Wednesday, November 26, 2003

Get fit: Mental and emotional health

For those of you reading this article who are completely happy with your health, fitness and appearance, this will be a reflection of what you already know and are doing. The rest of you will find some help in achieving improved health, fitness and appearance.

Let’s focus on the mental and emotional aspects of achieving a healthy lifestyle.

What should your goals be, and how can you reach them? Let’s first visit some negative influences. We are constantly bombarded with advertisements that may cause us to adopt some specific thoughts. These advertisements feature models who are 20 percent underweight. They are professionally made up. Camera tricks and air brushing are used to cover their flaws.

Consider the average woman. She is 5’4” tall, weighs 140 pounds, and wears a size 14, while the models are 5”7”, weigh 100 pounds, and wear size 8. Studies indicate that young girls are more afraid of being fat than nuclear war, having cancer, or losing their parents.

Other influences from advertising include: Smoking is sexy, drinking alcohol helps you to be more popular, sports cars and dressing in revealing clothing make you more attractive to the opposite sex. You must admit that these statements do influence behavior.

Thought plus decision equals behavior. Given that, how hard is it to think about good nutrition and exercise in a positive manner and then behave in ways that get you eating properly and exercising more?

Rather than be directed to impossible goals, let’s look at ourselves and focus on what is realistic and achievable. I don’t say this so that you will accept mediocrity, rather that you will focus on and work toward realistic, honest and achievable goals. It is possible to have a healthier and better looking body.

Only you can set up a thought and belief system to create the results you desire. You must know that you are in charge of your own body. You can make a positive or a negative change — you can be complacent or improve yourself. Do you talk to yourself in a positive or negative way?

Positive self-talk is healthy and uplifting; and negative self talk is unhealthy and abusive. Would you encourage a friend by using the same words that you use on yourself? Would those words be healthy, or would they be abusive?

Say “I will,” not “I will try.”

Say “I chose to,” not “I have to.”

Say “I can do this,” not “I don’t know if I can.”

Learn to interrupt negative self-talk and replace it with positive statements. Your negative self-talk has not worked. It has led to failed action. It is time to find new thinking to replace the old.

Have you in the past thought and said, “I’m so depressed I’m going to eat this carton of ice cream”? You temporarily felt better, but were miserable later. Do you often try to start a new diet or exercise program on Monday? Perhaps this has been a pattern that hasn’t worked. Find a new thought process. Don’t wait until Monday.

Your new best friend could be a set of new thought patterns. Your actions are the direct result of your thoughts and decisions. Some folks may need the help of a doctor, therapist or personal trainer to acquire new ways of thinking about fitness. If you need help, then get professional help to conquer your old patterns and replace them with new ones.

Determine goals that come from a deep down desire. What do you really want? Define goals on paper, outlining day-to-day paths to success.

Pick a goal that is measurable. Create milestones and mini-victories along the way. Visualize yourself achieving your goal. Follow through with persistence, passion, and positive consistency.

Instead of “I’m too tired,” say “I’m tired because I am not exercising. I am guaranteed to have more energy when I exercise.”

Instead of “I don’t have time,” say “I have the same 24 hours as everyone else who is exercising and feeling good.”

Instead of “It’s too hard,” say “It is easy to exercise now when I can, rather than try to exercise later when I am heavier, ill, or injured.”

Instead of “I’m not in the mood,” say “I have not regretted exercising in the past. I know I feel better when I have finished exercising.”

Lifestyle can be managed in a variety of ways — ways which neither feature deprivation nor torture. A healthy lifestyle can only be built through positive thinking. If you are satisfied with being stressed and overweight, so be it. But if you want to change, do so!

Invest time and energy into your mind, and the results with your body will surely follow.

It is up to you as to which direction to take. A healthy lifestyle is not a sentence to deprivation and torture; rather, it is an attainable goal of high energy, productivity, reduced stress and overall well-being. Remember that it is never too late to improve yourself. Are you 20, 40 or 60 years old today and out of shape? In five years you may be 25, 45 or 65 and still out of shape. But you could be 5 years older and in shape.

The choice is yours. There are countless roads to take to your new destination. Ask someone to help you find the road that is right for you.

Questions about fitness and training may be directed to Mike at gitfit @bellsouth.net and will be answered, either by e-mail or in this column.

— Mike Calderallo