Master the Mind–Body Connection
the actual doing of the program on the 12-Day Body Shaping Miracle is fairly straightforward: You shape, tone, and define your muscles by following the workout methods and exercises I will give you in this book. And you enhance your progress with wise, customized nutritional choices, as outlined in chapter 8. But truth be told, the success of this program doesn’t start with the body-shaping methods or the nutrition principles you’ll follow. It starts in your head—with some important mind–body skills. The sooner you apply those skills, the faster you’ll make progress and push your entire body-shaping effort to new levels.
In this chapter, I’ll give you several mind–body skills that can make this program more effective, more fun, and even easier. These skills will become a tool for enormous progress when they’re used daily and can lead to personal transformation. Make a commitment to use them not only during the next 12 days, but beyond, and they’ll become stepping-stones to a fitter, trimmer, and shapelier body.
Skill 1. Visualization
When I started changing my own body (and developing the foundation for the techniques that would later become my makeover programs), I used to fantasize about how I wanted to look—chiseled abs, large biceps, muscular shoulders, a V-shaped back—the whole package. I wasn’t just wishing I had an in-shape physique; I was very specific about what I wanted to accomplish.
I’d start by finding images of the body I wanted. I’d study those images in detail. Then I’d imagine the fat melting off my body, and my individual muscles changing shape in very specific ways. This process of mental concentration—which I called daydreaming—helped me stay focused on my goal and eventually played a huge part in helping me get exactly the body I wanted for bodybuilding competitions. Then one day, I looked in the mirror, and there it was: I could see the physique I’d envisioned for myself begin to emerge. It was very exciting. Seeing yourself change is a very empowering experience.
Without knowing it, I was utilizing a technique that is widely known today as visualization. This is the process of creating a mental picture of achievement. You form in your mind what you want your new shape to look like. While this may still seem like daydreaming, in fact visualization is now accepted in a variety of disciplines to help people achieve fantastic goals. Visualization is what helps Olympic athletes and professional ballplayers perform at their personal best. It is what has helped many cancer patients overcome life-threatening illness. And it is what will allow you to achieve just about any goal you set for yourself.
The conception of an event, or an end point, in your mind is the beginning of its existence, and without a clear image of what the outcome will be, the manifestation of that event is almost impossible. In other words, if you don’t know what you want and don’t believe you can get it, you can’t. However, if you have a clear picture of what you want to accomplish and the solid belief that you can make it happen, then success is almost guaranteed—provided you formulate a realistic plan and diligently follow it.
Trust me, if you use your mind to envision what you can be, you will begin to make the right choices, the healthy choices, to become what you see in your mind’s eye. Your mind is a very powerful force that can help you achieve your inner vision of your desired outer appearance. The body you see yourself achieving, no matter how misshapen you feel now, is ultimately the body you want and will have.
Here’s how you can start to practice visualization: Get in a comfortable position, sitting or lying with your eyes closed. In your mind’s eye, picture your body the exact way you want it to be shaped. With as much detail as possible, think proportion. Think lean defined muscles everywhere on your body. Think about how you will look and feel physically and emotionally when you have the body of your dreams. Take it a step further. See yourself looking sexy and fabulous in a swimsuit or other revealing outfit. Picture yourself out in public wearing new, formfitting clothes and how great you’ll look in them. Dream away!
Make this scene as vivid as possible, using as many of your senses as you can. The more senses you call to mind in your visualization, the greater the impact of the image. Notice how you look, what you can hear, smell, feel, and taste. Notice your surroundings, whether there are other people around, and anything else that is part of your success scenario. Notice how good it feels to be in those clothes and in your new body. The more vivid you can make the new you in your mind, the more successful you will be.
The vision you have for your future body is what you will achieve with your individualized workouts, diet, and rest. If you have a clear vision of where you want to go, it makes it easier to get there. Visualization is absolutely vital because it actually encourages your body to follow your brain’s plan, and this mind–body link enhances your ability to change your shape and lose body fat.
