Article written Oct 2005 by Helga Marin
You’ve heard the saying, “You are what you eat.” Well, we say, ‘You are what you think.’ Your behavior, posture, and body language mirror how you feel about yourself. At Eight Weeks…to a New You we not only teach nutrition and fitness, but also Mastery of the Mind. Successful weight loss is intimately connected to one’s self-perception, your Self-Image. Self-image is determined by how you visualize yourself in your mind’s eye, how you talk to yourself, and how you internalize your environment. It is the cumulative effect of your life experiences, including poignant childhood events, your self-talk, and your interactions with other people. Messages, when repeated, eithier to yourself or by others, are internalized and become integrated into your subconscious; thereby, forming your self-image.
In order to gain a better understanding of the full impact self-image has on every aspect of your life, it is important to understand the mechanisms at work. The mind’s prime function is to prove itself right. It is contantly trying to fulfill this function by translating whatever happens around you or whatever is said to you in a way that will strengthen the beliefs you already have about yourself, the beliefs that have been formed in childhood and beyond. In an effort to stay consistent, the mind will cling to any input, whether it be positive or negative, that reinforces the beliefs you already have about yourself.
This brings us to low self-esteem. Low self-esteem is a direct result of the mind integrating negative self-talk and environmental influences into the psyche. These negative perceptions become reality, and this distorted self-perception is what is projected to the world. Although the environment influences self-esteem, negative self-talk plays an even greater role in forming it. Individuals with low self-esteem have a tendency to misinterpret constructive criticism, and only hear the negative attacks at the self. They will never reach their full potential for their fear of failure will prevent them from taking risks or trying out new experiences. When they hit a roadblock or make a mistake, they just give up, rather than persevere. This results from not believing in their talents and abilities. Again, a direct result of poor self-image.
Have you ever noticed that successful people seem to be beaming with confidence and self-esteem. There’s a reason for this. Success has everything to do with your self-image. A positive self-image formed will a successful person make. The lesson which can be honed from this is ‘You teach people how to treat you by how you treat yourself.’ This translates into every aspect of your life, especially body image and weight loss. If you believe you are unattractive you will sabatage any attempt to look good. In the same vein, if you believe you are fat and that you cant lose weight, you will sabatage any effort to lose weight. Your beliefs predetermine you actions and only in changing the beliefs about yourself will you successfully lose weight and keep it off.
This is why at 8 Weeks…to a New You we dedicate so much time to understanding and strengthening the self. We work on improving their self-image by changing their self-talk. We teach confidence building strategies to arm them with the tools to live the lives they were meant to be living. Here are 15 tips for creating confidence:
- Make a mental note of how you talk to yourself. Then learn to give yourself positive fedback.
- Learn to listen to the ‘positive’ feedback in other’s constructive criticism. People’s comments about you may not be acurate. Judge for yourself and be selective about what you internalize.
- When you make a mistake, learn the lesson and leave the judgement aside.
- Give yourself positive ‘pep talks’ everyday.
- Take a daily inventory of all the things you did well. Be thankful for who you are and what you have.
- Treat yourself to something special every week.
- Change your posture-it will affect your attitude.
- Give the people around you positive feedback and compliments. It will make you feel good.
- Focus your attention outside of yourself. When you are with others, invest in them.
10. Plan success-don’t depend on luck. Break down your dreams into measurable goals and set a short-term and long-term plan for accomplishing them. See yourself in your mind’s eye accomplishing these goals.
11. Step outside of your comfort zone and face your fears. Successful people take action before they are ready.
12. Use relaxation and visualization techniques to integrate into your subconscious new and more positive information about yourself. Visualize yourself in your as a confident, happy person.
13. Build an excellent support system around you and stay away from toxic people.
14. If you want people to like you, show them that you like yourself. Take care of yourself. It will radiate from the inside out.
15. And…always remember the Golden Rule: Treat others as you would like to be treated.
Eight Weeks…to a New You offers an innovative approach to healthy weight loss. It provides a three-tier weight management system in a supportive, group environment. The eight-week course focuses on the physical, nutritional, and mental components of weight loss and management. This holistic approach to weight management is not a crash or fad diet. Rather, it is a lifestyle change that not only shows fast, effective, and lasting results in a positive, supportive atmosphere.