Frame of mind is an important concept when dealing with challenges towards health. For me, getting into the 'right' frame of mind for eating healthy foods seems equivalent to the difficulty mountaineers face when trekking towards the summit of Everest without appropriate foot wear on! You probably think I'm over-doing it a little...more than likely I am, but for those few who know the feeling that there is a chocolate gateau in the depth of the fridge, staring at you...laughing! You know the unlikely event that you'll go to sleep that night without lying in bed in-tears over the fact that you just devoured 1242 calories in less than 8 seconds...teeth covered in chocolate and a breath that represents a 'taster session' to everyone nearby for what you'll deliver once your stomach churning stops. "It was worth it at the time" I guess is the reply.
Anyways...frame of mind. It clearly has an impact on people's motivation and ability to deliver on performance and achieve the things they set out to complete. With that secret weapon we call 'willpower' lasting approximately 5 minutes, I think its time to re-evaluate our strategy.
So what is our strategy? I know each time I set out to lose a pound or two (or twelve) without anything to follow, it doesn't go all that well...pretty miserable in fact. So what can we do about it? Well...we can put a strategy in place I suppose. It sounds simplistic probably but think of this as our 'road map'...the way you can follow the exact directions outlined by the map to lead you to a destination. It's no different with (in this case) weight loss! Yes, the route may change a little from person to person, but we all have different starting positions...and some people have further to go than others. Give them the RIGHT directions in the first place however...and maybe they'll actually enjoy the journey instead of just returning to where they started, frustrated and feeling like there's no point!
So, through my own experience, I've discovered your 'frame of mind' is a very important concept! It doesn't give you directions, but having the correct mindset will allow you to continue again and again without giving up. I reckon by now you're expecting something like "10 tricks to trim stomach fat". Quite frankly, the quicker they're off the internet, the better.
So what advice do I have then?
Re-organise your values first! We need to get to the point where healthy living is ranked amongst our top 5 values. This will help gain a much stronger position to evaluate related actions, making it less likely that we will depend that momentary willpower when faced with a choice. So try this, Think about your top four values...really think about them for a second...
Now, label your values in order, but try to include healthy living is at least one place.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5. (Example: Healthy living)
When we come across people from all walks of life and from different countries, we can notice that their lives lead entirely different paths based on their values. If they valued money more than themselves, how would their life look? If they valued family over themselves, how might this be different? If they valued 'junk food' as pleasurable and fruits as a painful necessity, how might this affect the persons habits?...And would this be any different if this was the opposite way?
Now. We all have values that have either been developed through experience, circumstance or just pure choice. For the next couple of days, I'd like you to consider the values that you have chosen including 'Healthy living'. Having this valued amongst other important aspect of your own life will increase your 'frame of mind' to perform in your favour...rather than weightless advice like "just be positive."
So here's the challenge for healthy living. You have to consider your actions...no matter how insignificant they seem...and compare them against the new value that we have created! This means anything from thinking of the food that you consume, the way you treat yourself or your surroundings and the actions you take on a daily basis.
Once we get experience of a new frame of mind, we will be on course to applying our strategy...but one thing at a time.
If you have any questions get in touch at healthrevd@gmail.com. If you have the time, please share, discuss and get in touch.
No comments:
Post a Comment