Start with Your Mind

One of the hardest things to conquer when we want to improve ourselves physically is knowing where to start. We know we probably need to exercise, we know we need to eat right. Some of us may consider a regimen of supplementation. Checking with your Doctor is a really good idea. We haven't even scratched the surface here, what do I do first?

Our marketing and advertising industries have done their jobs. Everywhere you turn these days, somebody has something to sell you that will make you thinner, stronger, younger, sexier. It isn't hard to suffer information overload.

Too often we focus on the cosmetic or symptomatic aspects of our beings. I want to look sexier, I want to feel better. Accordingly, we take a symptomatic approach. We put on a band-aid instead of keeping our fingers out of the lawnmower. We buy a new outfit or do crunches until we get sore. We may drink some coffee or take the latest gee whiz pill or potion for energy. We look to the effect, not the cause.

Why do we feel like we need to dress up to be sexy or reduce our waist? Why are we feeling sluggish. Chances are we don't feel substandard because our wardrobe is lacking or a lack of stimulants. Most of the time the way we take care of ourselves is the direct cause. Underlying our physical actions is the mysterious world of the mind. Modern Scientists say that we only use ten percent of our brains. My hypothesis is that we only understand ten percent of the workings of the mind.

Read through the Physician's Desk Reference sometime and make a mental note of how many times you read the phrase "through an unknown action" . Man is in the infancy of his knowledge of the true inner workings of the mind and body.

There are many trendy new ways that people try to enhance their performance. We hire "coaches" take classes and try every new thing to come down the pike. In the early part of the last century, Napolean Hill formulated the classic method for goal attainment. His method was published in "Think and Grow Rich" and was geared toward eearning money. The formula works for whatever it is you want to attain. What is old is new again.

The core of Dr. Hills road to success is to train the subconcious mind to work towards the object of your desire. This is done by writing a goal statement and reciting it at least twice daily. This regimen is based on the fact that faith can only be induced through repitition. Many modern methods of achievement center on this practice.

In the Area of fitness, Tom Venuto's "Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle" e-book tells the reader to use this method to set a goal and work towards it. Tom cites a statistic from motivational

speaker and trainer Zig Ziglar. Zig maintains that only 5% of people ever bother to write down their goals. According to Mr. Ziglar, that is why 95% of the population never achieve their goals. If you can't be bothered to write it down, you can't be bothered to do it.

When you write your goal on paper, you have just turned an ephemeral impulse of thought into a physical entity. The paper is real and everybody who looks at it can see the marks you put on it. Everybody who can read will understand what you wrote. Your thought just became real, this is power.

Speaking of power, make your goal specific and ambitious. Small plans have no power to stir the heats of men, or words to that effect said Daniel Webster. State exactly what you want. It won't do to write "I want big arms" or "I want my butt to be smaller' . Instead write "I now have eighteen inch arms" or " I look so good in my new size eight!" . Be Specific. Write out what intend to do in order to achieve your goal. Write out other benefits this will give you. Set a concrete date for the achievement of your goal. Use the present tense and be bold. Doing these things will infuse your concrete goal with more power.

Now that your goal is a real thing, repitition will induce faith and set the mysterious inner workings of your subconcious mind into motion. Read your goal aloud every morning when you wake up and every night before you turn in. These are the times when the subconcious mind is most agreeable to influence. Sound like a load of crap? Well, I don't blame you. Please prove it by writing down your fitness goal as outlined above, and reciting it with feeling for a full ninety days morning and night. It won't take long to do your daily affirmations. It won't cost anything. What have you got to lose?

This formula has stood the test of time because it works. In four months I have taken my blood pressure from hypertension to perfect, achieved a resting heartrate of under 60 bpm, and controlled my diabetes well enough that I no longer need reading glasses. People who know me will only notice and talk about the six inches i have lost off of my waist.

Everything physical to accomplish these results has been done under the control of a mind directed by this rediculously simple formula. Try it. You have nothing to lose and untold riches to gain. I have given you the "cliff note" version. If you need further clarification, check out the books. Tom Venuto's is more modern and you can download it without leaving your chair. Thank you for reading, now start writing!