“I am so out of shape- I’ll never look like I used to”, “Uggh- I am really fat. It’s going to take me forever to lose this weight”, ‘Who would ever want this old worn out body”?
Do any of these statements sound familiar? Have you ever had this self talk? I have heard remarks such as these quite frequently over the years. Unfortunately, these types of thoughts and self talk will negatively influence your actions as well.
A great deal of emphasis is given on the physical aspect of getting in shape- but what about the mental side of it? If you have mental blocks, limitations, etc. then it doesn’t matter if you have the best workout in the world. Thinking is a very powerful form of energy. Thought waves are cosmic waves that penetrate all time and space.
I listen to a variety of speakers and one of them includes Bob Proctor. After listening to one of his talks on the power of thought- I had this idea to apply it towards fitness.
Here is some fascinating information about thoughts that I noted from Bob Proctor:
Power of Thought
- Everything that has come into our life we have attracted
- Thinking is the most powerful force in the Universe
- Your mind is an electronic switching station
- What you repeatedly think becomes fixed in your sub-conscious mind
- Our thoughts travel at a rate of 186 thousand miles per second.
- Our thoughts travel 930 thousand times faster than the sound of our voice.
- It is a proven fact scientifically that the mind is a battery force-the greatest of any known element.
Here are 5 components of thought that can drive your behavior in a positive direction.
Visualization
On the surface this seems like a no brainer. Visualize what you want and it will happen. It’s not always this easy. Visualization involves being able to use as many of your senses as you can to think about where you want to be fitness wise. Let’s say you want to lose 35 lbs- your visualization could include seeing yourself in a specific gym at your ideal weight. You see every detail including your six pack- and you can see the perspiration that is beading on your forehead. You smell the sweat at the gym and you taste the water that you are drinking after your hard core workout. You visualize yourself grabbing the weights and lifting like a rock star. Your sub-conscious mind doesn’t know the difference between what is real and what isn’t. (Hence the reason scary movies can freak us out so bad). When you place this visual in your head often enough, your subconscious mind will start taking the lead to make it happen.
Your Life Reflects Your Thoughts
Where you are now is a result of every action you’ve taken in your life which is influenced directly by your thoughts. The sooner you take accountability for your own actions and how they’ve affected your life the better. It’s not the winds fault that you didn’t go for your run, it’s not your nagging significant others’ fault that you didn’t make it to the gym, and it’s not your work’s fault that you sit home on your butt all weekend.
“Mind is the master power that molds and makes and man is mind and evermore he takes the tool of thought and shaping what he wills, bring forward a thousand joys or a thousand ills. We think in secret and it comes to pass our environment is but our looking glass”~ quoted by Bob Proctor
Goals
Could you imagine going on a road trip across the U.S. without a map and a destination? The same goes for trying to reach a goal. To make achieving a goal easier, you must write it down and it must be specific. One way that is fairly common knowledge is the SMART acronym. Simple, measurable, achievable, realistic and time bound.
Here is an example: I will lose 30 lbs by December 31 by going to the I am FIT gym 4 times a week and doing 30 minutes of cardio and 30 minutes of lifting.
Your goal doesn’t need to be perfect- just make sure it has these components. I know for me by having goals it is motivating and keeps my thoughts positive. When doubting Thomas creeps in, all I have to do is think of my goal and I’m back on track.
Dream BIG
This sounds cliche doesn’t it? However, dreaming is very important to your overall thought process and the actions you take. It’s different from visualization because dreaming is not about one thing. With dreaming, you let your mind wander and think of the best possibilities and what will make you the happiest.
Try this activity though to see how easy it is for you to dream big. Take a piece of paper and write down everything you would do in the next week if you had a million dollars. Just let your mind go! Okay, now be honest. Was this difficult to do? Did you stop yourself when you thought of taking a vacation to Spain or driving a new Corvette? Now on a fitness note, perhaps you could dream about all the places you are going to go backpacking once you reach certain mileage and elevation milestones. Did someone say Appalachian Trail?
Subconscious Mind
The subconscious mind is where all of your beliefs are held. Think of it like you would a recording device. Except it has recorded everything since the day you were born. Positive, negative, it’s all there. If you grew up in a home where you were constantly criticized and put down then this could lead to thoughts of self-doubt and feelings of unworthiness. In this instance, your life of being out of shape has reflected your thoughts of you thinking that you are not good enough.
By writing and saying positive affirmations, you can combat the thoughts that keep you from getting fit. Refuse to accept your self talk that you can never lose weight or get to 10 push ups. You CAN start working out at any age and get in the best shape of your life. For proof of this, check out my article on Ernestine Shepherd.
