What do we have to gain from exercising? Is it pride? Victory? Self-worth? Health? We are all exercising for different reasons. Somewhere deep down is a need that is being fulfilled. Or maybe there isn’t, and your connection to your purpose isn’t clear. Is it worth finding the purpose?
Well..
Of course!
People who believe that their physical activities will improve their health and fitness reap greater results from exercise than those who don’t believe that what they are doing is exercise. At least that is what a recent study proved from Harvard University. The study’s purpose was to determine whether the belief that exercise improves fitness would result in any fitness improvements.
These results support the hypothesis that exercise affects health in part or in whole via the placebo effect. Whether the change in physiological health was brought about directly or indirectly, it is clear that health is significantly affected by mindset.
In the study, the only thing that changed is the belief that their exercise was more beneficial than believed previously.
Therefore their expectations went from expecting to stay the same to expecting to change their bodies.
The control group that was told that their same exercise program would be a maintenance program did just that. They maintained their current physique.
It’s hard to believe what I am reading!
The placebo effect is a dangerous and powerful tool.
How can you begin to believe?
It’s not your events in your life that shape you, it is your perception of what those events mean to you.
Your brain is always asking two questions when it answers what your perception of life is:
Is this going to mean pain or pleasure?
Is this good or bad?
Further, it begins to generalize these answers to all similar situations.
Think of opening the door to your car.
You understand intuitively how to accomplish this. You walk up to it and pull on the handle and the door opens.
You’ve done this enough times you expect that you will open the door every time. That is until you come to a locked door. Your brain has generalized the event of opening doors.
If your door were always locked, then you’d be surprised when you encountered an unlocked door.
So your belief systems are actually based on references.
The strength of your beliefs is based on the amount of references, and the strength of the references. How convincing were those references?
Because the ultimate killer of belief is doubt.
If you are convinced, then likely your references were strong, and they are numerous.
Otherwise, we like to call those opinions.
They aren’t that different. Other than the emotional intensity of those beliefs, the pleasure or pain behind it.
With enough emotional intensity and repetition, your nervous system can experience something as real.
Over Estimate Yourself.
The truth is the over estimation of yourself now is still a far under estimation of your true capabilities.
Getting rid of “learned helplessness” involves three steps.
Decide your situation isn’t permanent.
Your situation isn’t pervasive. It is only a small challenge. It isn’t life consuming.
Don’t take it personally.
So How Do We Change?
Associate a massive amount of pain to beliefs that no longer serve you.
Don’t turn your problems into a source of pleasure. Don’t identify with it.
Create DOUBT.
Remember Santa Claus?
You believed in him at one point, and I bet to some degree you would have defended that belief with your life.
After all, it is actually expectation versus doubt.
It comes down to optimism.
It isn’t a blind, rosy picture of the World.
It is a truly simplified way of looking at things.
Understanding that working towards your goals is step one, and your expectations have to align with the belief that those steps will achieve your goal.
My Signature Method, Your Signature Move!
