POSITIVE BEGINNING (PART 2)
Last month for Western New Year (following the Gregorian calendar) I discussed 4 key components of how to get the best start to your health and fitness efforts. Two New Years allows a double opportunity to start 2016 in the most positive way possible. If you haven’t kick started your efforts yet… the Lunar New Year provides a second chance.
Lifestyle change is extremely difficult. Can the way you think about fat loss, fitness and your body actually determine your success? You bet it can! A motivated mind is the most powerful force in our lives and a positive attitude during a weight management, heath and fitness programme is paramount.
It is a known fact that thoughts and emotions affect the body for better or worse, depending on your predominant thoughts and emotions. Negative thinking, stress, fear, excitement, worry and anger hurt the body. Under these conditions the body releases toxins into the blood, which affect it adversely. Positive thinking, happiness, love and confidence heal, strengthen and energize the body. An excellent habit to get into is to write a grateful diary every evening before bed. The grateful dairy is an exercise in viewing the world or past day in a positive light. It will put your life in perspective, reset your brain to positive and refocus you on your goals. Simply write down 5 things you are grateful or thankful for from the past 24 hours and the 5 positive actions you are going to accomplish the following day.
Positive thoughts radiate out and turn into positive actions, which in turn create positive habits. Positive habits will transform into positive results! A positive outlook is essential for positive change. Here are 3 more essential actions to achieving your 2016 goals:
1 – BE-Committed
If you really want something you’ll find time for it… time is never a valid excuse. Losing fat and getting fit can be hard to do and it may seem an insurmountable goal, but commitment is everything when you’re trying to make positive change. Good planning makes being committed easier, as it limits the urge to detour from the plan once temptation arises. Temptation will always come so be sure to be prepared and stay committed to your plan.
When it comes to body transformation and health development there really is only one question to answer… “How much do I want this?”
2 – BE-Flexible
Fat loss is not a preset protocol that we can just apply to, or works for, everyone. It’s an individual process that needs to be altered to suit your specific needs. Stay committed to your goal while remaining flexible in the approach you use to reach it. This is where monitoring your progress is crucial. You should be prepared to change what you are doing if it is not achieving the desired results.
BE-Flexible is all about finding out what is best for YOU, as we are all different… we are as chemically different internally as we are physically different externally. In other words, what works for one may not work for another… you need to be flexible to fine-tune your diet and exercise routines to get the best results for you.
3 – BE-Patient
Fat loss and fitness is not a linear process, where progress will happen at a steady rate. Rather, there will be peaks, troughs and plateaus but the trend should be positive. This is why it is not a good idea to measure yourself too often, as you will see regular fluctuations in the readings. Simply have faith in your action plan and believe results will happen.
Patience is essential due to many different daily/weekly influences and fluctuations. For instance, you may experience a plateau one week because of excess stress, not enough sleep, menstrual cycle or fatigue. It’s important to stick to the plan, as success is not a singular act but a habit. You are what you do repeatedly and you need to be patient to see the rewards come in.
Don’t let 2016 be another year you don’t achieve your health and fitness desires. Build a tough mindset and action plan to feel and look your best.
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