How to Get Out of Your Head and Into Your Body

"A mind is a terrible thing to waste" -- such a profound and inspirational statement that speaks to us all.

And, yet, all too often we do just that, waste it, by cluttering it with thoughts of fear, anxiety, worry, resentment, anger, and expectations. The list goes on. This state of mind soon causes us to neglect our bodies; and, in a sad turn of events, we essentially waste both.

For the past nine years, I have been helping people "break up" with their minds and "make up" with their body and soul.

Fitness and nutrition have been my trusted allies on this journey, coupled with an innate ability to make people feel comfortable being who they "truly" are. Aligning these three aspects of life ultimately leads to a deeper connection with ones own intuition, which is the blueprint to our happiness.

A key element in my success with clients is that I understand their struggles firsthand. For years my mind controlled me, with obsessive, self-destructive, dreadful and downright ridiculous thoughts that rained in my head like endless confetti. It felt like I was dealing with a mental bully from which there was no escape.

One event that stands out as a major catalyst in my adopting such a worry-filled mindset is the abrupt death of my mother at the age of 37. I was 9, my brother 18. With no father in the picture, we both moved in with our grandparents. Her death is the hardest thing I've had to deal with in my life thus far. I felt abandoned and betrayed. It drove me inward. I found it hard to open up and trust anyone. "They're just gonna leave anyway" was my rationale.

This carried into my early adult life, manifesting itself as dysfunctional relationships, abuse of alcohol and nicotine, sleeplessness, and eating everything on my body's "please don't feed me that" list. And although regular exercise was always a part of my life, I felt horrible.
Then one day it dawned on me that I was the sole proprietor of my mind and body. I was in control.

Sometimes we have "Aha" moments and other times we have "Duh!" moments. This was the latter. I began to reprogram my mind by honoring and listening to my body. I stopped overeating. I exercised more, cut out alcohol, slept more, read every book and health-related article that I could find, and surrounded myself with like-minded people.

The changes were immediately noticeable. That voice in my head got less and less audible, and I began to look and feel younger and younger. It wasn't easy, but to me, the alternative was a thousand times harder.

Here are some tips that have proven valuable to me in my journey out of my head back into my body. I hope you will find them useful.

FEED YOUR BODY WHAT "IT" WANTS, NOT WHAT YOUR "HEAD" WANTS

Filling our bodies with large amounts of foods that it doesn't want is like filling our car with diesel fuel when it takes premium and continuing to pour gas in it even when the tank is full. Insane right!? I know. I've been there! Try this. Eliminate fast and processed foods from your diet. Drastically cut your sugar and salt intake. And stick to eating organic fruits, veggies, fish, chicken, and lean beef, and lots of water. Cut portions by a third, cook at home more, and be creative with your food. The possibilities are limitless!

FELLOWSHIP WITH NATURE

The shear scale and power of the natural world snaps us out of our over-stimulated minds, forcing us to become more aware of our surroundings and how our body interacts with it. Hikes are great for this reason. Hiking challenges the body and gets you up close and personal with nature. Be sure to pay attention to the plant life, the sounds and smells. If you go with a friend, try not talking to one another for long periods. Allow your mind to take a back seat. Planting a small veggie garden is helpful and falls in line with the first tip. Create a place of natural serenity where you live, even if it's just a corner of a room.

BE MORE AFFECTIONATE

How many times has a warm hug snapped us out of a bad mood? I don't have an exact number either, but I can recall many such occasions! A hug is such a simple, yet highly affective action. Yet many of us can go weeks, even months, without a loving hug or touch, but endure traffic and watch TV on a daily basis. No wonder our minds have taken over! Change this by hugging at least three people a day. Make one of them a stranger. This might sound strange, but if you come from a place of sincerity and love, people are surprisingly responsive. Also, get regular massages. Mental stress hides in our bodies, massage helps in the cleaning process. Couples, you can start by giving each other five minute neck massages daily.

TRY YOGA

I can't stress this enough. Yoga changed my life. I was a skeptic at first. But a chance meeting with a yogi in Washington Square Park in New York changed that. I was stretching after a run. She came over and said, "Do you really wanna be flexible?" I said yes. She took me through an hour long, one on one yoga class. I left her feeling electric! Colors were vibrant, sounds were crystal clear, my spine was loose and nimble. I was hooked! The focus on breathing, the meditation, and the confronting physicality of it opens the door to a deeper, richer relationship with your mind, body and spirit. And it keeps you long and lean as a bonus.

GET UP AND GET DOWN

In other words...DANCE! As kids we all loved to do it, and we didn't care if we were shirtless in a pamper while everyone looked. When and why did we loose that freedom? I find it to be such a fun way to stay fit and let go. So stop worrying about who's looking and be the first one on the dance floor. After the first five minutes, you'll forget who's looking anyway.

