2907: Kickstart Your Journey of Being Fit and Healthy by Ellen Burgan of If It Brings You Joy

[00:00:00] This is Optimal Health Daily, Kickstart Your Journey of Being Fit and Healthy by Ellen Burgan of IfItBringsYouJoy.com and I'm your host and narrator Dr. Neal Malik. Welcome back to Optimal Health Daily where I simply read to you from some of the best health and fitness blogs for free.

[00:00:18] I cover fitness, nutrition, stress management, weight management, and more just like an audiobook but from a bunch of different authors and always with permission from the sites and always with a bit of my commentary at the end. Alright, let's get right to today's post as we optimize your life. Kickstart Your Journey of Being Fit and Healthy by Ellen Burgan of IfItBringsYouJoy.com

[00:00:47] You've decided to get fit and healthy and if you're like me, you've done this a few times before in your life. But this time will be different, you say. I'm really going to stick with it. I'm going to do it this time. Have you been through this type of yo-yo cycle of getting fit and healthy only to find yourself back to your old ways? Calories and fat and carbs. Oh my.

[00:01:12] With the help of the vast number of books, videos, podcasts, articles, and social media networks available at our fingertips, most of us are well aware of basic nutrition and activity choices that may increase our overall health. Yes, it certainly behooves you to be knowledgeable about what is in the food you eat. So what's the holdup? With all this information, why aren't we all fit as a fiddle and healthy as a horse?

[00:01:37] This one thing affects every aspect of your life. Want to know what that one thing is? Mindset. It may sound simple, but shifting to a more positive mindset can be life-altering. A mindset of positivity can lead you to success in nearly every aspect of life, from relationships to health. Research by Barbara Fredrickson, a positive psychology researcher at the University of North Carolina,

[00:02:05] shows that positive thinking goes way beyond just being happy. Fredrickson's broaden and build theory details how, quote, positive emotions are essential elements of optimal functioning, and therefore an essential topic within the science of well-being. End quote. She summarizes that, quote, people should purposely nurture positive emotions, not just because doing so makes them feel good at the moment,

[00:02:32] but also because doing so transforms people for the better, and sets them on paths toward flourishing and healthy longevity. End quote. Of course, negative things can happen that we need to deal with. The thing with a positive mindset is that you'll be better equipped to handle negative experiences much more easily. You'll be better able to moderate the adverse impacts of stress. Most importantly, when undesirable things happen,

[00:03:00] you will gain back that positive momentum much more quickly. One, set yourself up for success. No matter where you are in your journey, the right mindset can help you successfully get to where you want to be, and you'll be positioned to enjoy your journey. It takes practice to get in the habit of positive thinking, but becoming a more positive person can be done by taking simple, small steps every day.

[00:03:26] Get started by gently guiding your thought to a better feeling state using the following ideas. Two, focus your attention on the right things. The law of attraction states, light attracts light. Whether you're a believer in the law of attraction or not, think about how your attitude affects your life. When I focus on the negative, I clearly feel more stressed and agitated, and generally more negative experiences follow.

[00:03:55] When I appreciate what I have and find joy in the small things, my whole world feels lighter and better. In your journey to becoming more fit and healthy, or any other goal, have a clear vision of what it is that you want, and then focus your attention on it. Energy goes where attention flows, and energy flows where attention goes. Get that good circle of energy going with your thoughts, and you'll feel the inspired action.

[00:04:23] Inspired action is like motivation, only better because it comes from the inner you. And when you're inspired to take action, it'll be effortless, and everything will fall into place. Three, tell the right story. Just like you won't hear rock music if you're tuned into the country radio station, you won't lose weight if you keep telling the story about how overweight you are and how you can't lose weight. Stop talking about the current situation that you don't like.

