Mindfulness fitness
In the realm of health and fitness, each of us should take a close look at our overall health. Once we assess ourselves, we need to decide what areas of our health and fitness needs improvement.
So where do we begin in our efforts to improve our health and fitness? Join a gym? Start yet another diet? Seek a personal trainer? What to do, what to do? We have all been faced with these types of questions at one time or another.
The journey to better health and fitness starts with a shift in our overall mindset. We need to establish a clear path to overall wellness that has a beginning, mid-point and then ongoing maintenance goals. If you are not prepared or committed to the task ahead, you will fail.
The statistics are pretty awful when you start to look at how we in the United States do holding to health, fitness and weight loss programs:
* 80 percent of people who start a fitness program quit within the first year.
* 53 percent of people who start a fitness program in January as a New Year's resolution quit by the end of February.
* Of the approximate 40 million Americans that start a new diet program each year, roughly 95 percent of them fail.
Are we just a society of quitters or is it how we approach our health and fitness? Recently, I was talking with a coworker who had just started working with a Certified Personal Trainer. As we talked it became clear that this person was on the right track knowing she needed to improve her health and fitness, but it also was clear she was not fully prepared to succeed with her new endeavor. Since most trainers do not always work the mind, nutrition and workout as a single holistic program, failure for most can't be far behind.
Preparing for a change in your overall health and fitness is far more detailed and complex then hitting the gym or starting a diet. The true success with health and fitness is to redefine how you view yourself, your lifestyle and your outlook on life. These shifts start with finding calmness and happiness in our stressful lives. The next step leads to healthy eating and being physically active as part of your daily routines and activities.
There are so many diet books, health programs and exercise regimens to choose from that I have yet to see one that addresses the root cause of our poor health and fitness habits, eating disorders or sedentary behaviors. Lack of motivation typically begins when external stresses or general unhappiness become dominant in our lives. Many of us are distracted by depression, work stress or social stress that zap our ability to concentrate and hold to good eating habits or exercise programs.
When we look for first steps toward a healthier, happier and fit existence, we need to look to our mind and our feelings. How we feel and the emotions we have drive us more then any other factor. To coin a phase "thoughts become things" if we think we can't we won't, if we feel our life is difficult or out of our control, then it will be. Our thoughts, both conscious and subconscious, must be managed and a great way to get started is by practicing mindfulness, which is a form of meditation that allows your mind to be in the present moment.
Shifting your mind to a positive state, being happy, thankful and living in the moment can make amazing things happen. This is Ironman weekend in our lovely town and many of you are going to compete in Ironman for the first time. Competing in Ironman is something you may have never thought you would or could do. Your thoughts have brought you through all the training to this moment. Most of you know you will finish the race and you know doubt can be a deal breaker on that point. A few years ago, a top female finisher collapsed on the run course. This top finisher was completely out of fuel in her body with just a few miles to go and she pulled herself together at an aid station and pushed on to win. This is a great example of having a mindset that can make anything happen.
The best way to start with your transformation to health, fitness and a happy life is to be mindful and be aware of your thoughts and actions in the here and now. Mindfulness is a wonderful way to be totally aware of each and every experience you have. So many people, including athletes and fitness professionals, use the practice of mindfulness in their daily lives. This practice has become a standard for endurance runners and multi-sport fitness folks. They know being positive, grateful and happy makes them fierce competitors.
The idea is to settle your mind into the moment, being aware of your movement, energy and presence in any given situation. One great book that addresses this very well is "Chi Running" by Danny Dreyer. Another great author for learning how to use mindfulness to improve your health and fitness and stay focused in the moment is Deepak Chopra.
Regardless of whether you are just trying to be healthy and fit or training for a competition, the concept of being mindful and in the moment is the first step to success in any activity, even if the activity is to just be happy in life.
Judd Jones is a director for the Hagadone Corporation.