Thinking makes it so....

When Shakespeare wrote “thinking makes it so,” he meant that our thoughts guide our actions and often become self-fulfilling prophecies.  Having been in the fitness world for the last 18years I have seen how “mind over matter” really comes into action when a new skill is presented to a client.  Regardless of the age of a person, the ability to reframe and retrain our thinking in the positive and staying focused on the present task makes the difference in being successful with our physical health and wellness.

I had worked with the senior age population for 4 years and it broadened my horizons on the ability of the human body to become stronger, more flexible, and more functional despite the aging process. This process, however, begins with the mind.  When I first became an employee at the Frisco Senior center, the seniors in the strength, core, balance class said; “just so you know we are not getting on the floor.” I thought ok……… for now.  Now there are some seniors who have physical limitations that need a modification for floor exercises but within months and small steps of encouragement, the seniors were getting up and down just fine. They would see it in their daily lives as well.  They had the ability to garden and take care of their lawns for longer durations, could play on the floor with grandchildren and having more strength to lift and move furniture without injury.  Learning how to overcome the negative thoughts of;” I am too old”, “I just can’t do _____ anymore,” “I am retired and should be sitting on the sofa with the remote” is not an easy task.  But let’s face it, most Americans want to stay healthy, feel good enough to travel and be the best they can be so they can enjoy life to the fullest and in order to do that we must choose to keep our bodies in top physical condition.  

How can you get there if you have never exercised or maybe you are comfortable with one aspect of exercise like cardio (walking) but feel insecure about weight training, or do not know how much to do.  Here are some suggestions: 1.) Develop an exercise plan (you can do this by yourself or meet with a nationally certified trainer) Have a plan or Fail to plan! 2.) Three aspects to your plan should include: clean eating (80% of your results start in the kitchen), weight training progression (using weights will increase metabolism and sustain/increase muscle mass to avoid osteoporosis), cardio training progression (vary the intensity and type of cardio activity you do).  Look for more on this in next submissions. 3.) Get involved in a class or begin exercising with a friend. 4.) Small steps lead to success, be patient with the process. 

Life is a journey and the more aware we can be about out health and then take charge of it, the more aging becomes a number.  So take the next few months and begin your journey toward a lifestyle of thinking yourself into physical success.