Get In Shape By Overcoming Stress
Attention: We remember 2% of what we hear, 25% of what we see and 100% of what we are trained to do. Be sure to download your execution plans and follow along with us as we review todays model. Download Now >>
Most of us have a basic understanding of what to do to get in shape and lose weight. We know we should eat right and workout, however, even if you do lose weight, 80% of people will gain it all back.
Why put yourself through the challenge depriving yourself of the foods you enjoy, going hungry, and wasting your money by joining a gym if
The diet and fitness industry usually focuses on 3 major areas
1) Diet
2) Nutrition
3) Exercise
The missing factor that the
We are a cocktail of different brain chemicals and when these chemicals are out of sync, it causes us to behave irrationally and make lifestyle choices that we wouldn’t normally make. What we consider to be the normal stresses of life is really not normal at all but rather a warning sign from the body that something may not right.
Before we address the underlying health issues that cause you to be overstressed, I’d like to look at what stress is and its impact on us. Stress can be defined as the degree to which you feel overwhelmed or unable to cope as a result of pressures that are unmanageable. Stress and anxiety influence our metabolism because people do not effectively control their thoughts and instead let anxiety take control. We are all going to experience certain types of stress in our lives, however, our bodies may be warning us that something is not right. An article from CBS News entitled “The Biggest Cause Of Stress For Americans Today” states that money issues are the #1 cause of stress. (See article: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-biggest-cause-of-stress-in-america-today/. Even though we will experience triggers at times, by being healthy, we will be able to better cope with these conditions. Stress turns on the same signal in the brain that tells us when we are hungry. It increases our addiction to junk food, and causes us to overeat even when we are not hungry. With these underlying health issues, you cannot properly regulate your emotions which causes you to become addicted to unhealthy food to regulate your emotions.
Stress triggers the body to produce a hormone called “Cortisol” which many scientists call the death hormone because it is linked to so many life-threatening illnesses which we see in the form of belly fat. This type of fat can be very dangerous because it surrounds so many of our vital organs.
Dr. Joe Dispenzia says that we have 50,000-60,000 thoughts per day, and 90% of those are the same negative thoughts that we’ve had from the day before. However, once you take control of what you are thinking about, studies show that it results in a drop in cortisol thus lowering your belly fat without dieting or exercising.
There is a practice called mindfulness, which has been used in cultures throughout the world for thousands of years, and only in recent years has science been able to understand the true benefits of mindfulness. People become stressed by spending their day thinking about the past or worrying about the future. Mindfulness mediation is about being in the moment. For a long time, I dismissed meditation because I did not understand it or the benefits it holds. I always heard it in connection with ancient religious practice or some new age guru discussions, however, this is not the type of meditation we are talking about here. It has been found to benefit your physiological health, reduce stress, improve your mood, and set you up for emotional equilibrium rather than reactivity. It has also been linked with boosting your IQ and who doesn’t want to be smarter! Some of the world’s most successful people mediate such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lady Gaga, Oprah Winfrey,
The practice of mindfulness is in focusing your attention on one thing such as the air flowing in and out of your nose. Once you notice your mind starting to wander, bring your attention back to breathing which will work to lower your stress hormones.
It also takes practice to shift from thinking negatively to thinking positively. Our minds are very powerful and learning how to “put the brakes on” when you find yourself using negative rhetoric will help you be more successful.
This is why mindfulness is so important. It is a tool to train your mind on how to think. Once you eliminate negative beliefs, you can begin to think positively and change your life for the better.
So how can you replace a negative perspective with a positive one? People say they want to change their life, however, they slip into their old habits because they are familiar ones. At first, all change is uncomfortable. You will want to conscientiously think about the changes you want to make so you keep moving forward. If you don’t keep it in the front of your mind, you will go back to familiar routines. Most habits take 30 consecutive days to change. People believe they are not in control of their emotions. however, thought alone can change the way you feel whether real or imagined.
When you want to build a new life, creating a vision in your mind of your future is a powerful way to set you on the right path. Creating a Vision Board helps you to picture it and make it a reality. Fill it with photos, words, and phrases of what it will be like. People wait for their life to change for them to feel happy and successful. Find ways to be happy NOW and don’t wait until you have everything you want. Enjoy your life and what you focus on will grow. You will find yourself being grateful for even the simplest things and build on a strong, positive foundation.
Because our modern-day life is filled with so many distractions it is best to start off with a guided mediation instead of trying to do it on your own. The internet offers so many options. For example, you can search on Youtube for The 6 Phase Mindvalleys mediation to help you get started, and as your brain improves you can practice mindfulness on your own. Start with only 5 or 10 minutes each day and you will be surprised at what a difference it can make for you. Even if you do lose focus when meditating, perhaps you are thinking about the bills, health challenges, or family issues, try to bring your mind back to your breathing. You are worth the time and energy and the quality of your life will change. The more you do it, as with anything, the better you get at it. It will help you increase your attention span as well.
Dr. Jordan Peterson, in his book the “12 Rules For Life”, explains why we fail, If you struggle to reach any goal in your life, it’s because at one point in your life you learned to fail. How did it feel, what did you do to pick yourself up and continue to move forward? Some people are better at this than others but it is an important lesson to learn. Seeing failure as an opportunity to learn something instead of an ending, is a valuable perspective for us to have.
When you experience success, the brain produces a chemical called “Serotonin” which is also called the happiness hormone. The more you succeed, the more Serotonin the body produces, however, one success does not always mean you will remain successful. When you fail, pick yourself up, keep moving, and making momentum.
When a person fails, they fall back to recuperate, if you will. If you stay in the state of mind of “failure” for too long, then it can become a habit leading to more stress. You are not producing a high level of serotonin and it can generate more negative outcomes and become a spiral of sorts. Over time, when you are living in this kind of vacuum, it can lead to illness, lack of confidence, and a shorter life.
So the practice of mindfulness is a great tool to utilize and help you have a happy and successful life because once you are better able to deal with stress you will not feel the need to eat junk food as you do now. You are fueling your body and mind with food and thoughts that help you live your best life!
