Do you know that your behavior (good or bad), which determines your results, is caused by your beliefs? A belief is something in which you feel very strongly about. Yes, behavior doesn’t happen by chance, it happens by cause!
Think back to a time when you decided to feel depressed since you believed you were gaining body fat. Did that feeling of depression cause you to get excited, talk positively about yourself, stand tall and perform a workout, in order to lose the unwanted fat?
I don’t think so...
Instead, I’m sure you were feeling down, talking negatively about yourself, slouched over and lazy. As a result of that behavior, you either kept the fat on or gained more. Can you remember how long you continued to behave that way until you became motivated to lose all of your extra fat? Depression and bad behavior really can linger on, can’t it?
Realize that it’s the way you interpret a belief that causes you to express an emotion that affects your behavior, thus results! Now, you didn’t have to wait for something to motivate you before changing your behavior so you could start stripping off the fat, did you?
You had the power within you all along to become motivated with the snap of your fingers! Yes, a transformation really can happen in an instant.
In order to successfully transform your body, realize that you need to learn how to control your emotions. Only then will you be able to break down your unhealthy beliefs and form new ones that are healthier in exchange.
Are you following me?
I hope so...
Okay, now back to the example... if you made the decision to feel motivated by your belief that you were gaining fat instead of feeling depressed then I’m sure you’d exercise instead of acting lazy. As a result, you’d begin to lose fat and that very same unhealthy belief (I'm gaining fat) would break down.
In exchange, a new and healthier belief (I’m losing fat) would emerge and begin to build upon itself while supporting your efforts. So, what are the unhealthy beliefs that are stopping you from achieving your fat loss goals? How do you break them down and what are the healthy beliefs that you should replace them with? Well, you're about to discover all of the answers as you read on!
A Tip From Rich: To participate in the following assignment, simply print off this article then write down your answers on a separate piece of paper, or type them out inside a text file as you go.
Your Goal For Part 3: You’re about to identify and confess to the main unhealthy beliefs that control you in relation to exercise and nutrition. These unhealthy beliefs that you'll uncover are partially responsible for creating the way you look and feel, at this moment in time. You'll learn why these beliefs need to be broken down and how to replace them with the suggested healthier alternatives so you can escape from the never-ending cycle of losing fat then gaining it back!
Afterwards (if necessary) you'll confront the main unhealthy belief that you have about your body. After identifying how you're allowing that belief to affect your behavior in a negative way, you'll then discover how to change your interpretation of that unhealthy belief in a positive manner whenever needed.
As a result, new feelings will grab hold of you and you’ll become motivated to behave productively. Soon after you begin the physical component of this system, you’ll find that all of your unhealthy beliefs will have broken down while new and healthier beliefs will have built up, ensuring that you’ll lose all your stubborn fat for life!
Okay, it's time to get to work!
From the time you appeared on the face of the earth to this current moment, you’ve been busy establishing beliefs in your mind. In my opinion, those beliefs are either healthy (positive) or unhealthy (negative).
It's very probable that there were some unhealthy beliefs formed in your childhood that you could still be holding onto right now... and they are affecting your activity levels and eating habits in a negative way.
Do you see why it’s critical to identify then break down the unhealthy beliefs that have caused bad behaviors? I hope so. Whatever you do please don’t skip this step unless you’re looking for similar, physical results that you’ve achieved in the past, repeated in the future.
Breaking Down Your Unhealthy Beliefs Related To Exercise And Nutrition:
Below, you’ll see a list of unhealthy beliefs that many people associate with exercise that are featured under, 'My Belief'. After reading each one ask yourself if you believe in it. If you do, be honest with yourself and think about why that is. Please understand that these unhealthy beliefs can only limit your potential and stop you from realizing the awesome fat loss results that you can achieve.
Afterwards, continue on by reading why I believe it's important for you to eliminate that unhealthy belief and make room for a healthier alternative which we'll call, 'Rich's Belief'.
