A healthy state of mind

I spoke at an event on Friday about pointers on fitness. Whilst some people agreed, I think others were a little suprised when my first and most important pointer was and is self perception.

Some may have been hoping for some little known or magical exercises to rid stomach fat (which on a generic scale don't exist - you can't spot reduce) but more important than the specifics of exercise is your self perception and your motivation. The reason being really simple, my experience tells me that being fit and healthy doesn't necessarily mean that you'll know you are and be happy. The key is to love yourself and what you are before you start, that way, you'll respect, listen to, treat your body properly and benefit so much more.

Living in a world of false ideals where glossy magazines and TV are suffocated with air brushed, overly tanned and often superficial celebrities, it's understandable to know that many people in modern society have low self esteem, poor confidence and don't like what they see in the mirror.

It's absolutely scandalous that fake idols and images can have such a huge impact on so many. As the marketing industry knows, as a people, we rely heavily on what we see. But actually, many of the decisions we make are based upon feelings. So answer this question, how do you feel when you look at those sorts of images? If the answer is not so great, then don't put those sorts of images infront of yourself.

Knowing that we make informed decisions better when we feel good it may be worth answering a few more questions:

What kind of foods make me feel good?

What kinds of activities make me feel good?

Being around who do I feel better with?

I heard a nice metaphor 'you should treat your body like you would an expensive car', give it good fuel, regular servicing, take it for a spin and generally avoid it becoming a rusty bucket.

Hope you've enjoyed my thoughts, why not leave me a comment?



- Posted whilst adventurising using BlogPress from my iPhone