Our physical health and inner vitality is primarily determined by our decisions, but our decisions are shaped by our thoughts, emotions and actions…or our ATTITUDE about health. Our health is a result of our past way of thinking. If we want to maximize our health and vitality, we must start by examining our current thought process and paradigms (beliefs) that may be holding us back from taking the proper action- steps towards better results.
About 8 ½ months ago I blew out my ACL and meniscus in my right knee… and yes I had to get immediate knee surgery the following week. For most people at the age of 42 years old… they begin thinking that physical activity, exercise and working out will be out of the picture or at least limited after such an injury. I could have said to myself… “I am too old to do the physical activities that I enjoy” or “My knee will never be the same” or “I can never run, kick, snowboard, mountain bike or play competitive sports again.”
I made a conscious decision to choose my thoughts and DECIDE what I wanted my outcome to be. The day I came home from surgery… I threw out all my “pain killers” went on the computer and signed up for a ½ marathon that was being held on Father’s Day. I DECIDED right then and there… to challenge myself and make a commitment. I posted the registration on my Facebook page, I began telling my coaching clients and I basically continued to declare it to everyone I spoke to (not to empress anyone) but to empress upon my mind that I was going to do it.
The next day I was in the gym on crutches in a full knee brace lifting weights, maximizing what I could do and not focus on what I couldn’t do… most of all I was mentally getting myself ready to heal. The doctors told me it would be a minimum 12 month recovery with the proper physical therapy and rest. My goal was to defy my own self-defeating thoughts as well as prove to the doctors that I can cut that time in half. I met a young physical therapist named Tony Tanzi who is an Iron Man athlete and avid runner. I walked into his office and said… “I am going to be 42 years old… I just had knee surgery…I want you to treat me like a 20 year old professional athlete.” He looked and me and said “You are in the right place.” I began physical therapy and continued to train with the objective of healing and recovering as fast as I can…and in the back of my mind… I visualized myself crossing over that finish line with my wife and children waiting for me. I am not sharing this story to empress anyone… or brag. I am sharing this story because everything starts with how we think. The power of how we think about health, work, money, life or even other people… is so powerful. It isn’t easy… but once you DECIDE that health is important… and understand why… you change your whole life!
OBJECTIVE: Making Health & Vitality a Priority In Your Life
The factors that influence your health and vitality most are your decisions. Your decisions are shaped by your attitude towards health, i.e., your past thoughts, feelings, actions, paralyzing paradigms, and what list of importance you hold health & vitality on your Areas of Life list. If you have negative attitude, a Paralyzing Paradigm, or a misaligned Area of Life…it will cause you to continue to produce a result other than the one you desire. I personally decide to choose health and vitality as my number one area of life. Now it may not be your personal area of life… some people choose work or money. Others may choose family or their faith. One isn’t right or wrong… it is your life. But what I will say is… if you do not have health in your top four most important areas of life… most likely you won’t take exercise, eating well or anything to do with your overall health seriously.
So here are a few questions I want you to answer:
- What are your current or past thoughts about Health & Vitality?
- What was or is a Paralyzing Paradigm (limited belief) that you have towards Health & Vitality?
- What negative emotion or emotions do you think causes that Paralyzing Paradigm?
- If you don’t change or eliminate this negative belief or Paralyzing Paradigm…how will it affect you?
- Besides yourself…who else would it affect? Why? How?
- How does that make you feel? Why?
Once you identify these thoughts around health, eating and exercise… you can begin to analyze them. Get emotionally attached to why having a healthy lifestyle is important. As a professional martial artist, Master and life coach… I choose to take on a healthy lifestyle because it is a part of my image. I also want to live a healthy life to set the best example for my children. It doesn’t matter if I have the best business, wife, children… make a ton of money… If I am sick or have an illness… I cannot provide for my family or serve my clients.
Once you identify what thoughts may be potentially holding you back… and decide that health is going to be in your top four Areas of Life… you must begin to create, think and say some new empowering thoughts that will inspire you into ACTION!
I had someone contact me after my marathon… it was late at night and it actually inspired me to write this blog. I have a ton of respect for this person and he is very successful in business, as a husband and especially a father. His message wrote:
Paul
I have completely lost all good habits and get anxiety thinking about exercise — your last physical feat of doing the 1/2 marathon is inspiring, but waking up in the morning and kicking tough habits have become incredibly challenging.
I’m in this rut where all I’ve done since restarting my career is 2012 is work. Anything but work is a waste of time. As a result I’m stressed I guess, so I don’t exercise and I drink too much. It’s apparent that I’m not living up to my personal and physical potential however I’m becoming very successful at work — just very unbalanced health wise. I’m up to 235 lbs which is incredibly high and I have no good habits to curb my weight gain.
I’m aware, but behaviorally have nothing strong enough to make me change — nor the belief that effort will create something positive.
I’m not embarrassed or depressed — just aware that I’m going down a bad path and I need to Work with someone that can get me to think differently.
This message was very powerful and basically proves that two things are going on in this person’s world. First… WORK has been his number one focus. Now… we can all justify why it may be. Knowing him… it is because he is an overachiever, loves helping his clients and most of all… wants to provide the best life for his wife and family. But identify the Paralyzing Paradigm… “Anything but work is a waste of time.” That is what he is choosing to think. That one thought can create such a negative feeling towards everything else that is not work related. The positive thing is… that he is AWARE! This is the first step in making lasting change.
STEPS TO LASTLING CHANGE
- Awareness (understand that current results are not what you want)
- Identify Paralyzing Paradigms or thoughts
- Create a new Empowering Paradigm that will serve you
- Paradigm Shift (Getting emotionally attached to changing or NOT changing)
- Reconditioning (saying the empowering statements daily to impact the subconscious mind)
So here are some additional questions to answer:
- What is a NEW Empowering Paradigm towards Health & Vitality?
- With this NEW Empowering Paradigm…what new results could you manifest?
- What do you want to see happen when it comes to your Health & Vitality? What is your ultimate goal?
- If we had to meet 12 months from today…what would you want to see happen in reference to your Health & Vitality?
- Why is this important to you?
After you create some Empowering Paradigms that will serve your health and vitality… make sure you get emotionally attached to why it is important. Having a Paradigm Shift is actually visualizing what would happen in the future if you DON”T change or improve. This is very powerful process if you actually visualize this! Imagine you keep on thinking the same self destructive thoughts… keep the same horrible habits… continue eating like crap, excessive drinking, smoking or not exercising. Where will you be in 5, 10, 15 years? Will you still be alive? Who have you effected? What have you lost out on? Make sure you create a ton of PAIN to not improving… and then begin to visualize if you did start making positive improvements toward your health. Thinking more positive about a healthy lifestyle for you and your family. How have you positively impacted your family? What new habits have you taught your children? How does that make you feel?
The Reconditioning is simple… you MUST treat these positive statements like mental exercise for your mind! Say them everyday… repeat out loud in the morning and night. I know this sounds silly… but it works. I challenge you to create Empowering Paradigms and to think empowering statements such as:
I am healthy & vital and feel younger every day.
My body is my temple, the temple of my soul, I love my life, and life loves me.
I am calm and at peace, I have total balance in all areas of my life.
I am lean, vibrant and alive. I am full of energy.
Every day in every way I am healthier and happier.
I am sexy, slim and perfect within.
I am internally vital, emotionally centered and physically strong. My body is becoming more flexible and younger every single day.
Tips from this article
- Become AWARE of how you have been thinking about your health, exercise and eating habits
- Choose and create Positive thoughts and statements about a healthy lifestyle and habits
- Get emotionally attached and visualize what you want to see happen with your health and why it is important