eating the "right" foods and staying physically fit. Now, it's commonly acknowledged that taking care of yourself really involves attention to all four levels of who you are: your body, mind, emotions and your spirit.
I'd like you to picture the average person who goes about losing weight. Let's call him Harry. Harry might plan to eat a certain number of calories per day, to stick to certain "thin" foods, to drink a lot of water, and to exercise consistently and aerobically. Notice something??? Harry has included only physical strategies in moving towards his goal of a thinner, healthier, more attrative body.
Unless he applies mental, emotional or spiritual strategies towards his goal, he most likely will not keep the weight off. If the old mental, emotional and spiritual habits which contributed to Harry's weight problem don't shift, the physical weight loss he might experience will only be temporary. He will eventually recreate his old physical condition.
One example of mental strategies Harry might employ include:
Visualizing and experiencing how good he will feel in his new thinner body... in a sense creating an inner 'advertisement' to himself to sell himself healthy behaviours, picturing himself as vibrant, energetic, attractive and feeling great.
Another mental strategy might be to post a picture of a fit and healthy man on his refrigerator. Every time he reaches for something to eat, he could look at the picture to reinforce to himself the reward and pleasure he'll feel if he chooses healthy food.
This is a bit of a 'positive advertisement' to himself to motivate him to move in the right direction and making better choices with his diet.
Alternatively, he could exaggerate in his mind all the pain he would feel if he does reach for that next piece of chocolate cake. This would have an effect like an advertisement which warns you to motivate you into taking action. By exaggerating the possible negative consequences of his action, imagining himself even more overweight than he is now and how miserable he’d feel, he could deter himself from piling in the calories!
On the emotional level, the trickiest level for many of us, Harry might make a list of self-nurturing things he could do for himself when the urge to eat hits him. For instance, a warm bath with candlelight and music (instead of midnight munchies), a stroll in the woods, a phone call to a supportive buddy, or a weekly meeting with a support group with a common goal.
On the spiritual level, Harry might read some inspirational material before going to bed and upon waking. He might meditate or listen to uplifting music, perhaps attend an inspirational gathering on a regular basis.
If you want to support yourself in the fullest way possible towards greater health or any other major life goal, I encourage you to plan strategies to address all four levels of your being: physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
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