Why do we workout? Knowing the why and getting to the heart of the matter really has so much more staying power and stickeness than not having a good reason why.
One excellent reason to start a workout program and to stick with it is to do it for more confidence. I mean you really don't just hop on the train to "fitness land" merely to look good and that's it. You really want the things that come with it. The good health, the feeling great, the playing with your kids, the keeping up with the friend you walk with, etc......That stuff builds confidence and confidence plays a major part in all aspects of life. It often times can be really under rated.
You see, confidence can make the difference between so many things in life.
For instance, it can make the difference between staying in a bad relationship and leaving to totally improve your life, your kids, and people around you. It can give you the freedom to make your own decisions to grow and make the right choices for you and those you are responsible for.
It can make the difference between being ok with the house you are living in and going out and getting a great job to be able to get that home and environment you were meant to live in.
It can also, and this is a really important one....make your children and other family members more confident. Heck, even your friends can benefit by your confidence if only by you supplying that energy and paying it forward.
And you should by the way. It is our duty to serve and help those who don't yet have an attributes that you posses and those they are trying to achieve.
Basically, it can change your life. You see again, we do not work out merely to get in shape. Even if you think that is the only reason, it's not. We do it to get the gifts from getting in shape. We do it because we are searching. And we are searching for a particular way of life. An idea in our head of what it could be like if we get in that shape. We do it for growth plain and simple.
Also, be happy you are searching to grow because the minute you stop you decline. There is no neutral state. By the way if you do currently workout, congratulations on the intention for growth. You are in the 5% of the population that wants to grow by getting fit. Smaller number than you thought right? Bet you didn't know that. With all of my years of training and working out myself, teaching everything from Aqua fit, Cycling, and Yoga, to private Training and Meditation, I have learned a thing or two about how to get someone to raise their confidence and their life.
That said here are seven principals to gain a lot more confidence by using your workout program. You can start right here, right now. And if you apply these techniqes, simple as they are, you can really ramp up your life.
I will be going into more detail about these princables in my next seven articles. For now, here is the list.
Receive: Number one is to receive the benefits. Getting the benefits merely from the workouts are great. The benefits may be fitting into your size six pants, being able to play longer and harder with your kids, doing better at work, etc...But we need to receive and take in those benefits in the way on gratefulness. I will go into more detail in the next article. For now be grateful and thankful for your healthy body and mind.
Affirm: Make positive affirmations during and after the workout. I don't really believe in self affirmations by themselves, but I love affirming taken with action. It works. While you are working out, tell yourself everyday that you are stronger than the day before and you are getting in the best shape of your life. I believe that your body is listening to you. Sound crazy? Don't discard. There have been countless studies on the power of the mind and how it relates to an individuals body. I will go into more detail in the third article.
Visualize: Visualize your successes and visualize your successes putting you in a great place. Visualize your workout successes putting you in a strong place. You can do this by meditation, vision boards and visualization. The sub consceince loves pictures. You need to go into detail with this and you will be better served visualizing something to exageration and perfection. Another words over shoot your intention. If you can't see it, you can't be it. I will go in more detail in the fourth article.
Develop Your Workout Habit: Keeping to your workout schedule. We are creatures of habit and this is a really important thing to allow for when setting up your schedule. Ok here is the deal....the first 3 months is critical to developing a habit to the point that you never again have to "think" about if you're going to workout or eat right. I will go into more detail on habits in the fifth article. Just know that right now you need to stick with your workout schedule for the next three months as best you can.
Challenge yourself: Putting yourself out there and doing something harder than you think like entering a 10k or something you have always wanted or intended to do is a great way to hike up your confidence. In the six article I will give you ideas on what kinds of challenges could best serve you.
Acting "as if", after the workout. With the serotonin levels up after a great workout, you can really set the stage for acting as if you have confidence. Simply do and say things (authentically like yourself) that you would do and say "if" you were the most confident person you know. That in itself is great for confidence. Make an effort to look good. Looking great in the weight room or studio really helps. Whoever said you can't put a little makeup on or guys wear a fitted Nike shirt while you are working out. It is just more positive energy and it can't but help you feel better than you would if you came in to work out in some baggy pants, stained sneakers and an oversized mens t- shirt. Jeez, I get depressed just thinkin' about that.
Start applying these princibles now. Right now. Don't wait, you don't need an invitation. Then read the next seven articles in this series in the following weeks.
Copyright (c) 2008 Gina Cool
Affirmations For Self Confidence
Without confidence to promote yourself as competent and efficient you are losing credibility, opportunities, status and many more valuable assets. You can overcome this problem by taking action NOW!!
Many issues are responsible for the lack of self confidence. They have to be identified before any improvement can be made. Some of the factors which cause lack of self-confidence are:-
- Fear.
- Self Belief.
- Personality.
- Attitude.
- Communication Skills.
- Education.
- Low Self Esteem.
These are just some of the problems, but obviously there are others which you need to confront.
Often outside help is required to boost your self confidence as most people find it difficult to carry out self analysis by being objective, accurate and critical of themselves. But remember you can overcome some of the causes with simple steps outlined below. At times professional help is required and is readily available on the Internet and from other sources. This help can be extremely beneficial when properly used and can greatly increase your prospects in employment in addition to improving the quality of your life.
Let us examine the reasons listed above to find how to overcome them.
FEAR The most common fear is fear of failure. whether it is in employment, sport, home life, socialising, communicating, just the fear of failure can prevent you achieving success. the fear of failure is purely in the mind, and once you convince yourself that is so you will be able to start making progress. Then you will be able to take chances. You will be able to look for more responsibility at work and as your confidence grows you will start to look for promotion in your job. If you play a sport, accept you are not going to be a top professional, but also decide you will be as good as you can be. In other words, accept the level of your expertise and enjoy it. Be confident about it. After all, we can't all be Tiger Woods or Wayne Rooney. Millions of people who are not good at their favourite sport are able to derive tremendous satisfaction from it.
If your home life is suffering through your insecurity, do a reality check, analyse what you think are your short comings, and can you improve it. YES YOU CAN. Get help, talk to your friends, relatives, and partners, and ask for their opinion. There is no shame in asking acquaintances, friends and relatives for advice. Socialising can sometimes be difficult for people with little confidence, particularly if you tend to be shy. One of the best ways of building confidence is, when in a social situation, to listen to what people are saying. If you feel you have a point to make or an opinion, speak up. But do be careful and make sure your view is relevant to the discussion. If not, say nothing, and listen. You will always find someone or some group who are talking about a subject you know something about. You don't have to be an expert to mention a valid point or to display an interest in the subject being discussed. Simply by showing an interest you will find socialising becomes much easier. It's important to always try and keep up to date with current events. Obviously not all current events, but ones which interest you. That way you will always be able to make a contribution to a discussion or small talk at a social function. If you follow the tips in this article you will go a long way to improving your self confidence.
Don't forget. The only fear of fear is fear itself.
Both Gina Cool & Michael Russell are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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