For our floor was right there. The break room was right there. If I wanted another coffee or I need to go to the bathroom, I had to go to a different floor. I made that rule. So what that meant was when I had to go, I'd go down the stairs, the opposite direction, go down the stairs, go to the break room, go to the bathroom, whatever I needed to do. I ended up getting more steps in each day. Including additional stairs. so it was like this win win thing that I developed as a strategy to make it easier to not do the doughnuts.

Dr. Supatra Tovar: 0:28

But if you are very emotional and say donuts have had a, a comforting quality to you, you're stressed out in that day. You're going to go and you're going to compensate in that way, but then you're going to feel bad after. So being self compassionate and knowing, I am emotional today, or I, was in this physical vicinity and went and had this and I didn't even really want it.

Allan Misner: 0:29

be done, but self efficacy, which is a form of motivation, is really hard to develop on your own. gym membership, or a gym close to your house or on your way, so it's easier to do. Okay, going,

Dr. Supatra Tovar: 0:31

Right? I love this.

Allan Misner: 0:32

morning, You wake up and you're like, hit the alarm. I don't want to do this. But when the alarm goes off for a runner, what does the runner do? They get up and run. or you become the person that does those things. So starting with accountability gives you kind of motivation to get going and then after you're going, building in the self management and then making those habits and values gives you this undeniable, unstoppable motivation that's more powerful than resolutions.

Dr. Supatra Tovar: 0:34

you are, you you're amazing. And I could sit here and talk to you all day and be inspired and motivated. And thank you for tuning into the ANEW Body Insight podcast. We're looking forward to our next exciting interview and hope you join us next time. Thanks for joining us, Allan.