The Mind Matters

Hey Phitties!

I've been planning to post for a couple of days - but I thought exercise was more important. Not that I don't love ya :-) Thanks for waiting till I got back.

So, you see the title. The mind matters, and in exercise as well as life, it always does. Because exercise happens in the mind first before it happens in the rest of reality. Why is this so? Just because it's how we're made. But the truth is, that where ever your mind or heart is set - you will follow. Sound airy-fairy? It's not.

From a spiritual perspective it was said clearly in the New Testament. "Where your treasure is, there will be your heart also." But it isn't just a spiritual principle - it's a principle of life, success and it's provable by science. It's a fact that our mind is a goal achieving mechanism. It works to help us reach that which we have set in it. But you don't just have to believe me - you can read about it in the classic book Psycho-Cybernetics. This book is the foundation for a lot of "self-help", "positive thinking" literature. The difference between this book and a lot of other books is that this book as testing behind it - not just rah rah!

So - about that goal seeking mechanism. One of the things that studies have found is that we can't do things by force of will alone. If that was so, most people wouldn't have any bad habits. But, we CAN accomplish whatever we want when we essentially program our mind (put in the goal), then let it help us towards our goal. The bad news is that this works to our good and bad. It's like the old computer standard GIGO (pronounced with a long I) - garbage in, garbage out. If we seed our mind with crap, the thought that we're tired, or we just don't want to exercise - our minds will help us facilitate that. However, if we put in our minds the urgency of our need to exercise, we graphically imagine the benefits of the exercise - then our mind will help us to exercise! Instead of providing excuses for us not to exercise - it will provide reasons FOR us to exercise. And, there are times when that can even help us to overcome our tiredness or desire to sit on the couch with a bag of chocolate chip cookies. (Yah - like I'm the only one who likes to do that right?)

So, take a minute or two before you go to bed tonight and program your mind. Put exercise in, put emotion around the benefits to you of doing that exercise. Then let your marvelous mind make the difference. The results are in folks - the mind matters!

Remember - you ROCK. Now get out there and do something amazing!
- Phillip

PS Next post: how to find the motivation you need to succeed.

Instant Motivation

Would you like instant motivation to get fit? Want to have fear struck into your heart? Need that last jolt to get over the hump and take care of yourself? Go grocery shopping at Wal-Mart.

Oh STOP. Here's my point before you go all PC on me. When I went in to pick up a few items - healthy items mind you, frozen mixed fruit for my smoothie, stevia for my coffee (yes, my vice) and my green tea - I just could not believe the general state of the people that were grocery shopping. Don't misunderstand me, these people weren't a few pounds overweight. They were fat. Obese. Multiple spare tires. And what was in their grocery carts? Junk. Processed snacks, high density no nutrition carbs, loaded with saturated fat meat products. And that wasn't the worst of it. You're probably saying, what could be worse?

Their KIDS. All miniature versions of the parents. It was like watching the adult Michelin Man with a kid version coming down the aisle. And it was SAD! Pathetic even. These parents were not only dooming themselves to half existence's because of their poor choices - they were dooming their children!

So, why is that instant motivation for me? Here's why.


See those four girls? My behavior impacts their lives. My eating habits impact how healthy they will be. My choices determine if they will or won't have an active, loving involved parent - or some sack of spare parts that just exists on the couch.

So, go to Wal-Mart. See what your future might look like. See what the future of your children might look like. That should give you some *instant* motivation.

Note: This post does not imply that the people I saw shopping are "bad". It does say that for 98.5% of them they have made horribly BAD choices regarding their diet. They may be caring, loving and concerned people who contribute to their communities and their work places- BUT - regardless they are killing themselves, condemning themselves to shadows of the existence they could live due to their eating habits. My hope is that they also start to notice that Wal-Mart has a great produce section and is expanding their line of organic products and that they'll help themselves and their children by making better choices in the future.