Changing Your Mindset toward Diet and Exercise

Changing Your Mindset toward Diet and Exercise
Our society is sicker and fatter than ever before in the
history of our modern civilization. Toxic exposure from
chemicals all around us, a lack of proper nutrition, a
society that encourages a "couch potato" lifestyle, and
stress created by our jobs and daily living all contribute
to our ill health. Add fad diets, weight loss supplements,
and exercise gadgets that just don't work into the mix, and
you have the makings of a crisis.

The problem is exacerbated by an overwhelming amount of
misinformation related to health and fitness. Millions of
diets, gurus, books, and websites all claim to have the
solutions, but we, as a society, just keep getting sicker
and fatter.

Kim Lyons, trainer for NBC's Biggest Loser, weighs in with
Symposium host Craig Pepin-Donat on negative attitudes
toward nutrition and exercise and how people can break
through those destructive thought patterns to create a
healthier lifestyle.

"Destructive Attitudes toward Diet and Exercise"

"People's general attitude towards exercise and proper
nutrition is so incredibly negative," she says. "I do a lot
of public speaking, and the first thing I do when I go into
a room is say, 'Tell me the first thing that comes to your
mind when you hear the word diet.' Everyone responds with
'plain,' 'boring,' or 'hungry,' and you never hear 'fun' or
'feel good.'

"I tell people that when you start eating healthy, you
should start focusing on the positive. Realize how good you
feel after you eat healthy. You order the side salad
instead of French fries and your friends say, 'Are you
kidding me? Why are you ordering a salad? What, are you
getting healthy?'

"Tell them, 'Yes, I'm eating healthy, and I feel so good. I
dropped a pant size, and I feel so good about myself.'

"All of a sudden people are going to say, 'Oh, I want to do
that, too.' It's contagious.

Going to the gym is another thing people have negative
thoughts about. I'll say, 'Okay, now, let's talk about
workout.' They think about sweat, misery, pain, and
soreness with the gym, and they say they don't have time.
There's something you can do in the tiny bit of space in
your living room, and you can incorporate everything from
cardio to resistance training.

"Resistance training is absolutely crucial. You have to do
it, but you don't have to do it with metal, and you
definitely don't have to do it in the gym. There are
resistance bands and so many other pieces of equipment; you
can even use your own body weight.

"You have to make it fun. Go back to your childhood when
you played kickball, softball, and soccer. All that is
working out; that's exercise. "Thinking Like a Fit Person"
"Doing abs, doing push-ups; there are so many things you
can do. I call it,

'Thinking like a fit person.'

What that means is there are no more escalators in your
life; there are no more elevators in your life. Little
things like having an ab ball to sit on at your desk or
sitting next to your couch, so that when you are watching
TV, you're going to be more prone to grab that thing. Even
if you're just stretching out or sitting on it, you're
improving your posture.

"I encourage people to have a jump rope on their coffee
table. That's always incredibly entertaining, because it's
pretty tough for somebody to look at a jump rope and not
try it. Even if you put it on your desk at work, somebody
will pick it up and start jump-roping. Little things like
that all add up over time and help you burn calories and
get you in shape.

It's a matter of just throwing out all those old habits and
consciously finding a way to replace them with things that
you like. Of course, it's easier said than done. It does
take about three weeks for it to become a habit. It is
funny when you start taking note of all the things that you
do and then finding things to replace them. It's really not
that tough. But, it does take time, and it does take
effort."

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Craig Pepin-Donat is uniquely qualified to speak on issues
of health and fitness. With over a quarter century of
experience, Craig led several high profile fitness
organizations as president and as executive vice president
for the world's largest fitness organization, 24 Hour
Fitness.
You can learn more about Craig Pepin-Donat at
http://www.ThePeoplesGuidetoHealth.com or at
http://www.fitadvocate.com .