CHANGE YOUR BODY BY CHANGING THE WAY YOU THINK (PT.3)

Here are 20 positive thinking exercises that will help you channel your negative or angry thoughts into a happier and more productive outlook, so that you can reach your health and fitness goals. Practice these simple exercises and suggestions to keep your thoughts on the positive side.

1.    Only use positive words when talking. Replace negative words like “I can’t” with positive ones instead. Tell yourself you will do your best or that you will try your hardest instead.

2.    Push out all feelings that aren't positive. Even if it's only for a few hours a day, push your negativity aside and only focus on the good things in your life.

3.    Practice positive affirmation. This means you repeat a positive phrase to yourself on a regular basis like "I deserve to be healthy" or "I am worthy of happiness". Believing that these things are true, and reminding yourself of it can help give you a more positive outlook on your goals / life.

4.    Believe you will succeed. Give yourself the benefit of the doubt and believe that you will succeed at fulfilling your goals.

5.    Analyze what went wrong. Thinking positively doesn't mean denying that there is anything wrong. Instead, give yourself some time to think about the things that led up to your current situation so you can avoid future mistakes and look toward a more positive tomorrow.

6.    Give yourself credit. Often when we feel frustrated or upset we only concentrate on the bad things or the mistakes we've made instead of giving ourselves credit for what we do right. Allow yourself to feel confident about your hard work, even if you back slide along the way.

7.    Remember things could be worse. No matter how bad your health is remember that it could be worse, and be grateful for life and the opportunity to change your situation.

8.    Work on visualization. Picturing what you want to accomplish or the person you'd like to be can be a great motivator to getting you there and helping you feel more positive about the distance you have to go.

9.    Think of ways to turn visualization into action. Just picturing it isn't going to make it happen, so create a plan to take it one step at a time until you've made it.

10. Practice self-hypnosis. Self-hypnosis brings about a highly conscious state of mind. This means you'll be more open to positive suggestions that will allow you to be happier and hopefully healthier in your life.

11. List the reasons you will get what you want. If you are having trouble believing that you'll reach your health / fitness goals try sitting down and coming up with a list of reasons why you will reach your goals rather than focusing on the reasons you might not.

12. Look at the big picture. Is backsliding on your meal / exercise plan a bummer? Will you feel bad about eating that piece of cake? Of course.  Learn to let go of the things that don't really matter, and get back on track.

13. Let go of the past. It does not determine your future so why focus on it?

14. Benefit from the attitudes of others. Take comfort in those around you that have positive attitudes and can make you feel better about anything going on in your life.

15. Meditate. By clearing your mind and relaxing you can push out a large amount of negativity that may be troubling you.

16. Don't let yourself quit. No matter how negative you're feeling, never let yourself quit pursuing something you truly want. You'll thank yourself in the long run if you don't give up.

17. Don't expect change to be easy. No one ever promised that making a big change in your life would be easy or that overcoming obstacles would be a walk in the park. It's not supposed to be. Don't let opposition let you lose your confidence and adapt a negative attitude.

18. Decide why you want what you want. If you're feeling upset because you feel like you aren't achieving your goals, take a moment to sit back and figure out the reasons you actually want to achieve them. You may find you're not as attached to them as you think.

19. Believe you can change. Believe you can change the qualities you don’t like about yourself and you'll start to see little ways that you can.

20. Start immediately. Want to make a positive change in your life? Do it now. Putting it off just gives you time to make excuses so get started as soon as possible.

CHANGE YOUR BODY BY CHANGING THE WAY YOU THINK (PT.2)

Your thoughts are with you all day long, whether you know it or not. From moment to moment they drive your feelings - and your actions. For an outside view, look over this example:

Scenario (negative)

[Sarah at weigh in:] Sarah's done a great job sticking to her meal plan, recording her meals and snacks, staying physically active, and taking her daily vitamins. However, when Sarah weighs in for her weekly check-in, the scale says that she hasn't lost any weight. Automatically she starts thinking, 
"What's the point of working so hard if I'm not going to lose any weight?" 
These thoughts lead to feelings like anger, frustration, and hopelessness. 
Later, on the way to work, she stops at her favorite coffee shop for an extra-large, triple-chocolate cappuccino that she used to order all the time. 

So, what happened-and what could Sarah do differently? 

Sarah's thoughts directly affected her feelings - and therefore, her behavior. Unfortunately, Sarah still believes that weight loss is directly related to how much you eat and exercise the previous week. And that if she doesn't see immediate progress, it isn't working. 
While it is true that food intake and activity affect weight, many other factors do too- especially in the short period of a week. Changes in water retention, the time of day, or Sarah's salt intake can all affect her weight. Sarah let her inner critic (Thoughts) sabotage her efforts! 

Scenario (positive)

            
With a little effort and shift in attitude, Sarah can change the way she feels and reacts to her thoughts when she gets off the scale. For instance, Sarah probably wouldn't have decided to drink that fat-gram-loaded coffee if she had thought, 
"I really worked hard, but I know the scale is not the only way to measure my progress over the week. I've been following my meal / exercise plan that my nutritionist recommended, and my clothes are fitting better, so I KNOW I'm losing weight. I know if I continue on my plan, I can reach my goal." 
Here Sarah's thoughts are more realistic and positive - leaving her feeling good about her progress and optimistic about losing weight. She knows she can do it because she's in control.

In the first case, she evaluated the incident of weighing herself using unrealistic standards. In the second case, Sarah stopped and evaluated the big picture in a rational manner, using realistic expectations.

TIP: The first step in changing the way you think is to become aware of it.

Some simple techniques can help you be more mindful of the thoughts and attitudes that seem positive but are actually hurting your progress will be featured in Pt.3 of “CHANGE YOUR BODY BY CHANGING THE WAY YOU THINK” (Will post within 2-weeks); turn those thoughts into positive agents of change; and reinforce what you're really accomplishing each week, regardless of what the scale says - live healthier and happier.