It’s a New Year Again…Re-Train Your Brain

2012. Get used to writing it because it is here!

The economy is still suffering, the weather is blustery, you might be feeling a little
bloated and maybe you are already questioning exactly how you are going to make
this year a wonderfully successful one.

Well, I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt, what you can do to ensure your success on any New Year’s resolution (and let’s not beat around the bush here. Even with the best of intentions almost everyone fails at New Year resolutions, especially when they have to do with personal wellness issues like weight, nutrition, smoking, exercise, stress management, etc.)

So here is what you have to do: Think.

You are a human being with incredible cognitive capabilities. But you have to allow yourself to tap into your thoughts, your feelings and how you process the change that you want.

Keep reading….please bear with me! 

You have the ability to ‘retrain your brain’.  I promise…I have read the research…you can change your brain chemistry making it more likely that you will change your behaviors and, subsequently, your long term habits if you would just think about what you are doing.  Instead of going through the  motions simply following directions, engage in a process of change by journaling, exploring your barriers and strengths, or committing to some system of accountability.

The only way to overcome your innate tendency to repeat history (whether it is working for you or not, by the way) and act as a creature of habit, is to become more aware and centered.

You might be thinking, ‘Okay, just tell me what to do to lose this weight! I don’t want to hear this psycho-babble mumbo-jumbo!’

But, that could be just the problem. And don’t worry, our other trainers who write about fitness and nutrition will be touching on those topics this week I am sure.

But for now, to start your New Year off with an ultimate truth, I am here to tell you that what happens in your head is far more powerful than what you force your body to perform.

And small steps are the best. 

From experience, I can tell you that even I struggled with a not-so-mutually beneficial relationship with food that promptly linked itself to recovery-mentality exercise sessions. In other words, I ate too much (either of the wrong or the right stuff…it doesn’t matter, it was too much!) and then quickly resolved the issue with unsatisfying guilt-ridden exercise sessions.

No Fun! It was not until I started learning more about myself, worked hard at feeling comfortable with who I am, understood how personal wellness plays an inspiring (and not draining) role in my life and began to respect my body in whatever state it was in at that moment that I was able to have peace.

I have talked to far too many women who are slaves to their relationship with food…either avoid or over exercise….see their body as a physical being disconnected with their intellectual and spiritual sides.

The only way to begin closing the gap between intentions and behaviors is to THINK, become more aware and explore the areas you struggle with. And what you may happily find is that your barriers all these years might just be able to be used as strengths!

You see, to me, being in this industry is not just about teaching people about how to eat and exercise. But it is also about helping them reach a point in their lives that they don’t have to so constantly think about food and the aesthetics of their body.

I believe that our bodies are gifts and tools — and that we should honor and respect them, but not obsess about them. When we are obsessive or allow negative thoughts and/or cycles to use up our energy, we are kept from truly spending that time and energy on more positive, life-enriching things! Know what I mean?

So, to make 2012 different, start thinking differently.

Think as the woman that you have been covering up by failing at past attempts
of personal wellness goals. Think as a woman who possesses tools and strengths
that you have not even begun to tap into. And think as a woman who can offer so
much more if you allow yourself to get outside of the cycle you have been in!

Check out our Revive and Renew Healthy Body Retreat on the Event Page for Jan. 14. Join us for a morning of inspiration to make 2012 the healthiest year yet.

Happy New Year!