Holy Healthfoods Batman! - Superhero Foods to put the Ka-Pow Back into Your Life

This blog post is brought to you in association with @BeachBodyBible on Twitter!

We've gone superhero crazy as we take a look at some healthtastic superfoods that you should be including in your diet...

NB: The following superhero sound effects are courtesy of Batmania.com which even indexes the Batman episodes each sound appears in - gotta love it! http://bit.ly/nMoa4X

What are Superfoods?

Superfoods was a phrase first coined in the 1990s to describe food items that contain a particualrly high level of beneficial vitamins, minerals and other nutrients, which help prevent disease and have a positive healing and effect on the body. The Batman and Robin, Superman and Spiderman (insert the name of your favourite superhero here) of the food world, if you will. (Just go with it, it's the weekend, it's fun, we're feeling frivolous - although our message is serious!)

"POW!" Packing a Punch - Pomegranate Seeds

Pomegranate seed oil is an excellent dietary supplement as it reduces the body's ability to store fat and has powerful antioxidant properties that prevent fatty deposits forming in your arteries.

They taste great and as they are so sweet they can curb your cravings for sugary foods meaning that you are less tempted to reach for the candy bars!

Pretty, fruity and sweet but packing a powerful punch pomegrnates are the She Ra of the superfood world!

 Bananaman - his superfood is a banana, obviously!

"OMG" it's Olive Oil (and we're not talking Popeye's missus!)

Although Olive oil is fat, it consists of healthy monounsaturated fat that aids digestion and is much better for you than the trans fats that are found in fast food and cakes and biscuits. The fatty acids in olive oil also trigger a protein in the body that causes you to feel fuller faster so you’re less likely to overindulge and eat too much!

Fatty but healthy and always with your best interests at heart, Olive Oil is the Mr Incredible of the superhero world.

"Aieeeee" for Apple Cider Vinegar

Vinegar has many medicinal uses including:

• Treating yeast infections such as candida.
• Applied topically it can relieve minor sunburn and jellyfish stings
• Treating ear infections
• It can help promote weight loss as part of a balanced diet and exercise routine
• It can aid in skin detoxification when applied topically in a diluted form
• Helping pre-digestion in the mouth
• Relief from heartburn and arthiritis
• Lowering blood pressure and cholesterol
• It contains high levels of potassium which means it is a great immune system booster

Another benefit of vinegar is its cleaning properties. It’s great at shifting grease from the bathroom, getting rid of mould and cleaning mirrors and windows!

In order to benefit from these medicinal properties it is important to buy the right type of vinegar. It should be apple cider vinegar and it should be unfiltered, unpasteurized and organic.

Versatile and ominipresent with a sharp tongue and visious afterbite, vinegar is the Wonder Woman of the superfood world.

"Clunk, Crash and Crunch" your Chili

Capsaicin is the component that gives chili it’s tingling heat. It inhibits the growth of fat cells and boosts your metabolic rate. People who eat chilies can burn up to an additional 209kJ a day! If you’re not a fan of hot food Capsaicin is available in tablet form.

Even the tablets can feel a little hot as you digest them so it is a good idea to take them with a little milk to counteract any minor afterburn or tingling!

Chili is such a hot sensation it's got to be Tomb Raider Lara Croft in the Suprfood microcosm.

Get your "Biff, Bap, Bang" with more Blueberries

Blueberries are low calorie and high in fiber, vitamin C and antioxidants

They confer the following health benefits:

• Inhibit and prevent the development and growth of cancer - particularly colon cancer - and shrink existing cancerous tumors
• Improve memory and help to prevent memory loss
• Maintain coordination and balance
• Reduce cholesterol levels and therefore protect the heart and help it to maintain healthy functionality
• Prevent and help to heal urinary tract infections

They are delicious with a few tablespoons of coconut or plain yoghurt and a few strawberries, raspberries and pomegranate seeds.

