Just as diets work against you when trying to lose weight, your mind can work against your ultimate body transformation. But the good news is that you can re-train your brain and make your mind work for you! In the process, you’ll find that you can supercharge your motivation, overcome your addiction to sugar, embrace exercise, and take control of your eating habits.
Here, then, is the #1 secret for transforming your body and losing weight… for good:
Let’s Go to a Movie! (Better Yet, Star in One!)
The trick to sustainable body transformation isn’t the latest diet fad or trendy exercise device; the trick is to use your mind so you can see yourself as you want to be. And the best and easiest way to do that is with this technique:
Picture yourself on-screen in an IMAX movie theatre. The screen is huge, the colors are vivid, the sounds are rich in Dolby® Digital Surround Sound, and you can feel the energy wrapping around you! But you’re not just watching this from a seat in the middle of the theatre; you are in control. Whenever you want to INCREASE the intensity of an image or scene, bring the image closer, make it BIG or wide, turn up the color intensity, and crank up the volume of the soundtrack. Imagine the image being directly in front of you and within easy reach.
To DECREASE the intensity of your imagination, do the opposite: Push the image to the side and farther away; make it distant and small and out of reach. Imagine it in dull colors or black and white. Turn down the volume or mute it altogether.
Remember, you are the one on-screen. Did you picture yourself in the first scenario as you want to be – with your body transformation complete – on that screen so large and touchable, its images vivid and the sound clear and loud? And did you do the opposite in the second scenario? Did you picture yourself as you currently are, but make the image dark and small and hard to see? If so, you’ve taken the first step to using mind tricks to achieve a healthy and sustainable weight!
Playing the Movie to Reduce Stress
Stress is a major factor in our lives. Dealt with in a healthy way, its effects can be minimized. But if we let stress cloud our thinking and amplify negative thoughts, it can impact our lives in ways that can ruin our health, our careers, and even our relationships.
Most people think stress is generated by external forces. The truth is, however, that stress is generated from within, by how we think about something and interpret its possible impact. Focus on what you want – like you did on that big movie screen – and you will feel more calm and secure and resourceful. You will feel more in control and capable of handling the stress because you know you can! But if you focus on what frightens or upsets or angers you, the opposite is true; you will feel frustrated, fearful, and overwhelmed. You will shut down. You will cope with the situation – with the stress – poorly, and more stress will result.
Using Anxiety as a Trigger
Remember this:
Anxiety is your body’s natural warning system that reminds you to re-direct your attention onto what you desire, as opposed to what you are fearful of.
While it’s important to deal with the circumstances causing you to feel stressed, it’s more important to understand that it’s your interpretations of those situations (and not the situations themselves) that are actually causing the stress. Therefore, when you feel anxiety, use that as a reminder to trigger your healthier response. Fire up that movie screen again and see yourself on the other side of the stressful situation. You’ve emerged stronger and more confident and ready to take on the great things that are happening in your life. If negative self-talk and anxiety flare up again, push them away. Make that imagery small and dark.
Intensify the positive imagery and emotions. Decrease the intensity of your negative feelings and inclination to behave or respond in a negative, self-defeating way. You can do it! You can control your mind to keep your mind from controlling you!
The Bottom Line
Body transformation is possible if you re-train your brain and put your mind to work for you. As I’ve said before, if you can conceive it, you can achieve it! I’ve taught these techniques for many years, and have some resources available to help you achieve your body transformation goals. You can learn more from my Healthy Transformations blog here. My e-book, Losing Weight Without Losing Your Mind explores mind tricks, too; and I cover these techniques step-by-step in my audio book, The Power of Optimism: Mental Strategies for Silencing Your Inner Critic. Finally, for even more information on how you can lose weight, click here or contact me at 317.579.7500.
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Tim Shurr, MA, is President of Shurr! Success, Inc., a personal and professional development company based in Indianapolis, and Director of Indy Hypnosis Center. He is an award-winning speaker, business strategist, TV personality, and an internationally known expert in Peak Performance. For more tips, visit www.OvercomeSelfSabotageNow.com or www.indyhypnosis.com/blog.