Get Your Brain in the Game!

Hey there!  How are you doing?  I hope all is going well and that you’ve made some strong progress toward achieving your goals this week.  I want to chat with you about something that is really weighing on my heart today.  I’ve had several conversations with folks this week about this very thing.  To me, this is the number one item that will enable your success or stop you in your tracks.

Want to know what it is?  It’s your mind!  Let’s talk about it, ok?

I spoke to a camper 2 days ago and she was struggling.  I could hear the panic, the frustration and defeat in her voice.  I could feel the tears.  I could FEEL the quitting.  Have you been there?  I know I have.  I know the way I felt the day I forced myself to get on the scale and take ownership of exactly what my weight really was – and when I saw that number, I hit my knees and cried and cried.  In a way, once you reach that point you seem to either be trapped for life, or you commit so hard to change that there’s no way you’re not going to get it done.  I committed HARD to change.

That doesn’t mean that it was a breeze, right?  That doesn’t mean there weren’t (still am not at my ultimate goal, so still ARE) speed bumps.  What it means is that your focus is so singular, that you find a way to knock those barriers to your success down.  You find a way to shrug it off and keep going.  Chinese proverb says “Fall down seven times, get up eight.”  It means that you change in your head.

What do you do when that voice gets going?  That defeatist voice that robs you of your  success.  I would suggest to you to separate yourself from those words.  Stop as soon as you hear them, take a breath, center yourself, stand up taller, tuck your abs in, chin up, proud chest and breathe for a moment.  Stand there and observe the words in your head and then, here’s the thing, then, I want you to visually wrap all of those words up.  You know how they string themselves together.  Wrap them all up and put them into a crystal ball.  See them swirling around inside that ball.  I want you to then set that ball down on the side of the path in your mind and step away from them.  Turn your back on them.

Take the time to do this.

Then I want you, with your back turned to that crystal ball filled with the words of the past, to step forward into your future.  The future you envision for yourself.  If you haven’t envisioned it yet, do so now.

Take a moment to close your eyes.  I hope you’re sitting in a chair and not driving!  Close your eyes and take a deep breath.  Let it out fully.  See yourself working out every morning vigorously.  Now picture yourself eating a nutrient dense diet of small well composed meals every 2 ½ to 3 hours.  You have your cooler of food with you everywhere you go so you’re never without great food and eating clean and often is just the way you roll.  You do lots of active things too.  You bike, swim, jog, play tennis, ski, hike, kayak – whatever it is that interests you – but you’re just an active body ready to go play at any moment.

Your face is clear, your eyes are bright, you stand up tall, centered on your feet, strong core and you just smile from within.  You’re settled, at peace.  It really takes a lot to rattle you or upset you.

Your clothes fit comfortably and you like the way you look in them.  You like getting dressed.  You are comfortable in your own skin.  You are capable.  Able-bodied.  Ready to go.

You are not obsessed with the number on the scale.  You are committed to living a healthy, fit lifestyle and you care for your body well and know that how your clothes fit is a much better gauge of your health.

You ARE a body in motion.

Ok, now open your eyes.  How do you feel?  Are you smiling?  Do you feel light?

My request to you is this; for the next seven days make time to visualize your new self several times a day.  Visualize what your life looks like when you are taking care of your body properly.  Visualize what you do on a daily basis.  Imagine how you feel, how you look, how you react in to things in the moments of your days, how you sleep, what kinds of activities you participate in.  Imagine your success.

When you do this several times a day, that mental image draws you to it.  It makes it really easy to make powerful choices in the little moments of your days.  Most folks do great 23 3/4 hours a day.  You add up those little things that happen in 5 minutes or 10 minutes where you step off the path of success and it sets off that defeatist voice that totally crushes your efforts the other 98 percent of your day.

Steel your mind against it.  Steel it with the strength, power and the allure of the life you will be living when you are well cared for, fit and healthy.

You can do this.  I know you can!  You are so much stronger than you give yourself credit for being.  Start facing those little moments head on, centered and armed with a strong mind and success will be right in your line of fire and you’ll be firmly on target.

I’m so excited for you!  I life lived fit and healthy is a life more fully lived.  Let’s live it up!

Hugs and Hooahs!

Melly Mel