So you want to get active and healthy... but you aren’t sure how?
Developing a fit and healthy mind is the key. Would you believe me if I said you can succeed in your health and fitness goals before you even finish this article? Not sure, then read on.
The first step is “Setting an Intention”; which simply means deciding you will achieve something regardless of the obstacles. It means accepting full responsibility for your life and happiness. For a lot of people, taking responsibility is the most difficult step but once you have taken this step the process gets a lot easier. If you believe your life is in someone else’s hands, then you have already lost! The condition of your life is in your hands.
If you are still reading, then perhaps you are serious about getting active and healthy but still face some obstacles. What are those obstacles? Be clear about them. Write them down. Great!
Now at the bottom of the page write these words. I will achieve my goals anyway!
There are no obstacles - only challenges. We all face them every day.
Remember: What you focus on expands. If you focus on obstacles - they will be your downfall.
Here are some other ideas for overcoming obstacles:
- Prepare for success instead of failure - everyday we rehearse things in our mind’s eye. We run through things, go over the past and imagine the future. For many people, these rehearsals have a negative flavour - picturing problems, believing in failure or imagining worst case scenarios. People don’t realise how much time they spend preparing for failure. If you want to succeed use this tool for the reverse effect. Visualisation and affirmation (positive action statements) are incredibly powerful tools: see yourself succeeding; tell yourself you will achieve your goals; imagine best case scenarios and believe they can happen.
- Make it enjoyable - Don’t make activity a chore or hard work. If we think about it as something we should do - then we immediately create an inner rebel - a little part of us that says "you can’t make me!" Instead find a reason you want to get active and make it enjoyable.
- Keep trying until you find something that works - There are so many fantastic things to do in Brisbane. Exercise does not have to happen in a gymnasium. Fly a kite. Walk along the cliffs near the river. Take your kids to the swings in one of our beautiful parks and join in. Have a massage. Go swimming at a local pool. Join a circus class, a stroller circuit, or a dance class. Take up surfing. Take the stairs not the lift. The options are almost endless.
- Use your own strengths - If you enjoy routines, create a routine with your activity. If you hate routines, then don’t set rules and times around it - just imagine how you would like your week/month of activity to look and allow it to happen.
I wish you every success.
