For many years I tried to lose weight but continually failed. It wasn't until I started exercising the right muscle that I finally obtained my goal of losing fifty pounds.
The secret was when I discovered the problem wasn't in the food I ate or in my refrigerator. The problem was in my own mind. My mindset was preventing me from losing weight and living the healthy life I wanted.
Your mindset is what determines how you interpret and react to your situation. We all know that positive thinking can help us stay motivated and take more action. While this important – studies show that our mindset may cause direct changes; including the effect of exercise on your body and even how your body reacts to the food you eat.
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Harvard conducted a study on a group of hotel workers. The workers performed a lot of physical activity on their jobs – but they didn't think of it as exercise – just as work. Half of the group were taught to think of the work as physical activity and to receive the resulting benefits. After only four weeks the group with this mindset showed reductions in blood pressure as well as a measurable reduction in body fat. This was with no change in diet or daily routine. The changed was based solely on how they perceived their daily activity as exercise and therefore as beneficial to their health.
A Yale study showed equally amazing results regarding the direct impact of mindset on weight loss. Two groups were given the exact same milkshake over a period of time. However, one group was told that their shake had 140 calories and no fat or sugar. The others were told their shakes had 620 calories, 30 g of fat and 56 grams of sugar. They were then tested to see how the shakes affected the hormone Ghrelin in their system. This is the hormone that regulates appetite suppression. It tells your body, "I'm full, so stop eating now."
The group given the shake that was supposedly high calorie showed a drop in their Ghrelin levels signaling their body they were full. The second group with the perceived low calorie shake did not.
What does this mean? The results show that simply changing your mindset can result in measurable differences in the effectiveness of your exercise and even measurable differences in your resulting body fat.
The secret is to adopt a growth mindset instead of having a fixed mindset. Don't settle for telling yourself things like, "I can't lose weight" or "Exercise doesn't help me". This fixed mindset has a direct effect on your body.
How do you change your mindset?
Embrace change instead of holding on to past results. Start "exercising your brain". Persist when challenges occur. Know that your effort is your path to success. Read and study the lives of others who have achieved success. Learn from their inspiration. Believe if they can do it – so can you.
This is a good time to remind you that I'm one of those people who changed their life. I lost 50 pounds and started living a healthier lifestyle. The starting point was the change within my mind. The rest followed.
I always love to hear from my readers.
Imagen vía Ingrid Macher/Webstagram