Summary
What you think ultimately produces the results in your life. Visualization, taking accountability, writing your goals down, dreaming big and using positive affirmations are all thought components that if used correctly can take you to an entirely new level of fitness and experiences.
It is how you think that will dictate what your body is going to do. We know our actions produce our results. If we want to change our results we must change our actions. To change our actions, we must change our thoughts. Being fit goes way beyond just having a nice body- it affords you a lifestyle of freedom, adventure, and happiness.
Now- it’s your turn! I would love to hear your thoughts about… thoughts! Please leave your comments below.
Have an amazing day!
Wildecoll
This is the best I’ve come across of all I’ve been reading today and it’s just for the reason that it is embedded in the pool of knowledge. It’s really true that what we think determines the results that comes to us in life and this related to fitness is very good, this is one thing most people still find hard to understand, what you say about yourself is what your limit will be based on and it is what your mind will be set for, so it’s good to encourage and believe in yourself that you can slim down, you can grow that muscle, your can lose that weight or whatever you with to do. Thank you.
admin
Thanks for taking the time to comment twice and I appreciate your positive feedback! I hope this article is inspiring for others that have been trying to get fit. One must be in the correct mental state, otherwise, it doesn’t matter how great or easy the workout is. Have an awesome day!
Ian
Honestly, I used to be in a bad place with my mind. I would always consider the negative or think bad things. Once I finally got out of this routine I had set myself in I had realized that the power of thought and the mind was incredible. I was able to get things done and to persuade myself to do things without thinking about it. I get a good feeling while reading this article because it strikes a chord with me. Well-put and organized.
admin
Thanks Ian- I appreciate your honesty. I used to be like this as well. It does take a lot of work to keep thoughts positive, and non judgemental, etc.
manuel
It is pretty amazing what we can do with our mind and everything you have said here is absolutely true. It is actually possible to think yourself to fitness. With the right thoughts, we would begin to find out that our surroundings would be gradually influenced in a positive way providing us with what we need to achieve our goals to become fit. But an important thing to note is that we have to take action. Our thoughts can only take us so far. We would need to take action so we can rip the full benefits of thinking and getting fit.
admin
Great point about taking action that I may not emphasized enough. When people do not take accountability for their own actions or thoughts, it makes changing behavior very difficult.
Rob S.
The power of thought is amazing! I have thought about losing weight by using my subconscious mind.
I always try and visualize things since I’ve changed my attitude.
Thinking positive and having goals set where I can imagine them coming true really works.
It all reverts back to “The Secret” where you visualize and feel it and it will happen.
I do believe you can lose weight and get fit by visualization.
Thoughts and the subconscious mind become reality.
How often daily do you practice this?
admin
I truly believe you can lose weight by visualization as well. You see yourself as a fit person – and then your actions will follow. I write in a journal and visualize at least 3 x’s a day.
Paul
Hi Misty,
Thanks for the Great inspiring article! This has to be motivating, not only for me but also for many others.
Wow! Bob Proctor is one of my favorite speakers. I watch his videos on YouTube and to be honest learned a lot of valuable information. Recently I started working on Law of Attraction.
As Denis Waitley quoted… When you visualize, then you materialize. Indeed, Visualization is very important and I am seeing some great results doing it.
We need to watch our thoughts and what we are thinking because it shapes our world. Trust me, when I started watching my thoughts a lot of them are negative only and I am working on it.
Currently I am reading a book called “Biology Of Belief” by Bruce Lipton in that he talks about the importance of our beliefs, thoughts and subconscious mind. So your article means a lot to me and I can relate a lot of things you shared.
I got great insights from your great article and you have given a lot of value here.
admin
Oh my word- I love Bruce Lipton! I’ve been wanting to read this book as well- so thanks for your inspiration. Glad to hear that you like Bob Proctor as well. I was a Corporate trainer before being in the Outdoor Industry – and I think he’s one of the best speakers I’ve ever seen.
St Paul Severe
That’s great and I totally agree with you he is one of the best!
Wildecoll
The true fact about Thinking is that is determines what response life gives to us in different situations, If you’re a person that’s always thinking In the negative direction, life is going to give to you negative impacts, same applies to positivity. Thanks for Sharing the 5 components of thought, they are really essential and useful. I’ll share this article to some other platforms.
admin
Thanks so much for your feedback- sounds like you know exactly what I’m talking about! Thanks for sharing this post.