TRANSFORM YOUR
BODY BY BELIEVING IN YOU!
“Hold a picture of yourself
long and steadily enough in your mind's eye, and you will be drawn toward it.” ~ Napoleon Hill
Body
transformation is an attainable goal for anyone who has the desire and
determination to improve their quality of life. Making the commitment to
transform your physique can seem overwhelming for many people, they often think
about what it takes to get in shape and feel it’s just too much for them to
comprehend; resulting in giving up before they even get started.
You may be one of them, confused with the plethora of information available online in addition to all of the advice given by novice fitness friends trying to help you, which are ultimately just confusing you even more. You can have a slim physique regardless of age, gender or size. If you're tired of being overweight and tired all the time then now is the time to take your health, fitness level and happiness into your own hands.
It all begins with an inner desire for change. The first step to begin your weight loss journey is to dig deep down in your soul and answer the question "Why?" Why do you want to lose weight and get in shape? Do you want to lose weight for “you” or is someone close to you pushing you to lose a few pounds? If you're trying to lose weight because someone is pressuring you to, it will be next to impossible for you to achieve long lasting weight loss success. You may lose weight in the beginning, but you will most likely gain it all back plus a few more pounds in the end.
YOU HAVE TO DO
IT FOR YOU!
“Whether you
think you can or can’t, you’re right.”
~Henry Ford
Below are 10 tips to assist you
in starting off on the right foot as you befin your body transformation journey
to achieve fitness success.
#1.
BELIEVE IN YOU!
The first step to successful weight loss is to truly believe that you deserve to have a healthy strong body. You must acknowledge this and realize that you are perfection. You have to believe in you to attain your goals, doing so you will literally be able to lose weight with less effort. Believe that you are praiseworthy of achieving greatness.
#2.
SET ATTAINABLE SHORT-TERM GOALS
You
need to set goals that reflect your own personal desires ~ not your
parent's, spouse or friends. You need to discover your own truth and beauty
that you were born with.
Set short-term goals that you know you can achieve. Write down how you will accomplish your goals each day. If it’s to exercise for 20 minutes a day then write down exactly when and where you will exercise. Then follow through!
When
you keep your promises to yourself it will empower you to create even bigger
goals and dreams. Be true to you! Honor all that you are by keeping
your word throughout the day. Once you reach your goals, celebrate by doing
something that you love that doesn’t have to do with food. Then create
new short-term goals to achieve or the following week.
#3.
CHANGE COMES FROM WITHIN
Change comes
from within. By having loving thoughts of yourself, rather than
negative self-talk you will begin to reclaim your power, and you will find your
inner-strength to have the willpower to create the body of your dreams.
We all have our ups and downs, I do too. When I'm really fatigued I can easily fall into a self pity party mentality and can mindlessly let my "eating clean" guard down. It's not a fun road to be on that's for sure. When I fall off the clean eating wagon I don’t beat myself up; I realize it, then regroup my emotions, and get right back on track immediately to enable me to accomplish my fitness goals and dreams.
If you eat too much in one meal, don’t throw your day away and all the hard work you’ve accomplished and binge the rest of the day. Look at it as just a slip up for that one meal. Then eat smaller meals the rest of the day.
#4.
EMOTIONAL CHECK LIST
Emotions
are very powerful in many ways. You can either make or break your fitness
diet plan with just your emotions and attitude alone. It's important not
to brush your feelings under the rug, make peace with your negative emotions, then let them go.
If you
have jealousy, resentment, anger, fear or frustrations towards
yourself or anyone else, these emotions will block your
energy fields which will make you feel tired, stressed and
depressed. Let those feelings go! Having negative feelings
only harms you, not the person you are mad at.
Instead
of having yucky feelings all the time for something that happened in the past,
see those whom you perceived to have hurt you in one way or another as a
gift in your life to teach you what you don't want.
See the
good in them, then forgive & forget. Choose to allow the
memories that upset you to subside. As you practice this daily
you will find that your spirit will be lifted, you'll have tons more energy and
you will be friendlier to those you come in contact with.
Your
energies will shift from a low, negative frequency to a high, vibrant full
of life frequency, which creates feelings of love, joy, gratitude and
empowerment.
YOU
need to consciously choose to be happy and to have thoughts of creation and gratitude
for your life and body as it is now. By being thankful and positive
about yourself you will have a firm foundation to reach your weight loss and
fitness goals. It
truly all begins from within.
#5.
READ WEIGHT LOSS SUCCESS STORIES
I have
a dear friend who recently contacted me explaining that she and her sweet
husband took my LivFit Lifestyle to heart and decided to be more positive,
eat healthier foods and to exercise daily. They improved their
lives in remarkable ways. Their decision to lose weight together and eat
healthy foods has improved their health and personal happiness immensely.
Here is what she had to say...
Read
transformation success stories often. Bodybuilding.com has hundred of
success stories to choose from. They will inspire you and give you added
strength to accomplish your goals.