Curvy and blue these little berries are reminiscent of Mystique from X-men

"Flash" freezing for Acai Berries

In their natural from Acai berries are a deep bluish purple colour. They are primarily found in the Brazilian rainforest and the indigenous tribes have made use of their medicinal properties for hundreds of years. Their arrival in the Western world is more recent because once picked, the berries are only at their peak for 24 hours before they start to turn and perish. In addition only 10% of the berry is edible and so it requires vast quantities of the fruit to make a sufficient amount to export to sell or make into tablet form. The discovery of new flash freezing techniques has meant that the product can now be preserved, exported and turned into tablet form more easily. The Acai berry has the following benefits:

• Acting as an appetite suppressant
• Boosting energy and stamina
• Boositng your immune system
• Helping to protect against heart disease
• Reducing chances of diabetes
• Helping to prevent the onset of Alzheimers
• Increasing your libido
• Reduce inflammation and delay aging

These little red berries remind us of Violet, Dash and Jacj-Jack the amazing kinds in The Incredibles!

Other superfoods include fiber, apples, salmon, nuts, baked beans (try to get a variety with no added sugar), low-fat live yoghurt, bananas, popcorn, eggs, horseradish, blackcurrants , spirulina, wheatgrass, broccoli, beetroot and many more which we will look at in future blog posts.

Join BeachBody Club for just $2.99 today or get yourself on the amazing Shakeology Program today and you will receive brilliantly simple meal plans to help you lose weight, get fit and look fantastic!

Holy Healthkick Batfans how can you possibly not be healthy with these superhero superfoods?

 

I Think Therefore I Am

It’s Therapy Thursday on Twitter page @BeachBodybible today so we thought we’d write a complementary blog post about how our thoughts and words affect our bodies and our minds.

The speed at which technology evolves means that we are incessantly discovering new ways to communicate with one another. Mobiles phones, social media, Skype and IM all allow us to express ourselves to our friends, our enemies and the world at large via a wide variety of different media.  We all understand that our words can have a huge impact on those who receive them, but have you ever stopped to wonder how the words you speak or the thoughts you have every minute of the day affect your own physical and mental health?

Our words and thoughts affect every aspect of our lives. We create our lives through our perceptions of ourselves and our environment. The placebo effect is scientific proof of the power of the words and thoughts that create our belief systems. Those who subscribe to the metaphysical concept of the Law of Attraction believe that we create our physical and mental reality through our perceptions of ourselves and our environment. They say that what we think about expands and becomes who we are.

Not sure what you believe? Try this simple test to see how your positive and negative thoughts affect your physiology.

The following 2 exercises are also great to do with a friend. Sit opposite your friend and do both parts of the exercise. Keep your eyes open while you are talking to your friend (if you are doing the exercises alone keep your eyes closed). Ask your friend to keep a close watch on your posture, your facial expressions, your breathing, your tone of voice and your overall physiology and once the recall part of the exercise is over ask your friend to tell you what changes they noticed.

Exercise 1 - The Effects of Happy Thoughts and Words

1.       Sit in an upright chair (not a squashy armchair) and take 10 deep breaths, inhaling and exhaling slowly to relax your body and clear your mind.

2.       Close your eyes and keep them closed.

3.       Think about the last time that you were really happy. What was the event that made you happy? How did you feel?

4.       Think of 3 words that describe the happy feelings. For example "happy" or "excited"

5.       Say these words out loud in relation to yourself, for example “I am happy” or “I am excited”.

6.       Cast your mind back to everything that made that day so wonderful and hold that thought for a minute.

7.     With your eyes still closed take note of your physical stance. How has it changed from when you were relaxed and breathing deeply? You may even have noticed subtle changes occurring in your posture as you were thinking about your happy event. Write down the changes you have noticed.

The vast majority of people find that when they are talking or thinking about their happy experience, their spine elongates, they sit up straighter, hold their head up higher and feel taller. Their stance is open with their chest exposed, arms outstretched and hands gesticulating or palms open and often facing upwards. Their eyes are brighter and if they are doing the exercise with a friend they establish more eye contact with the listener. Their tone of voice is in the upper register and sounds melodious, they talk clearly and loudly, their breathing is relaxed and they are smiling while they speak.