It really all boils down to LOVE. If we are to affect positive change in this world we must give LOVE. That giving starts within.

Love is an action word: the more we love and honor our body and mind, the more we will love and honor others.

Is Television Priming Us to be Fat?

What do the movie “Inception”, NFL Monday Night Football and the book “Blink” have in common?
All explore the emerging insights into the architecture of the mind--more specifically, the impact of priming. Priming refers to the subliminal messages our minds absorb at the unconscious level that trigger feelings, actions or both. When primed, we take in ideas that influence us without our awareness.

Through an intriguing dramatization, “Inception” explores the possibility of entering and engineering dreams without the dreamer's awareness. Monday Night Football demonstrates the commercial application of priming, with sponsors eagerly spending an estimated $1.5 billion for ads during this season's program. And in "Blink," Malcolm Gladwell explains the priming mechanism--how the kind of thinking involved in priming "moves a little faster and operates a little more mysteriously than the kind of deliberate, conscious decision-making that we usually associate with 'thinking.'"
Subliminal messages surround us, and many are innocuous or even helpful. For example, credentials and degrees in a physician's waiting room build confidence in the quality of care we are about to receive. But other subliminal messages can harm our health.

After a filling evening meal, picture yourself sitting in front of the television and feeling a bit hungry. You spontaneously get up and go to the kitchen for a snack. A little later, you repeat the cycle. And again later, you eat another snack. Certainly, being a couch potato can make your waistline expand. But the real culprit may not be so obvious--it may be the unconscious way television primes you for late-night snacking.

In the Midst of An Epidemic of Obesity, Are We Priming Individuals to Eat More?

Imagine, if you will, purposefully exposing adults and children day after day to food priming. If the Nielsen’s Company study is correct, that's exactly what is occurring. Television viewing has never been higher: Americans are watching on average of five hours of television each day; children are watching television over four hours each day.

And consider this: most of our television viewing occurs in the evening, and late-night snacks are unusually high in calories--for example, ice cream, chips, cookies and snack foods. Eating in front of the television also leads to oversized portions since our attention is focused on the program, not on the food. So a handful of potato chips can quickly become an entire bag.Since most of us are not likely to give up nightly entertainment altogether, what's the best strategy to avoid television-induced eating?

Limit television time to two hours for all family members. Also, we can plan ahead. By anticipating our behavior, we can have healthy snacks available if we find ourselves hungry later in the evening. An apple or a small bowl of wholegrain cereal with milk is a good example. Saving calories from earlier in the day is an option as well.

We can also replace junk food ads with self-talk that promotes good health and appropriate eating. In terms of how our minds work, a background message is a background message, whether it comes from a television set or our own thoughts. Both leave indelible impressions. Once we are forewarned that a junk food ad can trigger an impulse to eat, we can counter its effect with self-talk.

Remaining Conscious Is the Challenge

What all of these strategies have in common is a willingness to stay intentional about eating. "Paying attention can make each bite a choice rather than a reflexive response," says Megrette Fletcher, executive director of the Center for Mindful Eating. "You may love Oreos, but that doesn't mean you have to eat one every time it presents itself. If you stop and consider that next Oreo and how you're feeling, you may opt to skip it--or not. But at least it will have been a conscious choice."

Without moving into a cave, we can't limit our exposure to the priming cues that bombard us daily, but we can be proactive in managing our eating. Is the effort worthwhile? You'll have to decide for yourself. The outcome, however, will determine whether you are primed to be fat or enjoying the prime of your life.

How to Motivate Yourself

This time of year can be tough to get yourself to the gym and give 100 percent in your workouts. Our New Year's resolutions tend to be replaced by the "winter blues." Don’t let the blues get you down and differ you from your goals! We compiled a list of useful tips to help get you back on track with your fitness regimen.

Write down your workouts

Telling yourself that you are going to work out later isn’t as reliable as marking it in your calendar or putting a note somewhere you will see it.

Have a workout partner
It could be a significant other, a family member, or a friend. This person will help to push and encourage you.

Keep track of your accomplishmentsLooking at your progress and how far you’ve come will motivate you to go further. Keep pushing!

Switch things up
By trying new things and switching up your workout routine, you avoid the dreaded fitness plateau. Your body and mind need change and challenge.

Crank the beats
Music gets you amped up and in the mood for a workout. Picking songs with a lot of bass will motivate you to go 100 percent in the gym.

A short workout is better than no workout
Even if you have limited time, a short workout is better than none at all. Interval training burns more fat and calories in a short amount of time.

Sign up for an event
Doing this will hold you accountable for something such as a 5K. At the end, you have the feeling of accomplishment.

Rest!
Hitting the gym hard every day and overworking yourself can result in fatigue and/or injury. If you get rest and dedicate a day off from the gym, you will have more energy for your harder workouts.