Then, I urge you to trade in your old unhealthy belief for the new and healthier one instead. This way you'll adopt the same beliefs that other people possess who've successfully transformed their body and life!
My Belief: I believe that exercise is boring. Unfortunately, this is a common belief among many people. On the flip side, there are others who believe that exercise is fun! I believe that it’s possible for everyone to enjoy exercise since there are so many different types that a person can perform. Ask any sports enthusiast if they have to drag themselves through a game whether it’s tennis or volleyball and I’m sure you won’t find many of them raising their hands. Yes, individual and team sports are considered to be a form of exercise, with the exception of chess!
Moving along, it’s also possible to enjoy indoor cardiovascular and weight training exercise even if you haven’t in the past. How? The trick is to get better results from your workout sessions. In order to get better results it’s important to learn how to get the best results! That makes sense, doesn’t it?
Soon, you're going to learn how to set attainable short-term goals during your workout sessions so you’ll feel like you’re accomplishing something for the time you’re putting into them. Furthermore, by learning a variety of exercises you’ll add to the excitement so you’ll have a greater chance of continuing to live an active and healthy lifestyle. All of these factors are found inside ‘No FAT Lies: The Absolute TRUTH on How to Lose Stubborn Fat for Life’.
Rich's Belief: I believe that exercise is fun! My Belief: I believe that exercise requires sacrifice and hard work.
Exercise does require you to sacrifice some time and effort, yet not as much as you may think. It may seem inconvenient to spend 2 hours of your time every week exercising and the thought of physical work may seem daunting especially due to how busy and exhausting life may already be for you. Trust me, I understand.
Try to think long-term instead of short-term for a moment though. Realize that the time you spend exercising will allow you to become more efficient so you can accomplish so much more in less time! This makes the time invested in exercise well worth it. Also, the hard work will seem easier as exercise becomes a habit in your life. Dealing with the consequences of a sedentary lifestyle would take far more work in the long run than the preventative medicine known as exercise, wouldn't it? What would happen if you stopped brushing your teeth since it requires time and effort? You guessed it, cavities!
Rich's Belief: I believe that exercise is a valuable investment in time and energy! My Belief: I believe that I'll gain weight by working out with weights.
What if I told you that it’s possible to gain weight by lifting weights? Upon hearing that would you forget all about it before you even began? If so, think twice since your entire body weight makes up the total contents of your body. Contents such as water and blood, organs, muscles, bones, skin and yes, fatty tissue.
If your body weight happens to increase by a couple of pounds after starting a weight training program then it’s probably due to water retention. Fluctuations in body weight are most always caused by water loss or gain since water makes up roughly 70 percent of all the matter inside your body!
And do you know that 1 pound of fat is roughly 18 percent larger in size than 1 pound of muscle? So, if you don't lose as many pounds as expected but you’ve lost inches and became more defined, then realize that you gained dense muscle, not fat! I’m sure your friends won’t come up to you and say, “Wow, what’s your body weight?" Instead they're going to say, “Wow, you look great!" If you find yourself obsessing about the scale, here’s a solution... throw it out!
Rich's Belief: I believe that a loss in inches is far more important than weight fluctuations! My Belief: I believe that my body fat will turn into muscle if I workout with weights. If this were the case you’d see thousands of people walking around with the resemblance of a super hero since weight training for fat loss is booming in popularity! It turns out that muscle and fat are entirely different from each other. Muscle is composed of roughly 79 percent water and 21 percent protein and is active calorie melting tissue that allows your body to move.
Fat is composed of fatty tissue that is inactive in nature and just sits there until it's needed for energy production. So, since both muscle and fat are made up of different material and have different purposes it's impossible to turn one into the other. I’m sure you’ve seen some muscular bodybuilders in the past flex their muscles by making them move or bounce. I bet you’ve never seen overweight people flex their fat though, have you?
