Make A Mind-Body Connection To Help You Slim Down

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By Jack Brooks - www.diethealthpro.com

Much has been written about motivation to exercise and the benefits of it in weight management.  The obvious tips of scheduling and prioritizing regular physical activity, purposely taking stairs and parking further away from destinations, walking or biking rather than driving and other strategies give us the concept for this method, but sometimes we could use some help with "firming up" the context. We can look to such diverse areas as sports psychology, yoga, meditation, kinesthetics, neuropsychology, and even metaphysics for new and exciting integrated strategies useful in creating a holistic approach for our personal body management program.
We can thank the increasing popularity of Eastern disciplines and techniques, such as the aforementioned yoga, acupuncture, Homeopathy, Ayurveda and shamanism that have become so much a part of alternative medicine here in the West. It's increasingly becoming a common medical viewpoint that the mind has profound influence on the physical element of our being - we should obviously take advantage of this for increased effectiveness and proactive participation as we work towards our weight management goals.

Inner Work For Outer Results

Putting together a comprehensive program requires a palette of techniques. Let's explore some to give us a pre-exercise starting point: 

• Preparatory Meditation - we think of meditation as a relaxing, stress-relieving technique and indeed it is - what can be a highly significant stressor is trying to grudgingly stir ourselves to get out & walk, go to the gym, or lift those weights. Imagine beginning your exercise regimen with 10 or 15 minutes of quiet, focused meditation consciously intended to give you a sturdy mental launch point to enter into your workout or walk?  We might call this a "Spirit Workout" - be aware that viewing this as another aspect of overall exercise will help "anchor" it as a key part of your program.
• Creative Visualization - This is simply the method of mentally picturing an outcome and, using your inherent powers of concentration, applying "mental energy" to help manifest it into reality. The more vivid and multisensory we make the mental experience, the more energy that goes into achieving the desired result. For example, in your imagination see your body slimmer and glowing, feel the warm sweat of the workout on your skin, smell the crisp Fall air as you mentally jog through the park.  Not only does the positive mental energy encourage your body to produce beneficial biochemicals, you're also practicing mental hygiene by focusing your mind on realistic goals and dreams, rather than the newscaster's dismal reports.  You can use this synergistically in conjunction with the meditation noted above, much like your own weight loss hypnosis program.
• Light/Sound/Scent -there are exciting new studies in the yoga community being performed using a combination of light projectors, audio systems, and scented oil diffusers. These studies are showing a definite ink between external sensory stimuli and bodily responses regarding energy levels, muscle performance and reaction time. This has established their usefulness for enhancing abilities and outcomes, as well as enjoyment, in physical activity. Sequencing our Walkman or iPod musical selections so they gradually bring the "pace' up in tempo, transitioning from the muted darkened meditative environment to a more well-lit and colorful workout room, moving from the pre-exercise indoor environment with its more man-made smell to the woodsy, natural and stimulating outdoor smells all attest to this phenomenon and its positive effect on our exercise mentality.
  
  

Your Exercise Mindset

There's a subset of psychology concerned specifically with the "exercise and brain" relationship. Leading edge research conducted at many schools and athletic facilities has revealed these key concepts:

• On average, 50% of the people who start an exercise program drop out within the first six months. Although numerous factors may be responsible for this, primarily, most people who lack exercise experience are unable to accurately monitor and regulate the intensity of their exercise efforts. Consequently, some overestimate the intensity of exercise and, thus, choose intensities that are unlikely to confer rapid, visible benefits. Others underestimate the intensity of exercise, overexert themselves, and experience negative affective responses or injuries. Thus correctly gauging the space and pace of exercise to match your environment and mindset is important for continued participation.
• Use any and all reliable feedback devices, such as heart-rate monitors, stopwatches, pedometers, accurate scales, etc. to give you realtime information and enable you to set reasonable benchmarks, by using target cardio rates, steps/distance, time duration, monthly target weight or other exercise progress indicators.
•  Use a well-thought-out "earned reward" system - rather than a gooey ice cream Sundae after a workout or run, treat yourself to a steam or sauna, a favorite video, a healthy fruit snack, or even a nap. You doubly reward yourself through the positive act of choosing wisely and well.
• Be true to yourself and realistic in choosing the exercise aspect of your weight-loss program; leading exercise researcher Dr. Panteleimon Ekkekakis of Iowa State University notes, "It is important that people stick to the intensity that feels comfortable rather than trying to match cultural expectations of what exercise should look like or feel like to be effective."

Your weight loss project doesn't have to entail pain, sacrifice, and suffering. The more valuable elements of willingness, commitment, and persistence coupled with balance, realism, and yes, excitement, will give you the impetus to reach your goal!