THE PSYCHOLOGICAL JOURNEY OF FITNESS

THE JOURNEY IS THE REWARD
 
STAGE-1
The very first thing includes the decision to improve ourselves. In this stage we make a decision to improve our self and attain a fit and healthy body.It is just a thought, which may have flashed in our mind for just a few seconds but has the tendency to change our entire life. Now, once we have entered a fitness program, it takes at least a month  for us to make it a part of our daily routine, a habit and a necessity.In this stage every thing we do is an experiment. All we need is to stay motivated and have patience.

STAGE-2
Expecting more than what is real, is a basic human nature. This is the reason, why the second stage is the stage of doubts. We expect unrealistic changes in our body and set unrealistic goals.We are in a hurry to loose weight and see the results, but we need to understand that fitness is a way of life, not a matter of two-three months! Doubts are a part of this journey and overcoming these is something that keeps us going.

STAGE-3
Conquering our fears and doubts is one of the greatest achievements of our life.This is what  the third stage is all about. In this stage we strike a balance between our mind and body, we train both ,our mind as well as our body, when we try to achieve something again and again without bothering much about the failure. During this whole process, we find ourselves turning out to be stronger and more positive towards our goal. The feeling of excitement reaches a new level!

STAGE-4
Transformation! yes, the fourth stage is when you realize that your body and mind, i.e. your personality has changed completely! Finally you got what you always wished for.Now, is the time when you make them regret the day they called you unhealthy. You will now be a role model for someone,who is gonna someday turn up to you and say " because of you, i was able to do it". This is that feeling...the feeling of ultimate satisfaction!

STAGE-5
Remember! Fitness is a journey... so it doesn't end up in the fourth stage, there is lots more! Now, its time for you to discover more...

5 WAYS TO HELP YOU STICK TO YOUR FITNESS ROUTINE!

1. HIT THE GYM IN STYLE

Walking to the gym in the same usual t-shirts and track pants can get really boring at times. So, to create a sense of excitement ,try changing your gym wear collection after about every 2 months. Our clothes play a great role in adding up to our confidence. Wear clothes that fit you well and make you feel good about yourself and your body.The most important thing to be kept in mind when it comes to the gym wear is, comfort! make sure whatever you wear is comfortable and doesn't distract you from your workout.So, make sure the next time you dress up for the gym , you "Feel good" and are all set to hit the gym in style!

2. HAVE A GYM BUDDY

Having a gym buddy who is as enthusiastic towards fitness as you are, is a blessing! When you have a buddy to accompany you , there are less chances of missing out routines or dropping out. Mutual passion and sense of motivation is something that keeps you going. When working out together the level of compliance to the prescribed exercise increases, also it has been found that people working out with a partner have significantly higher attendance and lower dropouts than the ones working out alone. The main reason behind this is the mutual support which leads to the increase in self motivation. 

3. KEEP A LOG

To keep yourself stick to your fitness routine, it is important to keep a track of the no. of days you hit the gym and the no. of days you missed it. The best way to do this is, have a calendar in your room, as soon as you come back from the gym, mark a tick on the respective date and the day you miss your gym, mark a "nice big red cross" for yourself on the calendar for that very date. Now, who wants to see something like a huge red cross on a well scheduled  chart?!

So, the next time when you think about taking a day off , i guess that big red cross will flash in front of your eyes and will stop you from missing upon your gym routine.

4. DO IT FOR THE AFTER PICTURES 

The best way to motivate yourself is the urge to see the results. When we imagine ourselves being in a situation, in which we always wanted to be or when we imagine the happiness which we'll experience once we achieve our goal, it automatically encourages us to work harder and give our 100% to it. In the same way, when we imagine ourselves with a perfect body and the satisfaction that will come along,it pushes us to work harder and convert our imagination into reality! The great way to track your results is by clicking before and after pictures. The more you see the change , the harder you work for it!

5. MOTIVATIONAL QUOTES AND FITNESS PAGES

When we go through some truly motivating and inspiring quotes again and again , it becomes a part of our unconscious mind ,which starts reflecting in our personality! When we think about some thing and strongly believe in it , we start to work accordingly. So, reading various motivational quotes or success stories can really inspire you to apply it to your life and to create your own success story!!

WEIGHT LOSS v/s FAT LOSS

WEIGHT LOSS (does it actually matter?)

When we talk about weight loss, we actually talk about the loss of muscles ,organs ,water ,body fat ,bones ,etc. Our body weight is the sum total of all these.Body weight never remains stable, it keeps fluctuating everyday, we have no idea whats happening inside us. To understand this we need to think it this way, suppose if we don't eat for the whole day , we'll weigh less! right? and if we eat something heavy or even if we drink a lot of water, we'll weigh more! Now, how can we rely on weight loss?, in fact, if we try and find out, their are people who may have the same body weight but my look completely different from each other, one looks fit but the other looks fat! This is because, the one looking fit ,weighs that much because of his muscle weight and has low body fat, whereas on the other hand, the one looking heavy has more amount of body fat.

