Health & Fitness: The Psychology Of Diet And Exercise

You want to lose weight, eat better and be a healthier person, yet you cannot seem to find the motivation or time to reach your goals. Every time you start a diet and exercise program, you find yourself right back to your old habits within a couple weeks. When you see thinner, healthier or […]

August 27, 2009; 11:49 AM • by Rebekah Fedrowitz

You want to lose weight, eat better and be a healthier person, yet you cannot seem to find the motivation or time to reach your goals. Every time you start a diet and exercise program, you find yourself right back to your old habits within a couple weeks. When you see thinner, healthier or more toned people, you assume they have “good genes” and you can never be like them.

Sound like you? Whether you are 20-something and 50 pounds overweight or 50-something with new wrinkles and sags, your dilemma may very well be the same…your attitude and mental standpoint.

People go through various stages in their journey to a healthier lifestyle. It starts with the realization that something about your lifestyle needs to change and then moves into contemplating what steps need to be taken to make that change happen. The hardest part comes next; you have to act on those plans, risking that you may fail, that the program may not work and all your efforts were for nothing. Many people take alternate routes here with quick-fix creams and pills, fad diets and sometimes even drastic measures such as surgery. Unfortunately, those detours only last but so long and soon you’re right back on the road you used to be on, only now things seem so much worse.

In order to make lasting changes for life-long health, the first step in any diet and exercise program is mental preparation. Not only do you have to desire to be healthier, you also have to believe you can do it. It goes far beyond your momentary goal of fitting into your skinny jeans, this is a life-long commitment. For many people, they become scared and intimidated by the idea that they have to give up something or that it will be too hard for them to stick with. If the program is really right for you, it will be an adjustment at first, but it will not be hard.

Creating an attitude that breeds success can be more important than the diet and exercise program itself. While that may seem contradictory, it is true because the person with the right attitude is more likely to make generally healthy decisions than the person who has the perfect program but is constantly cheating or making exceptions to the rules because they do not have the right attitude. The right attitude says, “I do not feel deprived because I am feeding my body the ingredients to a lasting, enjoyable future, full of health and wellbeing.” The wrong attitude says, “It is not fair that everyone else can eat this while I am starving so I can be the same size as they are.” Seeing beyond the temporary satisfaction to the ongoing impact on your body changes your motivation and rationale.

Be successful at achieving your goals….change your attitude. The first thing you need to realize is that YOU are in charge of you. Despite everything going on in your life and all the people whose lives are intermingled with yours, you are the only person who can determine your future health and wellbeing. The foods you eat today impact more than just your weight and how your clothes are fitting. By consuming balanced, whole, natural foods, you provide your body with the nutrients, vitamins and minerals that it needs to function at its best. Incorrect diet sometimes does not affect people until many years later when it is too late to correct the diseases and imbalances that are present. When you exercise, you are not only toning areas that may visually need some improvement, you are also ensuring that you can perform day-to-day tasks easily as the years go on.

Once you realize that you have control of you body and your decisions, you then need to believe in yourself. Make sure your goals are realistic and then go for them. No matter what roadblocks come your way, continually trust that you can achieve those goals. All those success stories you read in magazines and hear from your friends can and WILL be you. Ralph Marston said, “Your goals, minus your doubts, equal your reality.” If you do not believe you can accomplish it, then you cannot. It is that simple. Make up your mind and do not let anyone or anything stand in your way.

August 27, 2009 11:49 AM 0