Exercise 2 - The Effects of Unhappy Thoughts and Words

1.       Return to the relaxed position and take 10 deep breaths again to clear your mind and return to a normal physiological state.

2.       Close your eyes and keep them closed

3.       Think about the last time you were really miserable. What was the event that made you unhappy? How did you feel?

4.       Think of 3 words that describe your unhappiness.

5.       Say these 3 words out loud. “I am unhappy”, “I am frightened” etc.

6.       Cast your mind back to everything that made that day so terrible and hold those thoughts for a minute.

7.       With your eyes still closed take note of your physical stance. How has it changed from when you were relaxed and breathing deeply? How has it changed from when you were thinking about the happy event?

The vast majority of people find that when they are reliving an unhappy experience, their spine shortens and they slump in their chair, their breathing becomes more shallow and their mouth downturned, their voice is quiet, low, slow and crackly, their jaw is tense and they feel unwell and tired.

Wind Down

We don’t want to end this exercise on an unhappy note so once more before we end the exercise, return to the relaxed position in your chair.

1.       Close your eyes and take 10 deep breaths

2.       Think about a pastime that relaxes you for example walking the dog, swimming, lying on the beach, having a spa day, having a bath - anything that makes you feel at peace.

3.       Take note of how relaxed you feel and find 3 words to express this. Say them out loud. For example “I am relaxed” or “I am content”.

I’ll leave you with this thought. If you are constantly dwelling on bad experiences, thinking about them and giving them credence with your words and in turn your body is reacting to these thoughts as it did in the exercise, folding in on itself, hunched over, breathing shallowly, mouth downturned, how do you think this is affecting both your body and your mind long term? How likely is it that these physiological changes will last longer and longer and cause you illness and disease? How is your attitude affecting your life?

Lastly, if you are always thinking about how grateful you are for the good things in your life, always talking to your friends about your happy experiences, what positive effects do you think this will have on your mental and physical health and indeed on everyone around you?

Follow @BeachBodyBible on Twitter here: http://bit.ly/oxMAnw 

To sign up to BeachBody's health adn fitness programs and get psychotherapist Loretta Phillips as your fitness coach, click here: http://bit.ly/jpbhTZ

To your happiness and success!

                                                              

It's Arrived - the P90X2 is here!

Infamous fitness guru Tony Horton, creator of the fantastically popular P90X, has now designed an amazing follow up workout program called the P90X2! Tony Horton and his team have input 2 years of research and development and the training technique used in the P90X2 program, Post-Activation Potentiation is totally cutting edge to ensure fantastic fast results meaning you’ll be really ripped! If you want to get your P90X2 before everyone else, click here to preorder: http://bit.ly/mRDIHn

P90X2 gives you12 groundbreaking workouts focused on carving and chiseling your body to perfection, while also building your balance, agility, core strength and overall athleticism. The P90X2 also includes an all new, highly flexible Nutrition Plan to help you reach your physical goals even faster. The ethos behind the P90X2 is getting your body to peak physical performance level so you can excel in every area of your life at work, rest and play.

The P90X2 is now available for preorder.It is in such high demand that you need to pre-order  now to ensure that you get your copy by December 25th. Otherwise you wont be able to get your copy of the P90X2 until 2012! So click here to preorder your P90X2 workout now: http://bit.ly/mRDIHn and get FREE SHIPPING and another 2 free workout DVDs worth $39.90 as a little gift from us you!

There are 3 levels of P90X2 , Base Deluxe and Ultimate

P90X2 BASE

Based on P90X® Muscle Confusion™, P90X2™ ups the ante by adding a training technique developed by professional sports trainers for the world's elite athletes. 12 groundbreaking workouts give you mind-blowing visible results, while building balance, agility, core strength, and athleticism.

