The secret is in your mind - Learn the fitness mindset with these five simple steps

Copyright 2005 Paul Bunting I met her at a networking group early one morning. Lacy (name changed for privacy reasons) was in her 40s and had a lot going for her. She was intelligent, well spoken, and confident in her ability to run her own Law Firm as an attorney. Lacy was able to enjoy many things in life that others whom believed themselves to "less fortunate" did not think they could enjoy. However, there was one big issue Lacy struggles with. It is an issue that you may recognize in another person, or even in yourself. Body image and fitness. It was no secret that Lacy was a woman of large bone structure; something genetic that she has absolutely no control over whatsoever. It was also no secret that Lacy tried just about every trick and diet in the book to lose weight and get into shape. In fact, Lacy was bold enough to announce to the entire networking group of over 30 people her ambitions to fit into a sexy lingerie outfit for her husband and feel like a word I better not mention in this article (but I'm sure you have a good imagination). Being a fitness professional myself, Lacy and myself were bound to be a magical match made in fitness and diet bliss, or one may have thought. After all, my track record is very good, and over the years I have been able to guide many people into discovering how to stay fit, so helping Lacy make this discovery would come naturally right? Actually not. I worked with Lacy for a couple of months and after that Lacy decided the low carb diet she was insistent on sticking to was not working, and she was going to go off on her own program again. Think this is uncommon? Think again, Lacy was doing what many people do when it comes to health and fitness. As previously mentioned I have helped many people discover how they can live the fitness lifestyle. However, there is another side to the story. There have been more people that I have crossed paths with in a professional manor that have not been able to maintain the fitness lifestyle. For years I wondered how and why this happens. What causes a person to invest so much time, thought, and effort into the idea of getting into shape only to succumb to disappointment and end up exactly opposite of where they wanted to be? I eventually discovered it's all in the mind. Lacy was the way she was because of the way she thought about fitness and nutrition in relation to herself. In her career Lacy obviously demonstrated the characteristics of successful thinking. In her idea of diet and fitness Lacy demonstrated the opposite. You may be wondering how does one swing the thinking pendulum from fitness failure to fitness success and make it stay to fitness success? If "one" is willing to change some basic fundamentals in thought the process can be happen with great ease and simplicity. Outlined below are five things you can do to adopt the fitness mindset and easily be as fit as you decide to be; 1. Do NOT set goals for yourself. When you set a goal you create an expectation that is formulated from a desire. Very often people will set a goal that they do not believe in their hearts they can achieve, but it would be nice. There are many small things that must be done in order for a big "goal" to materialize. Additionally, not accomplishing a goal often leads to feelings of disappointment, failure; resentments and the end of the New Year's resolution to be in shape. Instead of definitive goal setting you can: 2. Decide to move the direction of fitness and wellness: There are many ways to exercise, with none being "the ultimate workout" or supreme to the rest. Selecting an activity that you can decide to enjoy is a key element to lasting exercise success. Make the decision to eat foods than help you feel well, not frenzied. If something is called a die-t you may be better off passing and selecting a different way of eating. It is relatively common knowledge at this point that low carb is not the most effective choice in weight loss. Do you homework about nutrition and: 3. Let go of the habits that are not working, including thinking! If you have decided to want to change something you are going to have to do something different than what you have been doing to get you to this point. Assess the way you think about yourself. If you think of yourself as not being able to stick to a fitness program, or someone who is constantly struggling to get in shape decide to think different thoughts. You can do this by: 4. Asking yourself a series of questions: If being in shape is what you want; hold that question in mind and ask yourself what would it take to do that? By going inside and looking to your own higher consciousness for answers there is no limit as to what you can discover. This process works best when you make the decision to take time for yourself on a daily basis to inquire inward. When you make a regular practice of inquiring inward you will discover many things. To materialize and experience them you must: 5. Take Action! What you discover by looking inward you can materialize through your actions. Through a series of small actions repeated on a regular basis you can materialize and experience a big change. You have the ability to make the coming year your personal best starting with the moment or right now. When your right now is good, things that you enjoy can naturally happen without even having to make a whole lot of effort. It all starts in your mind!