It's
an awesome feeling to set fitness and weight loss goals and then achieve
them. Always remember it's not about the destination but the journey and the beautiful life lessons
learned along the way. It's truly the most amazing gift that only you can
give yourself.
#6.
BEGIN WITH BABY STEPS
If losing weight seems too overwhelming then begin with baby steps. You don't have to start off running, just take one step at a time. Start with your food choices and practicing portion control. Eat frequently, aim for 5 to 6 small meals a day consisting of a lean protein, complex carb and a fibrous eggie or salad. Eat every 3 to 4 hours to jump-start and keep your metabolism burning optimally.
A portion size for protein & complex carbs (not simple carbs) is about the size of the palm of your hand. Try to have lean protein such as whey protein powder & bars, chicken breast, turkey breast, tuna (packaged in water), fish, lean red meats or egg (whites) with each meal. And eat oatmeal, yams, brown rice and fibrous vegetables or your complex carbs. Always drink water throughout the day to keep your metabolism burning and to cleanse the body.
Stay away from sugars, sodium and processed foods, they're toxzic to your body. Read the labels! Many foods have hidden sugars and sodium; always, always make it a habit to read nutritional labels. By eliminating these foods alone you'll lose weight quickly, even without exercise.
Be more active and try to move more. You don't have to
do cardio and lift weights right off the bat, you can move more in
your everyday life. Park farther away from your destination and take the
stairs when you can. Moving more will increase your metabolism and you'll
feel better too.
#7. BEGIN TODAY & TAKE FOCUSED ACTION!
Begin today to believe in you! Believe that you are worthy to
attain your goals. Believe that you can do it! Then set 3 small
short-term goals each week, make a game plan and then follow
through.
If you fall off the "healthy eating" wagon, that's okay, just brush yourself off and reassure yourself that you ate poorly for just ONE meal! Don't give up, just regroup and move forward keeping your mind laser focused on your goals. Before you know it you will be much closer to reaching your weight loss & fitness goals, then at last you will be victorious!
If you fall off the "healthy eating" wagon, that's okay, just brush yourself off and reassure yourself that you ate poorly for just ONE meal! Don't give up, just regroup and move forward keeping your mind laser focused on your goals. Before you know it you will be much closer to reaching your weight loss & fitness goals, then at last you will be victorious!
#8.
LOG YOUR WAY TO SUCCESS
Keeping a fitness log of your success is highly motivating. Keeping a special fitness journal is a fantastic tool to aid you in reaching your goals. Keep a log of your workout routines and meals daily.
You wouldn't try to drive to California from New York without a map, setting and planning your fitness goals is a road map to achieving great success. When logging your meals write down your emotions you felt that day. Pay attention to when you have cravings; was it when you were stressed or tired? Keeping track of your emotions will help you pinpoint what triggers cravings and knowing is half the battle. When you know what causes you to want to overeat you can create a solution to resolve the emotional issue before it happens again.
Also write positive affirmations about how amazing you are at the top of each page. Writing positive affirmations will shift your subconscious mind to believing that what you write is real now, it will literally shift your way of thinking to do what is needed to accomplish that which you see and believe to be true. You'll soon find that you'll begin to crave healthier foods rather than junk food.
Your body is very smart and gives you exactly what you think and feel about most. So have positive loving feelings to create the life of your dreams.
#9. VISUALIZE YOUR DREAM BODY DAILY
Post photos of your "thin" self or someone that inspires you, post photos of exactly how you want to look after you reach your fitness goals. See yourself as though you have already achieved your goals, use all 5 senses, see, feel, touch, hear & even taste how awesome you will feel when you are in the best shape of your life.
Visualize is a powerful tool to reprogram your subconscious mind into bringing to fruition that which your heart desires. Each day take a few minute to visualize. Look at the photos everyday and visualize it as though the physique is yours now.
Take progress photos of yourself each week and post them in your workout log so that you can see your progress along the way. Photos speak much louder than words.
I took the photos above yesterday, it's highly rewarding to see the results of my hard work and dedication to living my LivFit Lifestyle. We see ourselves differently in photos than we do when we look in the mirror. By keeping a log of your progress photos it will help immensely to keep you on track with your fitness goals.
#10. BELIEVE IN SUCCESS!
Believe in success! YOU can achieve your goals no matter how big or small by taking one step at a time. Do not overwhelm yourself with lofty goals that seem truly achievable before you even get started, by doing so you will only set yourself up for failure. Set short term goals that you know you can keep and achieve. Then set a game plan to achieve your long term goals and then follow through daily!
Logging your way to success is a sure fire way to accomplish your goals, and it is an excellent way to keep a history of what did and did not work for you. After a few months of keeping a log you will soon find that living a fit lifestyle will becomes easier and easier... it will indeed be a way of life!
Embrace your beautiful fitness journey each step of the way, and remember, you can do it!!!
Carol Whitaker
Lifestyle Fitness Coach & Consultant
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