Strong Mind Leads to Strong Body!

My theory is that the first battle of weight loss and fitness is waged in the mind. Once you've conquered the mind - at least overpowered it to work for you instead of against you - then your body naturally follows. Hence, in my last post (Oct. 4, 2007), I shared with you the story of Dick and Rick Hoyt. Dick subjected himself to rigorous physical training in order to provide a dream-come-true experience for his handicapped son, Rick. This man wasn't a runner, and I don't think he really even knew how to swim. But for the sake of his son, he took the challenge of training for races, later for marathons, and then unbelievably, ironman competitions. He had to gird his mind to force his body to comply with such training; if his mind wasn't fully engaged in it, he wouldn't have succeeded!

Well lo and behold, my newspaper published a story today about the "true grit" of a local U.S. soldier who was severely injured in Iraq in September 2006, and finally returned home a few weeks ago. The incredible part of Rick Yarosh's story is not the explosion that burned and scarred his face so terribly that his nose and ears are gone, or that he rolled into contaminated water to put out his fire only to have the bacteria in the water cause cholera and skin fungus, or that his shattered right leg had to be amputated below the knee, or his hands are mutilated, or even that he's had to be away from family and friends while in Texas at a military hospital and rehabilitation for a year. No, the absolutely incredible and beautiful part of this story is this man's attitude, his strength of mind to focus on his little improvements and what he can do, instead of on the long, long difficult road ahead of him and the things he can't do. It's absolutely awe inspiring.

So once again, I'm providing a link to a story of another human being who has overcome overwhelming circumstances. And my point? To remind you that whatever problem you're facing, the battle to beating it begins in the mind! We can relate this idea to health and fitness. Once you dig down deep inside you and find a reason for WHY you should pursue better health, then conviction grabs hold and you've got half the battle won. The next step is to then move your body in an "amped up" way from what you are used to - and not leisurely for just a few days a week! Commit to 45 minutes to one hour at least five days a week! You might as well face the music now - changing your shape and health is going to be hard work. If you can accept that, then you're on the road to progress. Last, change one poor nutrition habit - and there you go, take baby steps forward toward your goal. Focus on how you're improving and not on the long road ahead of you!