15 DVDs (14 workouts and “How to Bring It Again”)
or 4 Blu-ray™ Discs

Fitness Guide
Nutrition Guide
90-day Workout Calendar
$119.85

P90x2 Deluxe

Now you can get everything that's included in the P90X2 base kit, PLUS two exclusive P90X2 bonus workouts to add even more variety. To optimize your workout, you'll also get key equipment all at a saving of 35%.

Includes everything in P90X2 Base, plus:

2 bonus P90X2 advanced workouts
1 Foam Roller
1 55cm PREMIUM Stability Ball
2 8-lb. Medicine Balls
$239.85

P90X2 Ultimate

Now you can get everything that's included in the P90X2 base kit, PLUS the two exclusive P90X2 bonus workouts from the Deluxe version and all the key equipment you need to optimize your workouts. So expect maximum results AND 35% savings.

Includes everything in P90X2 Base, plus:

2 bonus P90X2 advanced workouts
1 PRO-GRADE Foam Roller
1 55cm PREMIUM Stability Ball
2 8-lb. Medicine Balls
Tony Horton's PowerStands®
$299.85

If you click here now http://bit.ly/mRDIHn to pre-order your P90X2, you will be entered into the weekly P90X2 pre-order sweepstakes competition every week! So the sooner you pre-order your P90X2 workout program, the more chances you have to win incredible prizes.  You could even have your P90X2 delivered to your home by VIP trainer and P90X2 creator Tony Horton!

What are you waiting for? Commit to get fit today and order your P90X2 – it’s just a click away! Click here to make sure you get yours in time! http://bit.ly/mRDIHn

Motivational, Inspirational, Sensual and Sensational - it’s the all new brilliant @BeachBodyBible on Twitter!

Guest Blog By the Brilliant @BeachBodyBible

@BeachBodyBible is a brand new Twitter page with a difference! Each day of the week has a different theme to inspire and motivate you to a healthier, sexier, more exciting and ultimately happier more relaxed  lifestyle. Follow our great tips and you will look and feel better than ever before!

Motivational Monday

All our tweeting on Monday is geared towards motivating you to achieve your health and fitness dreams. Success is an attitude, so once you understand how any successful person thinks, you can apply it to your own life and be successful yourself. We’ll be tweeting inspiring quotes from famous motivators like Anthony Robbins, successful business men such as Richard Branson, Olympic athletes like Michael Johnson, footballers, philosophers and philanthropists.

We’ll also bring you top tips on how to get yourself motivated in the mornings and stay motivated all day, so you can achieve all your daily goals from working out in the morning, to eating healthily, trying new hobbies and being successful at work.

For those of you who want to run your own business we have fantastic motivational advice and some great opportunities to become a BeachBody online coach so you can earn lots of money while also inspiring others to get fit!

Music is a great motivator so we’ll also be playing you some massively motivational tunes to get you revved up for the day!

Try It! Tuesday

We know that the secret to a happy life is not just to be healthy and fit, but also to be constantly trying new fun activities that enrich your life.  On Try It! Tuesday we’ll be telling you all about the weird and wonderful things we’ve tried in our spare time from flying a microlight to filming a movie and playing polo to snorkeling the great Barrier Reef. We’ll also be looking at smaller scale, fun and inexpensive activities you can do with your family at the weekends such as Geocaching and broom hockey (yup literally playing hockey with brooms in your own back yard!)

Workout Wednesday

On Workout Wednesday we’ll be bringing you top workout tips from our VIP trainers, the best workout programs to achieve the body you want and advice on what to eat when you’re working out!

Therapy Thursday

 As we are lucky enough to have Psychotherapist  LorettaPhillips on our BeachBodyBible Team, every Thursday she will be giving us fabulous tips to keep us sane, serene and sublime!

Foodie Friday

Scrumptious and healthy breakfast, lunch and dinner recipes, new Shakeology recipe ideas, food to change your mood, workout food, food for great hair and skin, food for thought, we’ll be talking about food and how important it is to every aspect of our lives!

