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Successful Weight Loss Begins
With A Strong Mind
Jenny May
With the change of the New Year many women (and men) will
be hoping that this will be the year that they make their
fat loss goals a reality. And while many will start the year
out on the right foot to achieving that goal…most will fail!
Not because of the diet or exercise program they were using
but because in their eagerness to change their bodies -- they
forgot to change their Minds!
Confused? Let me explain - Most women (and men) will begin
this year with the resolution to lose that extra baggage that
has been building up over the course of time. This is not
a new thing - in fact - most of us make this resolution every
year, say for the last 5 - 20 years. So why is it then, that
instead of losing fat, we keep gaining? The answer is quite
simple really - Mental Conditioning.
Every year we resolve to lose weight - every year we fail
- the (subconscious) brain now has an established pattern
and recognizes that it will continue to go thru these gyrations
only to - in the end - justify failure for not achieving the
fat loss goal and repeat the whole process the following year.
This conditioning, although not as obvious, is just the same
as Pavlov's dog - you know the guy who trained the dogs to
come to food whenever he rang the bell, till they were so
conditioned that as soon as he rang the bell the dogs would
salivate for food even when there was no food. Yes we are
just as trainable as those dogs - the only difference - we
(humans) do not need a trainer to condition our minds - the
stories we tell ourselves do that just fine.
And that my friend is the secret - we need to stop telling
stories and making up excuses - we need to change our minds
about nutrition, exercise and tomorrow - yes tomorrow. How
many times have you justified not doing something today because
you will do it tomorrow. Tomorrow comes and what happens?
You have another story to justify not doing it…and this is
how we train ourselves to fail.
You set a goal - then justify why you can't follow thru on
the necessary steps to achieve that goal with the stories
you tell yourself. It is this pattern that trains the mind
that you are not serious about your fat loss goals - or any
goal you're not achieving for that matter. The more often
this process is repeated - the more conditioned you become
and the easier it becomes for you to justify never achieving
your goals - as well as the harder it becomes to change this
pattern.
However - just as you can begin an exercise program to re-condition
your body, you can begin a program to re-condition your mind
to set yourself up for success instead of failure. And it
begins with honesty.
You need to HONESTLY ask yourself "Why am I not achieving
my health and fitness goals?" If the answer is because of
the stories you tell yourself - then follow the steps below
to train your mind for success instead of failure.
NOTE: Do not just read these steps - if I've kept your interest
this far into the article then take the 5 minutes to actually
DO each one of these steps - knowing what to do is only half
the battle - You have to do it to achieve success - like the
Nike® ads say - "Just Do it!"
Step 1: Get Real!
Take a good look at yourself in the mirror and look right
at those trouble spots. Don't just glance - make yourself
fully aware of that extra fat hanging off your body, stare
at it. Jump up and down a little and feel it jiggle - feel
how you have no control over that junk on your body. Don't
justify it - there is no justification for not taking care
of your body - your temple. Get frustrated and angry at YOUR
inability to take control of your own body and shed that excess
fat!
Step 2: Get Focused!
Define, right now, exactly how much you need to lose. Are
you obese and need to lose 70lbs to get to a healthy weight.
Or are you just carrying some extra fat and need to lose 10-20lbs.
Whatever it is - Write It Down - and make it specific. I must
lose 20 pounds - Not I need to lose weight. Your goal needs
to be defined so your subconscious mind recognizes that there
is a SPECIFIC target. And do not forget to specify by when
- if you need to drop 20 pounds you should be able to lose
that over 12-20 weeks (the exact amount of time depends on
the individual). If you're looking at 70+ pounds set up smaller
targets - 20 pounds in 12 weeks - you do that 4 times over
the course of a year and you will be 80 pounds lighter by
2007. Regardless of your actual goal - be specific - your
mind needs to believe that you're serious and it needs specific
targets to strive for.
Step 3: Get Started NOW!
In order for your mind to perceive a goal as real - the moment
you perceive it you must take action! Do not wait until tomorrow
or Monday because you're thinking it's more convenient -just
start now! Do anything - go for a walk, do some crunches,
toss out all the crap food in your kitchen, get on a scale,
measure your body fat. If you need help, get a personal trainer,
or buy a book on fat loss - I don't care what you do, just
do something Right Now to make that goal real!
Do not wait, let me say (write) that again, Do Not Wait! If
you wait until tomorrow - your goal is just a random thought
and the likelihood of doing it tomorrow is slim to none. You
know this is true - how many times have you said "I'll do
it tomorrow", and then didn't do it at all?
Besides, as women age they become so much more prone to health
risks - why would you consciously increase your risk of developing
health problems by waiting another day to start incorporating
exercise and healthy eating? Think on that a minute - then
get started! (If you do not know where to start with your
fat loss goal - feel free to check out the Jenny May Principles.)
Step 4: Follow Through!
This is the easiest step - every day look at the goal you
wrote down and then just do something to make that goal a
reality. Do not overeat, do some form of exercise, eat less
sugar. Do something every day for the next 12 - 20 weeks,
and not only will your goal be a reality, but also your mind
will be changed forever!
Once you change your mind, every goal that you set becomes
that much easier to achieve, simply because your brain will
have established a pattern of success instead of failure.
The 4 steps above do not just apply to weight/fat loss goals
- you can apply them to any goal you have. Whether it's financial,
emotional, career oriented or whatever - it's really just
a matter of applying them… one goal at a time.
Get Real - Get Focused - Get Started - Follow Through - It
is Really That Simple!
You DO Have the Power to change Your Mind……and Your Body!
So What Are YOU Waiting For?
Jenny May and Health Thru Fitness, LLC focus on researching,
developing, and implementing fitness and health strategies
that women of all ages can apply to their current physical
status. To learn more about the Jenny May Principles check
out http://www.menopause-weight-gain.com
and http://www.healththrufitness.com.
Article Source:
www.iSnare.com
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