wow winter 2016

SPIRITFIT
While all these resolutions are great,
New Year’s resolution #1-Improve fitness/
lose weight is something a large majority
of us strive to achieve at some point in our
lives. The secret to obtaining this and all
the other goals lies in our thoughts and our
ability to control our thoughts to manifest
our goals. In a nutshell, we simply need to
mind our thoughts to mind our body.
Think about it, year after year people
participate in mindless actions like going
to the health club, taking high intensity
classes that they’re not ready for, purchasing
the latest high intensity fad video/DVD,
or embarking on hodge podge workout
routines has left countless numbers of
people burned out, injured and discouraged
within weeks of trying to obtain their
fitness/weight loss goals.
Minding our thoughts to mind our body
begins with a purposeful thought process
that focuses on specific questions that allow
us to think about and map out a plan for
success. For example you may ask yourself
questions like the following:
1.) Why do you (I) want to change your
(my) fitness level/lose weight?
2.) Have you (I) attempted fitness level
changes/weight loss efforts before?
3.) Were your (my) efforts successful,
why or why not?
4.) What do you (I) need to do to achieve
your (my) goals?
Answers to these types of questions can
help one to focus their thinking and help
identify thoughts, situations and patterns
that may have caused starts/stops in past
fitness improvement/weight loss attempts.
Past thoughts like, “I’ll be more accepted
if I lose weight,” or “I’ll never achieve this
goal,” can curtail your success attempts.
Situations like caring for a loved one,
increased school or work assignments can
cause lapses (stops) in attempts to obtain
your goals. Patterns that can result from
these thoughts or situations can include,
eating to soothe discouragement, increased
stress, abandoning your goals all together.
Conversely, if we refocus our thoughts to
focus on the positive, such as, “Improving
my fitness level or losing weight will help
me increase my energy level,” “Increased
energy levels will help me be more focused
to complete my work/school assignments”,
we will place ourselves in a position to
yield positive results.
Minding our thoughts allow us a positive
change in attitude that helps us to identify
reasons to continue to work toward our
goals. This positive change in attitude can
also help us to find activities that we can
participate in as we navigate changes and
situations that may occur in our lives. So
before you jump on the usual fitness band
wagon this year, take time to really focus on
the who, what, when, where, why and how
of your fitness/weight loss goals. Carefully,
thinking about all of these components
as you focus on uplifting, encouraging
thoughts will allow you to achieve the
desired results in your physical body.
Remember the Bible says “As a man
thinketh in his heart, so is he.” So mind
your thoughts for a healthier body.•
© 2016 Yvonne
Taylor is a Fitness
Professional with
20 years of personal
training, Pilates and
Group Exercise and
client experience. She is
also the former director
for the Spirit Fit Ministry at Trinity Baptist
Community Church in Crystal Lake, Il.
www.thewowmagazine.com
WOW! MAGAZINE | WINTER 2016 | 53