What is most evident is that their success did not depend on "guts and willpower" but on the fact that they finally "changed their minds". They acknowledged that they looked and felt lousy and decided not to live that way any longer.
These changes of attitude are critical because the natural tendency of most people is to first deny or minimize how obesity and poor fitness is affecting their long-term health and then to justify or excuse their poor habits as just too difficult to change right now.
A shift of perspective must accompany behavioral changes if they are to stick and eventually become habit.
If you are willing to make three MENTAL SHIFTS, you can more easily change old habits to become lean, strong and healthy:
INSTEAD OF? "I must deprive myself of food in order to lose weight." TRY? "I eat well to live well."
THE PROBLEM is that most people have been taught that food is bad and to view it in terms of calories; cut back on food and thus calories and lose weight. This is technically correct but not the best approach and not a sustainable plan for the long haul.
A SOLUTION is to view food as the source of energy, growth, repair and resistance to disease. If food is of high quality then there is nothing that should be eliminated. Therefore questions about what to eat are answered by choosing foods that are nutrient rich. (Coincidentally, these are also the foods that are not calorie dense and so serving size becomes less important.) View high-quality food as the source of great health and vigor. Choose the best; eat consciously and enjoy. You are a first-class person; why eat anything less than first-rate food?
INSTEAD OF? "Exercise is a painful and unpleasant prescription I must endure to burn calories and get healthy." TRY? "Physical activity is natural to humankind. My ancestors couldn't avoid it and, as a child, I called it play."
THE PROBLEM is that many people have been inactive for so long that exercise is difficult and unfamiliar and they view it as a boring and bitter medicine.
A SOLUTION is to seek out a variety of activities you enjoy, that keep you on your feet and physically active. Not all activity has to be "formal" exercise. Make a point to plan your time and include leisure activities that involve being on your feet and in motion: a new hobby, trips to parks, museums, short hikes, time with kids. Don't overestimate your ability but minimize time spent sitting around. This is as much about a change in attitude and being a "physical person" as it is about exercise. Keep formal exercise simple and start very gradually. Walk. If five or ten minutes is all you can do at first, then do that; it is far more important to create a regular habit than to push too hard too soon. Whatever you do, don't count calories but set modest goals, enjoy the movement of your body and relish the steady improvement of your physical capabilities.
INSTEAD OF? "Circumstances and events make it impossible for me to stick with a healthy lifestyle." TRY? "I take 100% responsibility for the direction of my life, no matter what happens to me."
THE PROBLEM is that most people make excuses for their situation by blaming circumstances and events that appear beyond their control. After a while their reasoning begins to sound reasonable and they lose the initiative to seek solutions to difficult problems.
A SOLUTION is to make the choice to always accept 100% responsibility for your response to every event, even if the event is beyond your control. Doing this will affect the outcome of that event and you will always make the best of every situation.
This attitude is the underlying mental shift that makes all the others possible. Unfortunately, it is the one that few will embrace even though it is the one that can set them free.
For a start, make a personal commitment to apply these three mental shifts to how you view life. Then when you are faced with a setback or difficult circumstances, stop, evaluate the facts and choose a proactive response. If you set your mind to the task you can always make the best of any situation.
While under hypnosis subjects have had sharp pins put through their skin without experiencing and bleeding or marking of the skin. Skin conditions such as excema and even warts can disappear within hours of a hypnotic sessions.
Futher more the body can be manipulated in a trance state to exhibit burns on the skin without any outside stimuli. IBS has been successfully treated as have a myriad of other physical conditions.
It is almost synonymous with hypnosis to imagine a person entering a trance state and becoming so ridged that they can be suspended between two chairs. The head of the subject would be placed on one chair while their feet would be placed on another with no support in-between. During this hypnotic state it was possible for the hypnotist to sit or even stand on the subject! This practise has since been discontinued due to ethical reasons but it surely demonstrates the power of the human mind over the body.
Martial artists, such as the legendary shaolin monks, can perform amazing physical feats such as suspending themselves several feet off the ground by leaning their torso on the razor sharp tip of a sword. During a hypnotic session powerful suggestions can be introduced to make the subject believe they no longer have any feeling sensation in any particular part of their body and they will no longer feel anything in that part of the body. These suggestions are so strong that such catalepsy can last for as long as an hour if the suggestion is not removed by the hypnotist! It is therefore no surprise that hypnosis has become an extremely popular tool for pain control. As an anaesthetic it can also be invaluable as it removes the need to introduce dangerous substances into the body as is the case with conventional treatments. Many expectant mothers now use hypno-birthing as an alternative to conventional pain control during child birth.
Another great example of the power of the mind over the body can be seen with Olympic athletes. Watch how many of them close their eyes and breathe very deeply just before a race. It has become a common practise for top athletes to perform their given task in their mind prior to actually undertaking the physical activity. Runners will quiet their minds and visualize every step of the race just before they go to the blocks. This technique is called Motor Neural Rehearsal and after countless studies it has a proven record of creating changes in the mind and body. It has been shown in scientific studies that when you imagine performing a physical task by visualizing the same motor neurons fire, in the same sequence, as they would if you were physically performing the activity. Your entire body responds as though you were actually physically performing the activity you are imagining.
When such mental activities are performed under hypnosis the effect becomes even more pronounced. Your subconscious mind does not know the difference between what you are imagining and what you are actually doing. This simple truth can be very powerful if used correctly. It can also be extremely damaging if you allow your imagination to run riot and envisage negative situations and scenarios.
Through the use of hypnotic trance and visualization it is possible for anyone to program their subconscious mind to help them perform better at any physical activity. It is possible to program yourself to behave in the same manner, mentally and physically, as that of a top athlete or sports professional. You can even improve your golf or tennis swing. In fact you can improve your skills at any sport or physical activity that you can think of. However the real benefit lies in the fact that you can also strengthen your immune system and even re-establish harmony within your bodily functions all through the power of hypnosis.
Can you think of any physical activities that you perform which may benefit from this life-changing mental process? Do you believe there is some area of your body that you could improve or strengthen? Do you think it's possible that hypnosis could be the answer?
Both Howard Mcgarity & Michael Mcgrath are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Howard Mcgarity has sinced written about articles on various topics from Strength Training, Health and Fitness. Howard McGarity is a "Human Performance Specialist", Certified Personal Trainer and Fitness Coach who has studied biology, nutrition and exercise science for most of his fifty-six years. He designs online programs for MyVirtualGym.com as an effective way. Howard Mcgarity's top article generates over 2900 views. to your Favourites.
Michael Mcgrath has sinced written about articles on various topics from Hypnotherapy, self improvement and motivation and Hypnotherapy. Follow the link to read our free Hypnosis product reviews. Find out what really works! . Or read our free reviews of the very best. Michael Mcgrath's top article generates over 74000 views. to your Favourites.