Are you a 'look-and-lose' dieter? Have you studied every diet ever created, read a zillion diet books, and yet are still unhappy with your weight?
Has your quest for the holy grail of dieting become a substitute for actually making changes required to take the ill health out of your current diet?
If so, you may not realise your thoughts are key to your happiness and success.
Do you look at yourself and say, "I'm fat", or "My hips are too big"? Many of us look in the mirror and immediately compare ourselves to those 'perfect' human specimens we see every single day on TV, in magazines and in the newspapers.
Often we talk to ourself and make excuses, "It's my genes", "I'm much too busy to get fit", "I like myself this", as a way of protecting yourself from the way we see ourselves now and the way we want to be.
If we were to be truly honest with ourselves most people actually want to lose a few pounds - if we only knew how.
The good news is you CAN achieve your desired body shape with the right thinking about yourself, an understanding of how to get optimal nutrition, healthy eating habits and how to incorporate activity into your lifestyle to keep your muscles toned.
But most important of all, you need a regular mental workout to keep your self-image in shape.
Self-image is closely connected to the success or failure of any goal you choose to seek after, but none more so that the goal to get yourself fit and healthy.
So how do you go about strengthening your self-image? Well fortunately your self-image, just like your muscles, will respond well to a regular work out. You can actually strengthen your self-image with a few daily exercises.
Exercise One - Self Examination
Start by compiling a list of all those negative thoughts your have about yourself?I'm undisciplined, I can't manage my time, I let people down, I can't succeed, I don't exercise enough. You will need to decide before you start this process that you won't get discouraged?.these are things that you will admit to yourself but they most certainly don't have to control your life.
Next, compile a second list including everything you LIKE about yourself. Keep going until this list is LONGER than the first list you compiled. You might include things such as, I am a good cook, I can make people laugh, I contribute to the soccer club, my daughter loves the way I decorate her room.
Then, take your 'negatives' list and turn it into your 'potentials' list. You do this by creating a positive self-image to every 'negative' you listed. Instead of "I can't succeed", write a counter belief, "I will succeed".
Ceremonially throw out the 'negatives' list - you are saying goodbye forever! Burn them, trash them, destroy them?.they are no longer going to be a part of your thinking about yourself.
Now, keep your list of potentials in a prominent place. On your refrigerator door, in your daily journal, or in a picture frame on your desk. Make sure you have them in front on your every single day so that you are reading them constantly and reprogramming your daily thoughts.
Exercise Two: You Can Be What You Want to Be
Now that you have your list of potentials? run your own visualisation stories so that you can 'see' yourself in a new light. For example, if your list of potential includes "I eat just the right portions", visualise yourself with a moderate portion on your plate, and feeling completely satisfied at the conclusion of your meal.
Read through your list of potentials every day taking a few moments of personal quiet time to reflect strongly on your visualisations. Try starting your day first thing in the morning and finishing as the last thing at night with visualising yourself being the person on your list, and doing the things you want to do.
Exercise Three: Keep a Journal of Your Daily Successes
Keep a record of all the positive changes in thoughts you have about yourself. We all have triumphs and 'failures'. You must record and remind yourself of the positive changes because our human nature will replay the negatives - sometimes blowing them out of proportion. It's important to nurture and celebrate the small steps you make every day.
Exercise Four: Go Easy On Yourself - You Are Beautiful Work In Progress
Don't listen to the criticism?not your own nor that of others! Remember you are the designer of your self-esteem, do not hand this over to other people. You are way too important to give this away. Protect your role as creator of your own self-image and do not, take on board negative criticisms. We all make mistakes, and mistakes can be used to help us learn. Do not criticise yourself for being human and making a mistake. The only last mistake in the one from which we never learn to grow.
Exercise Five: Forget About The Past
The only moment you can live is the current one. You can't live in the future and you most certainly shouldn't live in the past?.the challenge is to take charge of our thinking so that we think in the same time zone in which we live!
For example we may be tempted to think about yesterday's failures?"If only I hadn't eaten second helpings", "If only I didn't reach for the chocolate cookies". If we concentrate on the mistakes of yesterday this will our brains to replay our failures and reinforce them to us.
Yesterday is over, today is where you live?.make sure that today you do NOT replay yesterday's failures and make your resolve to change TODAY.
Exercise Six: Resolve to Change Today
Just as you shouldn't live in the past, you can't live in the future. You can only live or change today. The oldest cliché in the world is perhaps one of the greatest truisms of all?'tomorrow NEVER comes!'
There is no better time than now. So, no matter what excuses you may have to wait to take those healthy steps you know you should take, none of them are valid. Do it now, do it today. Resolve to make a different in your own life before you go to sleep tonight.
Exercise Seven: Write a Plan For your Life
This is your success plan. If you have not already done so it is time for you to create direction and purpose in your plans for yourself. Review your list of potentials and record next to each potential when you want to achieve this by.
Exercise Eight: Carry Affirmation Cards About Yourself
This is one of the fastest tools for your success. You are what you think. Strengthen your self-image every day by reviewing your thoughts. One of the easiest ways to do this is to carry affirmation cards in your wallet and review regularly. Affirmation cards are short bursts of words in business card that prompt and remind your self-image of your intentions. An example might be:
Try it, you have absolutely nothing to lose and everything to gain!
