by
Kim Beardsmore
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: I can achieve anything
that I put my mind to. I will be satisfied
with single helpings.
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!
About
the author:
Kim
Beardsmore, B.Sc, MBA is a successful weight
loss consultant. To see what you can do today
to take control of your weight, visit her
website at http://leanmachine.org/?refid=selfesteem-12867
