Change Your Mind, Your Body
Will Follow From
eDiets - The online diet, fitness, and healthy living resource
Just the other day, a determined eDieter
concluded her Emotional Support Center (ESC) post with the statement: Dr.
Sklare, I am not giving up on this! In my opinion, this is the battle cry for
success. Refusing to give up is the single-most important weapon you can have
in your arsenal. The most important elements in the formula for success: You
must believe in yourself, and you must refuse to fail!
The problem for most people: Years of
habitual behavior and negative thinking. You must be alert to old patterns and
relentless in your pursuit of healthier living. This, however, doesn’t
happen overnight, and it doesn’t happen without a struggle.
We humans are definitely creatures of
habit. We get so used to thinking and behaving in certain ways that simply the
thought of change is difficult for some to even consider. This habitual
behavior reminds me of "muscle memory."
Muscle memory is a term that I was
introduced to when I was being certified as a tennis pro. If I can be so bold
as to oversimplify: In its most basic form, muscle memory refers to repeating
certain movements long enough for them to become automatic.
This is why there is so much repetition
involved in the physical training of athletes. It takes time and repetition to
create habit. I think the same principle holds true with our thinking. If you
do something or think something for long enough, you have a tendency to repeat
it automatically. This is also called habit formation.
Negative mental conditioning is the enemy
of the moment. One of the problems with habit is that it robs you of choice by
making it difficult for you to see options and alternatives. Part of the
solution lies in being patient, refusing to give up and being mindful of the
choices that you make. Habit is the enemy of change; awareness is the enemy of
habit.
The key to being successful is that you
must believe in yourself, and you must refuse to fail. Keep that thought in
mind, stay focused on the moment and address this one decision at a time.
Whenever the daily struggle of making wise
choices becomes overwhelming, just repeat the closing phrase from the woman I
mentioned earlier: “I am not giving up on this!”
Dr. John Sklare, director of the
eDiets Emotional Support Center, shares his expertise on "emotional eating"
with the eDiets community. Dr. Sklare is also the author of the eDiets Audio
Companion Program -- the powerful and innovative new offline support program
for your online eDiets program. With the current emphasis on Mind/Body medicine
and natural healing, Dr. Sklare stands firmly on the leading edge! |