Sexy Saturday

Sexy Saturday speaks for itself! On Saturday’s we’ll be tweeting about all things sensual, from aromatherapy massages to burlesque dancing and libido boosting vitamins.

Serenity Sunday

Sunday is our chillout session. All our tweets will be designed to get you to the point of ultimate relaxation! Yoga, meditation, aromatherapy, mellow music, relaxing hobbies and tips to keep you relaxed at work, rest and play.

So there’s a fantastic reason to tune in and read our tweets every day!

Come and join us on Twitter right now to see how we can help you get motivated, toned up, working out effectively,  feeling happy,  eating yummy and healthy food, spice up your sex life and stay calm and relaxed all week long! Click here: @BeachBodyBible

Tof ind out how BeachBody can get you slim, fit and healthy in 90 days and to be in with a chance of winning $100K, click here: http://bit.ly/jpbhTZ  

Get the Body You’ve Always Wanted and Win $100,000!

"I'll give you $100,000 if you win The Beachbody Challenge!" —Carl Daikeler, CEO Beachbody®

What is The Beachbody Challenge?

The BeachBody challenge is a fun competition for BeachBody members whereby you commit to one of the BeachBody programs, record and photograph your transformation and then send the results to BeachBody who give cash prizes to the members who have made the biggest transformation. It's a health and fitness transformation competition.

There are incentives and prizes at each step in the competition so that you stay motivated and excited about getting fit and healthy.

Every entrant will get a free wristband to wear to as a reminder of your journey of personal growth and to keep you motivated and focused. 

When you send in your transformation results you get a free t-shirt as a reminder and reward for your success for committing to getting fit and achieving your goals!

If your transformation is selected as the BEST in your age and gender category (Male or Female 18 – 29, 30 – 39, 40 – 49, 50+) for that month, you will win a prize of $1,000 and have a chance to win $100,000

There are also daily prizes of $500 when you log your workouts with the members’ WOWY online gym – we’ll show you how when you join BeachBody today here: http://bit.ly/jpbhTZ

Are YOU ready to get fit and win $100,000?

Here's how to enter:

STEP 1: Join BeachBody Club today for just $2.99 a week. Click here to join: http://bit.ly/jpbhTZ   You will be assigned to your new coach, who will be ME, Loretta Phillips! I will contact you straight away so you can enter the $100,000 competition.

STEP 2:  Tell me which BeachBody program you want to follow and register your name for the competition and you will get a FREE BeachBody Challenge wristband.

STEP 3: Send in a full length BEFORE photograph of how you look at the beginning of the program including your name, weight and measurements on the back.

STEP 4: Complete the program and send in a full length AFTER photograph of the new fit healthy happy you including your weight and measurements on the back.

STEP 5: If your transformation is the best in your gender and age group you will win $1,000 and be entered into the grand $100,000 prize.

If your entry is selected as the top transformation in your age and gender category for the month in which you entered, you'll win $1,000 and a shot at the Grand Prize.

Plus you'll have a chance to win a quarterly prize of an expenses paid vacation worth $5000!

If you drink our fantastic Shakeology meal supplements to help you during your weightloss and fitness program then you will also win bonus prizes.

There’s a great prize incentive at every step of the BeachBody program! So what are you waiting for? Join up today and ask me about the fantastic BeachBody $100,000 challenge so I can give you all the rules for entry! Click this link to join BeachBody and get your shot at winning the $100,000. You deserve it! http://bit.ly/jpbhTZ

To your health and happiness!

Loretta

The 3 Top Benefits of Having an Online Fitness Coach

What is Coaching?

Coaching is when one person, the coach, supports another individual or a group of people, the clients or coachees, throughout the process of achieving a predetermined personal goal.

What are the Top 3 Benefits of Having an Online Coach?

1.       Affordability

·         Many of us who want to lose weight and get fit and healthy know it would all be a LOT easier with a personal fitness coach.

·         The main problem for most of us is that gym membership and a personal trainer are both very expensive and we simply cannot afford it.