[00:04:53] Stop the negative self-talk. Choose your thoughts and words wisely, so you get your thoughts and words going in the direction where you want to take your life. For example, if you're unhappy with your body, stop thinking about all the things that are wrong with your body, and how you hate how your clothes fit. You may not have the healthiest habits, but talking about them does you no good. Rather, it will serve you much better to focus on the positive aspects of yourself and about the possibilities that will come your way

[00:05:22] when you get fit and healthy. Focus on good things you're going to bring to your life. Let go of what is and focus on what you want. Work on telling a positive story and the payoff will be exponential. 4. Retrain your thoughts. March negative, bad-feeling thoughts right out the door and replace them with healthy, positive thoughts that feel so much better. Doubt, fear, and worry will delay what you want

[00:05:51] from coming into your experience. To improve your thoughts, be aware of how you're feeling. If whatever you're thinking doesn't feel good, consciously change it. This type of retraining your brain will take practice. Here are some examples of how to gently change your thoughts and weave more and more positive thoughts into your life. Instead of, I don't have time to exercise. I'm just too busy. Besides, I hate exercising. Instead of that, focus on the loss of some free time

[00:06:20] is going to be so worth it. My mood will improve, I'll be in a better frame of mind, and I'll be healthier. I'm walking a little more each week. Instead of, I don't want to give up all the foods I love. Instead, focus on I'll introduce myself to tasty foods that I would never have otherwise tried. I'll reconnect with foods that I know are good choices, but somehow just fell away from. Instead of, I've struggled with my weight my whole life,

[00:06:48] and I'm probably just destined to be overweight. Instead, focus on I can make little changes toward being healthier. It feels good to imagine myself feeling fit and healthy. Each day, I'll be a little closer to being my best self, and I will enjoy the process of getting there. Five, make it fun. Are you one of those people who love to use tracking apps like Fitbit or MyFitnessPal? Those apps certainly bring convenience to getting hardcore numbers

[00:07:18] for calories consumed as well as calories burned and are perfect for people motivated by numbers. If you get overwhelmed just thinking about using a tracking app, find something that gets you inspired, something that motivates you. Count carbs, walk, join a fitness club or weight loss group, dance in your living room, find an exercise buddy, or focus on how your clothing fits. Regardless of what makes you tick, my point is to make it fun. Getting caught up in some tool or methodology

[00:07:48] that doesn't fit your personality will make success difficult. Instead, find a way to be smart about nutrition and exercise without stressing yourself out before you even get started. Figure out how you can make a game of it that will be fun and go with it. It doesn't matter what works for millions of people as seen on TV. If it isn't fun, find something that is. Hang around or these days Zoom with people who are fun to be with. Look for as much fun, ease, and bliss

[00:08:18] as possible. Enjoy the process of becoming your best self. You got this. Thoughts are powerful. So, get on the track of a mindset of positivity and believe you can attain whatever you want. Always remember that the way you feel is an indication of whether you're on a good path. Take time to feel joy in all the good, positive thoughts you have while you're on your way to getting where you want to go. Before I close, I want to give you my favorite tip

[00:08:48] for helping yourself cultivate a mindset of positivity. Every night before you go to sleep, write, or at least think about, three good things that happened in your day. Even small things count. You got this. You just listened to the post titled Kickstart Your Journey of Being Fit and Healthy by Ellen Bergen of ifitbringsyoujoy.com and I'll be right back with my commentary. Dr. Neil here

[00:09:18] for my commentary. I'm sure you've heard of the phrase paralysis by analysis. Sometimes, we are presented with so many options we can become overwhelmed. These overwhelming feelings can then lead to inaction. Think about how many diets people claim will help you lose weight and keep it off. There's keto, paleo, low carb, high fiber, low glycemic index, weight watchers, Nutrisystem, low fat, vegan, vegetarian,

[00:09:48] lacto-vegetarian, lacto-ovo-vegetarian, Mediterranean, the DASH diet, the Mind diet, the Whole30 diet. Shall I keep going? Which one should you follow? Well, we can easily go down the rabbit hole exploring the pros and cons of each of those listed and all the others that are out there. But where might that leave us? With so many options and so much conflicting information out there, we may end up throwing our hands up in the air and giving up. Meaning,

[00:10:18] after all this time analyzing these diets, we end up taking zero action. So, as Ellen discussed in her post, start with just one behavior. Maybe it's tracking your steps. Maybe it's tracking your food intake. But, don't spend too much time thinking about which one you want to start with. Just pick one and go. Don't spend too much time analyzing which app you're going to use to help you track these things. Just pick the one that's highest rated and go with that. The important thing

[00:10:47] is to get started. Because remember, as the saying goes, quote, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. So, we can't let overanalyzing prevent us from taking that first step. Thank you so much for being here. Thank you for listening every day. I hope you're having a wonderful week and I'll see you back here tomorrow where your optimal life awaits. Thank you. Thank you.