Tip Of The Week
Your health in 2010
Step 4: Your Self Image
Now that you have your SMART Goal along with your action plan and you're able to monitor your progress it's time to work through Step 4: Your Self Image. How you think about yourself now and how you will be in the future can have a powerful effect on your behaviours today and tomorrow.
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Lifestyle ProgramsOK, so we now have a SMART Goal, developed an action plan, we can now monitor our progress but what about finding the motivation to keep going when the times get tough?
That's where your self image comes off the bench and into play. Your self image or how you think about yourself can help or hinder depending on which way it goes. Think negatively about yourself and your abilities and chances are you will perform accordingly. Alternatively think positively about yourself, your abilities and where you are headed and it might just become a reality. You don't need to reinvent yourself, just consider where you are headed and the things that come with that progress.
Below are some questions and tips you might like to try to build a positive self image to help you work towards your health and fitness goal(s) of 2010:
| Tips for your self image |
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| How will things be different? e.g.: |
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Consider writing the above answers down or composing in a letter to yourself from the future. E.g.: |
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"Dear Self Well you did it and I must say you feel pretty good. I went for a 1km swim yesterday and I was floating on a cloud for at least 2 hours afterwards. What's more I didn't even notice I wasn't worried about strutting around in the swimmers until a friend mentioned they would never swim in a public pool because of their fear of what others would think of their appearance. The kids have noticed as well. We played soccer at the park this morning for about two hours and I nearly out lasted both of them. Other things I have noticed about you is that you are sleeping better, less moody and much more pleasant to be around so all in all I think we have done a pretty good job so far. What's next?"
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Begin to focus on your strengths at least as much (if not more) as you focus on your weaknesses |
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In other words we are all experts at focusing on the negatives or our weaknesses. What about your strengths, the positives, the things that are going well for you now. What would you like to achieve versus what you don't have, how would you like to feel versus how you don't like feeling, what will you be able to do instead of what you can't do. It's similar to the first point but here we are trying to increase the positive attitude a little |
Consider others as a model for your knew behaviours. |
| It may be someone you know, some you have met or like to meet or a member of your family or a close friend. Who ever it is they need to represent an element of what you are trying to achieve. It might be someone that has overcome adversity to achieve their goals such as Kurt Fearnley (Aussie wheel chair athlete and conqueror of the Kokoda Track) or Lance Armstrong (Seven times Tour de France winner and cancer survivor) or somebody that has lived their life in a certain way such as Jack Kirk (the Dipsea Demon) or someone you know that has inspired you. Don't become them, but model your behaviours and attitudes to help you achieve your goals. |
Remember, we aren't saying you need to re-invent yourself. Just become aware of how you think about yourself and that your thoughts can affect your behaviours which will ultimately affect your health. Use the above tips to fine tune and clarify your self image for 2010.
Next week; Your support crew. Who's on the bus and who's off!
Australian Lifestyle Medicine Conference
If you are a member of the Australian Lifestyle Medicine Association (ALMA), work in the area of allied health or primary care or just interested to know more about this unique area from the leaders in Lifestyle Medicine check out ALMA's National Lifestyle Medicine Conference set for March 2010.
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