Exercise Nine: Change Your Eating Habits
Now that you have set the groundwork in place, you are now ready to change your physical habits. You are ready to add a balanced nutritious diet, healthy eating habits, regular exercise and relaxation.
By using these nine exercises daily to change your thinking habits, you will be strengthening your self esteem and unlocking your internal power to make a change in your life. Before you can change lifelong eating habits, you must first change life long thinking habits. We are what we think. We can't be something other than what we believe we can be!
So, do yourself a favour, liberate your self-image and then, see how much more effective your healthy living plan becomes!
--
You have permission to publish this article electronically or in print, free of charge, as long as the bylines are included. Please print the article in its entirety unchanged and notify the author by email when you use it.
About The Author
Kim is successful a wellness mentor. She has been assisting people achieve excellent health through cellular nutrition. For those wanting to lose weight she uses a proven amazing, approach that enables people to have a boost in energy and block to cravings while they are losing the weight. She has a Bachelor of Science majoring in Biochemistry and Histology. Visit http://leanmachine.org/?refid=articlecity-23429
Dieters have long searched for secret paths to easy weight... Read More
Weight Loss Red Flag GuideDespite claims to the contrary, there... Read More
With the rise of obesity and the increasing incidence of... Read More
New gastric bypass patients say they miss food, they grieve... Read More
As a low carb dieter, you have probably been bombarded... Read More
Green tea has been highly valued in Asia for centuries... Read More
Fats are always looked at as a negative in a... Read More
You have finally decided to tackle weight management and lose... Read More
Here are the 4 things you need to know about... Read More
Are you one of those who hate dieting? Well, you... Read More
As parents who've had gastric bypass we face many challenges... Read More
If you knew when you were going to die, would... Read More
Low carb (carbohydrate), high protein diets are the latest ... Read More
Here come the candy canes. In our house, Santa always... Read More
This is a continuation of the article entitled, "Making Diets... Read More
The market is flooded with weight loss supplements that make... Read More
Reading labels is an essential part of any weight loss... Read More
What if by making a few small changes in your... Read More
How did a thin person like me become overweight? My... Read More
We are a large people. 65% of us are overweight,... Read More
One of the difficulties with dieting is the well known... Read More
Sometimes, just the thought of starting on a diet and... Read More
When we gain more weight than is good for us,... Read More
It seems like everywhere you turn, there is someone trying... Read More
Dieting and weight loss is almost certainly the most lucrative... Read More
Fat Loss Tip #2) Drink More WaterI know, I know,... Read More
For years we heard that a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet would... Read More
We hear it all the time?lose weight for your health.... Read More
Maybe you've heard about body dysmorphia ? it's a mental... Read More
Weight Loss and Water: A Way to Make Your Body... Read More
Recently, a Japanese study showed dramatic results of organ fat... Read More
Gastric bypass patients often find themselves regaining weight soon after... Read More
The latest trend in the area of weight loss is... Read More
A common question among weight loss professionals...If fad diets don't... Read More
A bad day or even a bad week is not... Read More
A healthy pregnancy almost always involves weight gain. But now... Read More
It seems like everywhere you turn, there is someone trying... Read More
Is this even possible?Well hold on to your seat because... Read More
Zero Calorie Diet Sodas: Good Or Bad For Weight Loss?Calorie-free... Read More
Lose The Weight For Good With The Seven Phases of... Read More
The Psychology of Weight Loss ? Your Approach!We have missed... Read More
These days, Jennifer Secrist has little interest in idle activities.... Read More
In the early nineties doctors were beginning to see the... Read More
Weight loss is an issue that affects men and women... Read More
Before you even think of taking diet pills to lose... Read More
With all the excitement regarding high protein diets, one area... Read More
In my fitness consulting business, I get the opportunity to... Read More
What to Do with the Leftovers?Okay, tell me if you've... Read More
Nowadays, so much of the public is obese (fat) that... Read More
If you were going to travel to the other side... Read More
It is common for new WLS patients to ask, "How... Read More
In our mind's eye, we see our ancient ancestors as... Read More
Being overweight is no laughing matter. For those who are... Read More
Throughout my childhood and teenage years I watched as my... Read More
Are you a 'look-and-lose' dieter? Have you studied every diet... Read More
Oh, no . . . You suddenly realize that you... Read More
A "normal-tummy" looks at the food pyramid from the bottom... Read More
Are you sick of the hype? Wondering what diet products... Read More
Many people want to lose a few of those annoying... Read More
Lean turkeyLean ground beefChicken breastFish, halibut, orange roughy,More fish, shark,... Read More
"I'm too busy!" "I'm always on the run." "I... Read More
Weight Loss and Water: A Way to Make Your Body... Read More
Dieting and Exercising ? Results all the time!To be successful... Read More
Using healthy low carb recipes are an important part of... Read More
Fat has had a lot of bad press and for... Read More
Success stories on the gastric bypass are everywhere, but how... Read More
Weight Loss |