Rich's Belief: I believe that body fat cannot turn into muscle!
My Belief: I believe that I'll gain size by working out with weights.
I can’t even count how many times I’ve heard this misconception. Is it a result from observing the professional bodybuilders who are in the magazines and on television? If so, I’m sure they haven’t taken into consideration the fact that these people are on serious doses of steroids!
The truth is that when you’re on a consistent weight training program you usually will maintain the muscle on your body or even gain some yet not as much as you fear. The amount of muscle that you can add to your frame depends mainly on your age, bone structure and other genetic traits. If you’re a woman then realize that you have approximately 10 times less testosterone than a man. Testosterone is one of the key ingredients that influences just how much muscle you can actually add to your body. However, even if you do add muscle... realize that body fat takes up roughly 18 percent more space.
As a result, you’ll lose size from your fatty areas since muscle is more compact than body fat and the extra muscle – which is active calorie melting tissue – will allow you to burn more calories at rest which helps to keep the fat off.
Rich's Belief: I believe that you'll lose size by working out with weights!
My Belief: I believe that walking is best for burning body fat.
I’ll admit that walking can help you to burn calories and drop body fat, yet it’s possible to melt more calories and fat by working out with weights instead. When you perform lower intensity aerobic exercise (meaning your muscles can receive and use the oxygen needed that allows fat and glucose to be burned for energy), such as walking... you’ll burn more calories than when you’re resting during the day while possibly even burning more calories than usual for several hours after the workout.
On the other hand, when you perform higher intensity anaerobic exercise (meaning your muscles can't receive and use the oxygen needed so instead it comes from chemical energy and glucose stored within your body versus fat), such as a weight training session, you'll burn far more calories than usual during the workout and afterwards as well. Yet studies have proven that it’s possible to burn extra calories for up to a full day after your weight training workout! How, you ask? The intensity of weight training breaks apart your muscle tissue during the workout. It’s possible for your muscles to continue breaking down afterwards... which speeds up your metabolism so your body can burn far more calories than usual as a result.
Rich's Belief: I believe that weight training is best for burning body fat!
My Belief: I believe that light weights will help me to get toned while heavier weights will cause me to bulk-up. First of all, let’s determine what toning-up and bulking-up really means. It’s my belief that toning is simply the act of becoming tighter and more defined while bulking-up is all about gaining size in the form of fat and muscle. It isn’t possible to become toned by lifting a weight that's light as a feather all day long, so don’t waste your time! Also, it isn’t possible to become bulky by using a heavy enough weight that you can only lift for 10 seconds. It’s a combination of several different factors such as calorie consumption, genetic traits and your overall workout program that dictates whether you’re going to become toned or bulked-up.
Rich's Belief: I believe that the amount of weight you use in a workout alone isn't enough to guarantee whether you're going to tone-up or bulk-up!
My Belief: I believe that when I perform abdominal crunches I lose body fat in that area alone.
All of the sleazy salesmen who promote the abdominal gadgets on late night television are ecstatic that people believe in this misconception. But the customers who buy into these products aren’t too happy when they use the gadget religiously only to get no fat loss results whatsoever and then throw it away. Yes, there are reasons why you’ll never lose body fat from one specific area on your body alone.
When you perform any exercise for your abs what you’re actually doing is strengthening them, not burning body fat from that area. This applies to any exercise, even the thigh master! If you happen to burn more calories by performing the ab exercises while you train the rest of your body and improve your eating habits on a consistent basis, then body fat still won’t come off that one area alone.
Part 3 continued…
My Belief: I believe that I'll gain size by working out with weights.
I can’t even count how many times I’ve heard this misconception. Is it a result from observing the professional bodybuilders who are in the magazines and on television? If so, I’m sure they haven’t taken into consideration the fact that these people are on serious doses of steroids!
The truth is that when you’re on a consistent weight training program you usually will maintain the muscle on your body or even gain some yet not as much as you fear. The amount of muscle that you can add to your frame depends mainly on your age, bone structure and other genetic traits.