Do something else with me, too. When you eat your prescribed meals on this program, visualize the food’s nutrients going directly to your muscles. Think about the protein making your muscles firmer and better defined and the carbohydrates fueling your body for greater energy. Not only does visualization add an inspiring dimension to your workout, but it may also give you a new attitude toward eating healthier foods.
Do your visualization exercise at least once a day for about 10 minutes. Keep the image of your new body in the forefront of your mind. You can also use visualization when you feel yourself giving into a craving, or when you’re experiencing stress. You’ll find that this exercise is a terrific way to rid your body and your mind of all kinds of burdens.
Skill 2. Mantras
Accompany your visualizations by what’s known as a mantra—a personal statement that is meaningful to you, and positive. Mantras are really a form of self-talk, the dialogue you have with yourself in your mind. The function of the mantra is to give you direction, as well as to ignite your enthusiasm and motivation.
You might tell yourself: I intend to create a lean, sculpted, sexy body … I’m going to lose weight and fit into a smaller size … I’m going to look fabulous in my outfit … People are going to enjoy seeing me succeed … I love my body, and I’ll love it more when I lose those pounds. Direct your thoughts and concentration to what is affirming, what is positive. Creating an unshakable positive attitude is critical to your achievement on this program, and your self-talk, or mantra, will help you have one.
Not only will your mantra help you focus on doing this program successfully, but it will also silence the negative self-talk that all of us hear in our heads once in a while: I’m too tired to exercise today or I feel like slipping off my diet just this once. If you find this kind of unproductive self-talk seeping into your mind, immediately switch to your mantras, and you’ll cancel out the negative inner dialogue. At the same time, listen to your body. If you really are too tired to exercise, then your body may need rest.
Skill 3. Mini-Goals
As you go through this program, I recommend that you stay focused on what specifically you want to achieve each day. This will make it easier to wake up in the morning and get going. In other words, set mini-goals daily. Sticking to anything for a single day is a cinch. You don’t have to think about doing the program for 12 days. Instead you concentrate on today. When you take it a day at a time, it becomes incredibly easy. A mini-goal can be anything that helps you stay focused on what you want to achieve in a single day of the program:
• Today I will do my body-shaping workout and give it my all.
• Today I will practice my visualizations.
• Today I will stick to my eating plan 100 percent.
• Today I will do my cardio exercise.
• Today I will drink the recommended amount of water.
Whatever your mini-goals are, I suggest that you write them down and post them where you can see them. Recording your mini-goals on paper or in your computer drives home the need for doing them. Make sure your mini-goals are clear and specific, too. Without this kind of clarity, it is difficult to concentrate on your actions and avoid distractions.
Skill 4. Exercise Concentration
One of the single most important aspects of reshaping your body is to really concentrate on the muscles you’re working. Too often, we focus on getting from exercise to exercise or completing a specific number of sets and repetitions—in other words, just getting through the workout. Or we let our minds wander to our love life, what’s for dinner, the blaring television, or other distractions that can only hinder performance. You need to block these all out and get inside your muscles.
One of the keys to this level of concentration is to slow down each repetition of the exercise; do not rush through the moves. In a controlled fashion, slowly move the resistance so that you feel yourself really working the muscle, instead of just trying to finish the set. Resist the temptation to let momentum take over the exercise movement, and stay focused on the muscle you’re working. (In chapter 6, I’ll give you exact guidelines on how to locate the targeted muscle or muscle groups with each exercise so that you understand where to focus.)
What I want you to do with each exercise is concentrate on, and feel, the targeted muscle or muscle groups you’re working. Once you’re able to focus on the body part you’re exercising, each repetition suddenly becomes more productive. Also, be sure that you contract, or flex, the muscles you’re working. You want to feel the muscle contract from the beginning of the movement through to the end. Shaping the muscle is about isolating it, squeezing it, and exerting full control over every inch of the movement. In many cases, you’ll want to hold the contraction for a certain number of seconds. Through doing this every time you exercise, you will always be able to feel every muscle you’re working.
Achieving this kind of concentration doesn’t come naturally. It requires practice. But there is an important dividend: With the ability to get inside your muscles during your workout, you’ll be able to concentrate fully and remain resistant to potential distractions.
