April 2013: Commit to Get Fit!
Hello Everyone!
Welcome to April, where our focus throughout the month will be Commit to Get Fit!
The word "fitness" conjures images of physical health, exercise and well-being. While
physical wellness is a component to overall fitness, it is important to remember the
tremendous impact our minds can have over our bodies. That's why our first feature
article explores the power of positive thinking. Learn ways to boost self-esteem, achieve
your goals and bolster your health just by making a few simple tweaks to your mindset.
Our second feature is geared towards all readers who consider themselves "nonexercisers". Read this article to get easy tips on how to overcome your fitness obstacles
and reach your wellness goals.
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Master Positive Thinking
A positive attitude, faith and good
relationships with others can make you
healthier, experts agree. You can learn to
think positively, and doing so can lead to
greater self-confidence, more respect for
others and achievement of your goals.
A positive attitude depends on genetic
influences, upbringing, health habits,
social connections, emotional support and
spiritual involvement. You can’t change
some of these factors, but you can learn new ways of thinking and behavior to help
maintain a positive mind-set, and live a healthier life.
The Power of Positive Thinking
The late Dr. Norman Vincent Peale’s best-selling classic The Power of Positive Thinking
has inspired millions of people in more than 130 countries. The principles it teaches are
as timely today as they were when the book was first published in 1952. The book shares
a simple system of practical techniques for successful living.
Here are some of Dr. Peale’s ideas on how to reach your potential:
Believe in Yourself.
A sense of inadequacy can prevent you from achieving your goals, but self-confidence
can lead to self-realization and achievement. Make a list of all your good points if you
have lost confidence in your ability to succeed. Reaffirming your assets will help you
overcome your doubts.
Use Your Mind to Restore Your Energy.
How you think has a profound effect on how you feel physically. If your mind tells you
you’re tired, your body will accept it as fact and be fatigued. You can maintain your energy level indefinitely if your mind is intensely interested in what you are doing.
Create Your Own Happiness.
You have two choices when you get up in the morning: to be happy or unhappy. Choose to
be happy by telling yourself that life is good, things are going well, you can handle all your
problems and you’re grateful for all you have and will have.
Expect the Best, Not the Worst.
You release a force in your mind that promotes positive results when you expect the best.
Don’t Believe in Defeat.
Make your mind more positive by eliminating negative expressions in thought and speech.
Statements such as “I can’t do that” and “I’m afraid I’ll fail” clutter your mind and condition it
to expect negative results. Speak and think positively about every situation.
Break the Worry Habit.
Several times a day, use your imagination to empty your mind of anxiety and fear. Picture
all your worries flowing out of you, just as water empties from a sink when the stopper is
removed. When all your worries are gone, fill your mind with faith, hope, courage and positive expectations. In time, you’ll find yourself worrying less.
Practice Silence.
Sit in a quiet place for 15 minutes. Don’t read, write or speak. Think peaceful thoughts,
meditate or pray.
Replace Irritation, Anger and Hate.
Deal with hurtful situations or misunderstandings immediately. Seek out the person involved
and strive to resolve your differences. To cool an angry response, reverse your body’s natural reactions by unclenching your fists and lowering your voice.
Maintain a Positive, Optimistic Attitude.
Instead of letting life’s difficulties get you down, keep your mind open and responsive to
new ideas, exercise initiative and resourcefulness when dealing with challenges and use
your creativity and good judgment when solving problems.
Content courtesy of Wellness Library Health Ink and Vitality Communications © 2013
Exercise Tips for the
Non-Exerciser
If you like to exercise, don’t read this article.
This article is for the bored, the tired, the discouraged. This article is for people who feel
that exercise is a near-impossible challenge,
for those with hectic lives, and for those who
think the effort is not worth the result.
Most lifestyle changes take several tries.
Read on to understand what keeps you from
exercising and how to overcome your personal barriers to fitness.
Get Ready
Before making any change, it helps to lay a good foundation. Try the following steps to get
ready to start your new exercise program:
Make a list of the reasons you want to work out. Keep the list handy and add to it.
Figure out which activities you enjoy. For example, if you enjoy walking, map out enjoyable walking routes.
Decide how to fit exercise into your schedule. Then set a date for when you’ll start your
new routine.
Create an exercise log so that you can keep track of your success.
Set goals that you know you can reach. For example, exercise twice a week and build
from there.
Reward yourself when you meet your goals. For example, if you exercise three times a
week for a month, treat yourself to a massage.
Write down positive things you can say to yourself when you don’t feel like exercising,
such as “I can do this.”
Get Set
You may have figured out how to conquer your exercise obstacles. Now you need to
convince yourself that it’s worth the effort. Focus on the good things about making exercise part of your life. Regular physical activity offers many health benefits. According to
the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), regular exercise:
Ÿ Reduces the risk for dying from heart disease
Ÿ Reduces the risk for developing diabetes
Ÿ Reduces the risk for developing high blood pressure
Ÿ Helps reduce blood pressure
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Ÿ Reduces feelings of depression and anxiety
Ÿ Helps control weight
Ÿ Helps build and maintain healthy bones, muscles and joints
Now....Go!
The big day arrives, and you start your exercise program. Now, how do you stick with it?
Try these tricks for a sustainable exercise plan:
Set specific long-term goals, but keep short-term goals flexible. Long-term goals
don’t have to be realistic, because an idealized goal can be a good incentive. Attainable,
step-by-step goals will encourage you and bring you closer to your ultimate objective.
Reward yourself for exercising. If you lack self-motivation, pick things you like to do
better than exercise and don’t let yourself do them until you exercise.
Make exercise a top priority by scheduling it. Things often don’t get done unless you
set a time. If it helps, commit yourself to exercising with a friend.
Surround yourself with reminders to exercise. Put your equipment where you’ll see it
first thing in the morning. Drive by the gym on your way to work. Put up exercise cartoons or sayings.
Pick the activities you prefer in the beginning, even if they’re less strenuous. Once
you’re exercising regularly, you can try more challenging activities.
Pick a level that lets you enjoy yourself. Work at a level that lets you feel as good
when you stop as when you start.
Don’t judge the benefits only by the weight scale.Exercise has also been shown to
reduce stress and fight depression. Your program should make you feel better. If it
doesn’t, change it until it does.
Good to Know
Before starting any exercise program or routine, check with your doctor or medical advisor. Once you have the go-ahead, start out slowly and gradually build up to your target
amount of exercise.
Starting out slowly gives your body time to adjust and helps prevent soreness and injury,
the CDC says. For example, walking 10 minutes out and 10 minutes back, gradually increasing the time to 15 minutes each way. Never increase your distance or amount of
weight lifted by more than 10 percent a week.
Content courtesy of Wellness Library Health Ink and Vitality Communications ©2013
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