If you’re a woman then realize that you have approximately 10 times less testosterone than a man. Testosterone is one of the key ingredients that influences just how much muscle you can actually add to your body.
However, even if you do add muscle... realize that body fat takes up roughly 18 percent more space.
As a result, you’ll lose size from your fatty areas since muscle is more compact than body fat and the extra muscle – which is active calorie melting tissue – will allow you to burn more calories at rest which helps to keep the fat off.
Rich's Belief: I believe that you'll lose size by working out with weights!
My Belief: I believe that walking is best for burning body fat.
I’ll admit that walking can help you to burn calories and drop body fat, yet it’s possible to melt more calories and fat by working out with weights instead. When you perform lower intensity aerobic exercise (meaning your muscles can receive and use the oxygen needed that allows fat and glucose to be burned for energy), such as walking... you’ll burn more calories than when you’re resting during the day while possibly even burning more calories than usual for several hours after the workout.
On the other hand, when you perform higher intensity anaerobic exercise (meaning your muscles can't receive and use the oxygen needed so instead it comes from chemical energy and glucose stored within your body versus fat), such as a weight training session, you'll burn far more calories than usual during the workout and afterwards as well. Yet studies have proven that it’s possible to burn extra calories for up to a full day after your weight training workout!
How, you ask?
The intensity of weight training breaks apart your muscle tissue during the workout. It’s possible for your muscles to continue breaking down afterwards... which speeds up your metabolism so your body can burn far more calories than usual as a result.
Rich's Belief: I believe that weight training is best for burning body fat!
My Belief: I believe that light weights will help me to get toned while heavier weights will cause me to bulk-up.
First of all, let’s determine what toning-up and bulking-up really means. It’s my belief that toning is simply the act of becoming tighter and more defined while bulking-up is all about gaining size in the form of fat and muscle. It isn’t possible to become toned by lifting a weight that's light as a feather all day long, so don’t waste your time! Also, it isn’t possible to become bulky by using a heavy enough weight that you can only lift for 10 seconds.
It’s a combination of several different factors such as calorie consumption, genetic traits and your overall workout program that dictates whether you’re going to become toned or bulked-up.
Rich's Belief: I believe that the amount of weight you use in a workout alone isn't enough to guarantee whether you're going to tone-up or bulk-up!
My Belief: I believe that when I perform abdominal crunches I lose body fat in that area alone.
All of the sleazy salesmen who promote the abdominal gadgets on late night television are ecstatic that people believe in this misconception. But the customers who buy into these products aren’t too happy when they use the gadget religiously only to get no fat loss results whatsoever and then throw it away.
Yes, there are reasons why you’ll never lose body fat from one specific area on your body alone.
When you perform any exercise for your abs what you’re actually doing is strengthening them, not burning body fat from that area. This applies to any exercise, even the thigh master!
If you happen to burn more calories by performing the ab exercises while you train the rest of your body and improve your eating habits on a consistent basis, then body fat still won’t come off that one area alone.
You see, there are compartments all over your body that excess fat enters for storage purposes. When there's a need to release a certain amount of fat from your body then your mind instructs it to come off wherever it sees fit. You can’t possibly control where it’s going to escape from.
Too bad!
The only way you could accomplish this is through liposuction. (In my opinion, the health risks and expense of liposuction simply isn't worth the possible benefits, as the fat that's lost can always return back to it's home!)
Rich's Belief: I believe that you'll make your abs stronger by performing abdominal crunches!
Do you often find yourself caught in a rut where you’re depressed, sad or even angry due to the way you look at your body when overweight or obese? As a result, are the negative feelings causing you to act lazy and eat unhealthy? If this applies to you then work through the following assignment.
I believe that eliminating unhealthy beliefs about your body can only happen if there are new results that prove them to be false. In order to achieve new and sustainable results it’s imperative that you look at your body in a different way than you ever have before.