·         We also find that we are too tired before or after work to face travelling all the way to the gym and then home, so we end up wasting our gym membership money by rarely going to the gym at all!

·         One of the greatest benefits of joining BeachBody is that you can have your very own online personal fitness coach and work out in your own time at home, for just $2.99 a week!

·         Literally if you simply take one less trip to Starbucks a week or take a packed lunch into the office once a week you can afford a personal trainer without spending any extra money at all!

There are lots of other benefits that you will receive when you join up for BeachBody coaching, which make BeachBody even better value for money!

·         When you join today, you'll also receive a FREE surprise gift valued at $20.00.

·         You also get a fabulous 10% discount on purchases of Beachbody fitness programs, gear, and health supplements.

·         You’ll receive personalized meal plans, nutrition tips and tasty, healthy recipes that make it easy to lose weight and stay healthy long term.

·         You get VIP access to our well known celebrity trainers, access to all their videos and articles and even be able to ask them questions about your personal fitness. So you’re getting not just one coach but several for the price of one!

·         Your personal Coach will provide you with all the support and fitness and diet tools you need to get and stay motivated.

·         With BeachBody coaching you can schedule your workouts and track your fitness progression in the WOWY SuperGym. Here there’s the opportunity to win up to $300 every day in CASH and PRIZES!

·         You can try Team Beachbody for FREE before you enrol on the full programme! Now that IS affordable!

·         You can cancel anytime during your first 30 days and receive a full refund. Or you can cancel anytime thereafter to avoid future charges, but keep your surprise gift valued at $20.00 just for trying.

                                                                       

2.       Accountability

·         Accountability means that you are answerable to another person for your progress towards achieving your goals.

·         They help you to take responsibility and to stick with the program by holding you accountable for the goals you have set yourself.

·         A fitness coach helps you to be accountable for losing weight as you have someone to help motivate you, encourage you and to talk to about your weight loss process.

·         This accountability and support ensures that you stick to your weight loss program and don’t give up half way through as we often do when we try to get fit by ourselves.

·         When you join BeachBody you become part of a whole community of like-minded people all dedicated to getting fit and healthy so you get the support of all your peers as well as your personal coach. This in turn makes you more accountable as you are receiving support from people who are going through the exact same process are you are.

3.       Flexibility

·         When you join BeachBody you can work out at your own pace at the times of day that suit you best.

·         You don’t need to get up super early to drive to the gym before work or struggle to force yourself to go to the gym after a long day at work and get home late with no downtime

·         Instead, you can work out in the comfort of your own home whenever you are in the mood or have the time

·         At the gym your coach is only available to you when you book a personal fitness session. With BeachBody your coach is only ever an email away, so you can get support when YOU need it!

·         BeachBody offers a huge variety of flexible workout programs from beginner level right through to highly experienced health fanatics who want to go the extra mile.

·         The whole process is as flexible as you need it to be, making it easier for you to stick to the program, get fit, lose weight and keep it off!

If you would like your very own online affordable, flexible personal coach for only $2.99 a week, click here now: http://bit.ly/lBqyBT

If you want to get fit and earn $$$money can also join BeachBody as an online coach and start your own BeachBody business with their help. Work from home, choose your own hours and be your own boss. Get set up in just 1 day here: http://bit.ly/jrwiuC

Banish the Blues

What goes into our mouths and what comes out of it can greatly affect our mood, so take responsibility for your own happiness with these simple tips to staying upbeat!

TIP 1

Eat Happy Food!

Food can have a dramatic effect on how we feel emotionally, both because of our bodies’ reaction to the food itself and also due to our preconceptions of what food is naughty and what is permissible.

Here are 3 food components that will enhance your mood. I’ve chosen them because they release the chemicals necessary to cause a good mood slowly and sustainably. You want to avoid eating foods that give you a sudden high like refined sugars, as this sudden mood lift will be followed by a crash. The trick is to maintain a steady flow of feel good chemicals to your brain throughout the day.

