(ThyBlackMan.com) The body hears everything the mind says.
—Naomi Judd
Ever been around a person who habitually downs his or her perceived lack of progress regarding their fitness goals? They sound something like this: ‘I’ll never lose this weight’! ‘I’m fat’! ‘I wish I had his or her body’! It’s called negative self-talk and many a body and life it has ruined.
In Holy Scripture we read:
The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.
Proverbs 15:4
Negative banter carries over into one’s body. Too often we beat up on ourselves because of our perceived failures. We begin to convince ourselves that we don’t deserve that promotion; we will never find a
mate or we will never experience the abundant life. When the mind engages in this negative self-talk, guess who’s the first victim? It’s our body that suffers. Headaches, ulcers, tight muscles etc. have internal as well as external causation’s.
Always watch what you say about your body, for in many ways the body is tuned in to our thoughts.
Here are four tips to remember when tempted to talk negative within ear shot of your body.
Understand the Importance of the Mind-Body Relationship.
Fitness rarely yields instant results. Begin to temper your expectations with positive appraisals of your progress. Progress does not always show up in pounds lost or any of the other markers we associate with success in our culture.
It’s always good to recognize where you fall short in any of your goals – whether in the gym or in life. But kicking yourself constantly sure will not lead you to seeing progress and results. One thing is certain: mental and physical frustration feed off each other. If we are experiencing mental anxiety, it will show up in the Body Temple.
The Posture for Success in Life
Good posture is important in the gym. It’s also important mentally. You can overcome any situation with your non-physical posture. You do not have to live defeated, even if the odds are against you. Whatever you are up against, however daunting the odds may appear, today activate your faith and become more than a conqueror by practicing the quintessential posture for success:
Feet forward shoulders squared back straight chin up and breathe!
Live with your feet forward, shoulders squared, back straight, chin up and breathe and no circumstance shall defeat you! This is the attitude and posture of the person who is more than a conqueror.
Sit in Silence
In our frenetic and fast-paced world we rarely get a moment free of noise. People far too often bring noise home with them – the overbearing boss, the gossiping co-workers and road-rage drivers – and they arrive home to noise.
There is power in repose. The phrase ‘Be still’ is used seven times throughout the Holy Bible. Take a moment and immerse yourself in silence – the ultimate mental detox.
Get away from everybody; mute the phone and television. Find a ‘sweet spot’ – sofa, lazy boy or just sprawled on your bed, while you listen to nothing but the sound of your breathing.
When you understand the importance of the mind-body relationship, when you practice good physical and mental posture and when you sit in silence, you’ll appreciate the need for speaking wholesome thoughts around your body.
Staff Writer; W. Eric Croomes
This talented brother is a holistic lifestyle exercise expert and founder and executive coach of Infinite Strategies LLC, a multi-level coaching firm that develops and executes strategies for fitness training, youth achievement and lifestyle management. Eric is an author, fitness professional, holistic life coach and motivational speaker.
In October 2015, Eric released Life’s A Gym: Seven Fitness Principles to Get the Best of Both, which shows readers how to use exercise to attract a feeling of wellness, success and freedom (Infinite Strategies Coaching LLC, 2015) – http://www.infinitestrategiescoaching.com.