Positive Thoughts Breed Positive Actions

I remember when I was younger my mom didn't like for me to watch scary movies. To me they were harmless, but her rationale was that "what you put in your head will eventually come out". What she meant was, the things we consistently allow in our minds will inevitably be displayed through our behavior. At the time I thought it was silly, but now I see how right she was (as she was about many things!). Proverbs 4 tells us to guard our heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Matthew 15 says the things that come out of our mouth come forth from the heart. My belief is that what we let our eyes see and our ears hear will shape our minds and over time desensitize our hearts.

It's kind of like when we work around or live with pessimistic people. When you hear nothing but complaining and criticism, it's so easy to take that on. If your boss is always telling you you can't do something right, you may start to believe it. Then you become insecure about everything you do at work out of the fear of not doing anything right. Before too long, you stop being productive at all. So how do we break this vicious cycle? It all begins with how you think!

First, you have to create positive thoughts. This means looking for the good aspects of everyday life. Make a choice to face life in a way that gives you some control. We can't control what happens to us, but we can decide how we respond to it. It's that whole glass half empty or half full scenerio. You can't change your behavior until you change how you think about your situation. Second, create a positive world. Now obviously you can't make the whole planet a positive place to live, but you can change YOUR world. The people you associate with, the music you listen to, what you watch on tv, what you read... all these are factors that can affect how you perceive life. Have you ever met someone who watches nothing on tv but Fox News or CNN? They're a plethera of depressing news! Focus on the good things that are going on around us. Last, create positive actions. You'd be surprised at how smiling at someone or holding the door open for somebody can make you feel so good. Not only does it make life more pleasant, but it's contagious!

So relating this to health and fitness... change your thoughts about diet and exercise. Don't look at eating well as depriving yourself or exercise as hard work. Think of it as making healthy choices and habits to feel good, look good, and better your quality of life. Make health and fitness part of your positive world. Go for walks with your friends, hike with your kids, subscribe to health and fitness magazines, listen to motivational music, do some yoga! And finally, introduce healthy actions to your life. STOP SMOKING, drink more water, cut out the sugar, get active! You're reading this, so I know you're interested in changing your lifestyle. Let's do this!