1.    Omega 3

Found in for example:

• Salmon
• Herring
• Mackerel
• Trout
• Sardines
• Walnuts
• Pumpkin seeds
• Flaxseeds and Flaxseed oil

Enhances your mood by boosting serotonin levels which curb anxiety and make us feel relaxed.

2.    Phenylalanine

Found in for example:

• Fresh beetroot
• Endamame beans
• Almonds
• Eggs
• Grains
• Meat, particularly Turkey so use turkey instead of chicken when you are cooking

Enhances your mood because your body needs slow-release phenylalanine in order to create dopamine which is a feel good chemical that sends positive mood-enhancing messages out our brain.

Eggs and meat also contain tryptophan which helps to create serotonin.

Although alcohol also boosts dopamine levels, it then creates a similar crash as a sugar high, resulting in hangover symptoms and feeling worse than before.

3.    Anandamide

Found in:

Chocolate

Although chocolate only contains small amounts of anadamide, other components cause the anandamide to release slowly and stay in the body longer, boosting out mood. Obviously a lot of chocolate is not good for you, so buy a bar with a high cocoa content (over 70%) and just eat a couple of squares to improve your mood. Chocolate also helps the body to release endorphins which are the chemicals released that make us happy when we exercise. But of course chocolate is not a substitute for exercise!  

Toxins

Toxins in the body can make us feel sluggish and miserable.

Shakeology smoothies and shakes help to gently eliminate toxins from the body

Making you feel both physically and mentally lighter and improving your mood.

Click here to see for yourself: http://bit.ly/iDBhVi

Fiber is also great for ridding the body of toxins, lowering cholesterol, speeding up your metabolism and keeping you regular. For high grade fiber that contains no color, additives or preservatives and instead contains the brilliant amino acid L-glutamine to prevent muscle loss and boost immunity, click here: http://bit.ly/l8BKF3

TIP 2

Talk Yourself Up!

Now that we’ve looked at how what we put in our mouth can affect our mood, let’s look at what comes out of our mouth and how that can affect us!

What is an Affirmation?

An affirmation is a positive statement designed to help you counteract negative beliefs.  We tell ourselves negative things many times a day. Who hasn’t said to themselves or to a friend “I’m too fat”,  “I never have any money” or “I’m not very good at public speaking” for example. These constant declarations of not being good enough all take their toll on our psyche and we start to believe them to be true. If we start to say the opposite to ourselves. “I love my body”, “I am grateful for the money I have and making money is easy”, or “I am good at speaking in public and I enjoy it” for example, this has a positive affect on our psyche and we start to believe we are capable of achieving what we want and that we deserve it.

Replace the Negative with a Positive

Many people find saying positive affirmations to themselves very difficult at first. It’s strange as we find it very easy to tell ourselves and our friends negative things about ourselves without any embarrassment. As with all things practice makes perfect and if you say positive affirmations to yourself every day when you get up and before you go to bed, then after a few weeks you will start to have more self-belief and your life will get noticeably better as you move towards your goals.

Make a list of the 3 main things you are unhappy about in your life and the negative things you say to yourself every day.

Write a short sentence affirming the opposite for each of the three negative statements. The sentence should be in the present tense, short and easily memorable.

Every morning as soon as you wake up repeat each of the positive affirmations 5 times each as a positive mantra. Some people like to look in the mirror, others prefer to stand in a clear space in a peaceful room.  Repeat this exercise again before you go to bed.

Say the affirmations loudly and with conviction.

Actions Speak Just as Loud as Words

If you accompany each affirmation with a positive action then this will anchor each positive thought in your mind. So find a powerful movement to do for each affirmation. For example pumping the air while saying “I love my body” would work well for most people.  You will eventually start to believe that you love your body and it stands to reason that if you start to love yourself you will take better care of yourself by eating well and exercising until you genuinely have a body that you are proud of.

Eat well, speak well of yourself and in a very short space of time you will start to see a happier, healthier more relaxed you with a wonderful positive mental attitude, so you can accomplish all your goals!

Let me know how you get on!