Listen to your body during every workout. Tune in to the feedback that your mind and body provide during exercise, such as: Can you see changes in your shape? Are you getting stronger? Do you have more endurance? Staying aware of your progress during your workout keeps you connected to what your body is doing and how it is feeling.
Skill 5. De-Stressing
When it comes to getting in shape, one of the most fascinating mind–body links has to do with stress. A medical definition of stress is “something that disturbs a person’s mental and physical well-being.” A more common definition is that stress is a heightened emotional response to both everyday and out-of-the-ordinary circumstances.
However you define it, stress that goes unresolved contributes to one figure problem you don’t want: a bulging belly. Why? Fat in the abdominal area functions differently from fat elsewhere in the body. It contains a greater blood supply, as well as more cellular receptors for cortisol, a stress hormone. (Receptors function like door locks situated on cell walls: They let hormones and nutrients into cells.) Cortisol levels rise and fall throughout the day, but when you are under chronic stress, the amount of the hormone your body produces remains elevated. Cortisol, in particular, isn’t metabolized well. With a lot of stress and, consequently, high cortisol levels, more fat is dumped in the abdominal area since there are more cortisol receptors there. Fat cells in your abdominal region are very sensitive to cortisol, and they tend to grow in size when they hook up with this hormone.
In fact, research shows that people who are depressed, suffering from anxiety, out of a job, or recently divorced—all stress-related difficulties—have too much fat distributed around their waists. This type of fat has often been called “stress fat” because it is caused by high levels of stress-induced cortisol.
When researchers at the University of California–San Francisco put 59 pre-menopausal women through stress tests in a laboratory, they discovered that those who had greater abdominal fat performed worse on the tests and secreted significantly more cortisol than those without fat tummies. This study and others point out that greater life stress contributes to greater fat distribution around the waist, and cortisol is the hormonal culprit.
If your belly bulge won’t budge, even if you’re faithful to your diet, you need to add a stress-reduction program to your daily routine. This might involve putting more balance in your life, so that you have time for pleasure, relaxation, and spiritual fulfillment—all life choices that will counteract the negative effects of stress. Or it might involve a program to change your thinking. In truth, it’s not really people or events that stress you out but your reactions to, and interpretations of, those stressors. If you can reframe or mentally reinterpret the stressors in your life, you’ll be less stressed by what happens around you.
Sometimes resolving chronic stress may require more serious measures—like seeing a counselor. He or she may help you identify strategies to cope with and ultimately resolve the underlying issues perpetuating the distress. Or you may want to pour out your heart to a friend. Just talking to someone you trust can make you feel much better.
One way you can instantly reduce stress is through breathing. When your body perceives a stressful situation, breathing becomes shallow and your heart rate increases. Your upper back and neck muscles become tight. Taking slow, deep breaths, as recommended in my Abdominal Breathing method, can calm your body and mind in less than a minute, no matter where you are. Focusing on your breathing also gives you the opportunity to immediately change your perspective on a situation. With proper breathing, you can de-stress in the supermarket, in the doctor’s waiting room, or in traffic, and no one will know what you’re doing. You’ll find instructions for my Abdominal Breathing technique on page 48. When you use this technique, your stomach will expand as you inhale and deflate as you exhale. At the same time, you should also feel your shoulders rising and falling with each breath. This method of slow, deep breathing creates a cascade of positive physical changes throughout your body. It can slow your heart rate, lower your blood pressure, and reduce stress-associated anxiety. A sense of calm will come over you almost right away, and you’ll feel your stress begin to defuse.
Moving Forward
The time you take to prepare yourself mentally can be invaluable. If you really want to be successful on this program, plus continue to exercise regularly for the rest of your life, you need to start working from the inside out. Master the mind–body connection. Stay in the moment when you’re working out and eating healthfully. Don’t be surprised if you find that by the end of the next 12 days, the program has resulted in dramatic changes in your figure, as well as in your entire outlook toward getting and staying in shape. Having a beautiful body for a lifetime is your ultimate reward, and it will come into your realm of possibility when you apply, and then live, what you learn here.