It’s possible for you to program your mind to produce positive feelings about the way you look on a consistent basis (even if your overweight or obese right now) that will help to propel you forward instead of dwelling in negative feelings due to what you see, hear and feel.
So, are you ready to have some fun? You’re about to unleash your creativity by painting a picture inside the gallery of your mind! Read through the following scenario and then when you reach a question simply shut your eyes and visualize the experience to the best of your abilities. Afterwards, answer the question before moving on.
A Tip From Rich: To participate in the following assignment, simply print off this article then write down your answers on a separate piece of paper, or type them out inside a text file as you go.
Your spirit has now left your body once again and you find yourself standing at the entrance of the picture gallery inside your mind! After opening the door (you have the key since it’s your mind!) all you can see are paintings that are hung upon transparent walls, with nothing on the other side. The gallery seems to stretch for miles upon miles and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight.
You walk forwards and notice a sign which indicates that the gallery contains every belief you possess in life, with the related paintings. Suddenly, you see a light that's flashing in the distance above a painting on the wall. It grabs your attention and you decide to walk towards it. Once standing underneath it, you then realize there's a blank canvass within the frame! At the top is a plaque that reads, "I'm overweight". You then discover that this is the name of the blank canvass and the unhealthy belief that you relate to your body! Next, you see a plaque below it. To your surprise it's explaining the reasons as to how you came up with that name.
Question 1: What are 3 reasons that support and strengthen the unhealthy belief about your body. Make sure that you can see the letters on the plaque underneath the name of the blank canvass. Visualize the messages you’ve seen, heard and felt that reinforce the unhealthy belief when coming up with the correct reasons. Afterwards, write down what you normally say to yourself in response to what you believe is true.
Example of reasons why the unhealthy belief exists: I'm overweight.
Reason 1 (I saw): My reflection in the mirror. What I would say to myself: I can’t accept the way I look and there’s nothing that can be done since I was made to be this way.
Reason 2 (I heard): The comments people make about me.
What I would say to myself: Even they can see how fat I am, so how can I ever expect to gain their respect?
Reason 3 (I felt): The way my stomach and legs feel when I touch them.
What I would say to myself: I feel smooth, heavy and sluggish and I’m only going to gain more fat in the near future.
Your unhealthy belief: I'm overweight.
Reason 1 (I saw):
What I would say to myself:
Reason 2 (I heard):
What I would say to myself:
Reason 3 (I felt):
What I would say to myself:
It's so important to accept the fact that the images, sounds and feelings that you've interpreted along with your self-talk haven't been working for you in a positive way. Due to this, you obviously programmed your mind on a consistent basis to produce negative feelings that aren't allowing you to behave in a productive manner.
After reading all of the reasons as to why you gave the blank canvass it’s name, your emotions grab hold of you. Familiar feelings spring into your mind that came from the images, sounds and feelings you've associated to the unhealthy belief that you feel is true about your body.
Question 2: When you think about all those reasons that support the unhealthy belief about your body (I'm overweight), what negative feelings come to mind? Below you'll see a list of negative feelings to choose from when you think about those reasons. Simply; circle or type out the negative feelings that apply to you.
Feelings associated with the unhealthy belief: I'm overweight.
Hatred
Anger
Sadness
Depression
Pity
Ashamed
Weak
Worthless
Fearful
Ugly
Lonely
Yes, negative feelings really can cause bad behaviors!
Coming up… the last article on breaking down your unhealthy beliefs.
Rich Tweten has sinced written about articles on various topics from Fat Loss, Anger Control and Fat Loss. Rich Tweten is a certified personal trainer of over the past 10 years, and author of ‘No FAT Lies: The Absolute TRUTH on How to Lose Stubborn Fat for Life’. For more information about his book-based program, cutting-edge online personal training website. Rich Tweten's top article generates over 2400 views. to your Favourites.