    

                  We need to understand that, eating less(cutting on carbs,proteins,essential fats,etc) may help us to loose weight , but is it actually the weight loss? no, its the water loss.If you start eating up what you stopped earlier, you'll gain back all that you lost! So, is it really healthy and helpful?! 

            Its time to talk about the solution! How can we truly attain fitness? Here's  your answer!

                   TARGET FAT LOSS!

All we need to focus on is ,the amount of fat our body carries.We actually need to loose body fat than loosing body weight! It has been found that ,males attain fitness when the have 14-17% of body fat, where as in females it is 21-24%. 

            Loosing fat involves an equilibrium between healthy eating and proper weight training or other healthy workouts. Weight training helps us to loose body fat and gain muscles. Fat loss makes you stronger! how amazing is that! When we get into a weight training or strength training program, we may not find much difference when we measure ourselves on a weighing machine. No need to feel discouraged! The best way to track your body fat is trough a fat caliper,or click before and after pictures and above all , your cloth fitting is the most amazing way to keep a check on your progress! But, remember! not to measure your weight daily. 

               So guys, the key to a fit body is to get stronger and eat healthier!

How psychology helps you to change your eating habits and staying fit!

Avoid Emotional Eating

It is important to understand the reason behind overeating, snacking or choosing unhealthy food. We need to find out what is happening to us emotionally while indulging into such eating habits. Is it boredom,happiness,stress or sadness? It becomes necessary to find out , "are we really hungry?" or we are just responding to our emotions!

Keep A Track

All that we eat, where we eat, when we eat , our thoughts, behavior and feelings about that particular food , everything needs to be recorded. It has been found that, the people who monitor their eating habits and note them down are more successful in loosing weight ,as it helps them to understand their eating behavior and identify the areas to be changed.

Stop Associating Things With Food

Sometimes we associate our experiences, our daily activities or our emotions, with a particular behavior. For example, if you typically eat while watching TV, your brain has made an association between food and TV. You may not be hungry, but in your mind TV and eating are paired together. So when you watch TV you suddenly feel the urge to eat. You can begin to break this association by not eating while watching TV.

Changing Unhealthy Thoughts and Behavior

Negative thoughts and behavior are found commonly among the people who don't experience the results which they expect and see the process of weight loss as a punishment. Psychologists work with people to address

negative feelings and find ways to reward healthy changes to their eating habits. Reinforcing healthy behavior is important to achieve weight management goals.

Your thoughts and your behavior is the reason behind "EVERYTHING" that happens to you!

            

Age is in the "MIND"-Anil Kapoor. Now, what I am trying to say is everything that is going on with you has its reasons embedded in your thoughts and the way you respond to these thoughts (i.e. your behavior). Where do you think Mr Anil Kapoor derived this statement from? It is simply the product of his behavior and attitude towards his thoughts. It is just a thought that leads to a behavior. If we assume that this statement is the cause of his thought ,say "age is just a number, i can still be as fit and active as i have always been" ,which directed his behavior and made him to strike the gym , shoot as efficiently as he always did,keeping his age aside And then! we get this cover page!

    So, if you focus on what you think, may actually help you in resolving most of your problems. I know it is difficult to monitor each and every thought that comes to your mind, no one is even asking you to do so. But when you find yourself in a problem just reverse back to your thoughts about it, and the solution will automatically popup inside your mind.

HOW PSYCHOLOGISTS HELP IN WEIGHT MANAGEMENT!

HOW PSYCHOLOGISTS HELP IN WEIGHT MANAGEMENT!

We all know about working out and eating healthy,when it comes to weight loss. But, their is something more to it , weight loss involves understanding and managing thoughts and behaviors which interfere with weight loss. So, the psychologist helps us to find out the reasons behind eating a particular food, when we don't even feel hungry! what are the factors due to which we end up eating something that is unhealthy or may lead to weight gain. For example: eating while watching a movie or while watching TV. Are you really hungry? NO. actually you have associated both watching TV/movie with eating something. Now, the psychologist tries to point out this behavior of ours which has become habitual and is learned. When we are able to understand "why?" do we eat a particular food, we'll surely try to avoid it,but only "if we really wanna loose weight".

THE POWER

OF

IMAGINATION

"All that we are is the result of what we have thought"- Buddha

Its very interesting to know that, your imagination is amazingly powerful. You can achieve almost everything you want, just by imagining it.This might sound stupid but, just think about it this way, when you think about something you want, very passionately, when you spend the whole day imagining things related to that particular wish of yours, you attract it to yourself and you'll notice that you have already started working to achieve that very goal of yours. And there we go! The results...that wish..that aim..you have got what you always wanted, what you have always been imagining! 

Now the same goes for your aim to achieve a fit body as well. All you need is to stay positive and imagine everything that you want should happen one day in real. I bet you'll achieve it through your imagination. TRY IT!