Slim4life MODULE 4 IMAGINE IMAGINE YOUR WAY TO A SLIMMER AND HEALTHIER BODY

Transcription

1 Slim4life MODULE 4 IMAGINE IMAGINE YOUR WAY TO A SLIMMER AND HEALTHIER BODY

2 Table Of Contents 1) Introduction...3 2) Creative Visualization...7 3) Positive Affirmations ) Gratitude...20 DISCLAIMER: The information provided within this ebook is believed to be accurate based on the personal experience of the authors but the reader is responsible for consulting with their own health professional before changing the diet or starting an exercise program. The information provided is not a substitute for proper medical advice. If in doubt, please consult your doctor or licensed medical practitioner. 2

3 Introduction All That We Are Is The Result Of What We Have Thought. ~ Buddha There are many reasons why people are overweight--and you probably know what most of them are. Lack of exercise, stress, genetics, overeating and eating when you re not hungry are all major culprits behind those unwanted rolls of fat. You should also already know that when you eat more than you need, your body will store the extra food as fat. The question is, if everyone already knows this, why do so many people still fail to control their weight? Many of the reasons behind this failure are explained in Module 3. In Module 4, I m going to take a closer look at other important factors that cause poor eating habits. These factors are thoughts, beliefs and emotions. Here s the thing - all your actions in life (including overeating and eating when you re not hungry) first come from your thoughts and beliefs. What you think and believe translates into a specific set of related emotions, which in turn leads to a specific action. Your Thoughts & Beliefs Affect Your Emotions & Actions Positive thoughts and beliefs make you feel happy and content, which in turn leads to positive actions. On the flip side, negative thoughts will cause you to feel stressed and upset, which in turn leads to what I call the negative emotional spiral. The negative emotional spiral starts when you are consumed with negative thoughts, feelings or emotions such as sadness, loneliness, unattractiveness, helplessness and stress. Many people attempt to kill these negative emotions by reaching out for comfort food. This happens because when we eat, our body releases endorphins (happiness hormones). In other words, eating automatically makes us feel better. The problem is, this feeling of wellbeing doesn t last long. And when you do make this practice a habit, the negative emotional spiral trap begins. When you gain weight you start generating more negative thoughts. In the beginning you ll feel guilty about your overeating and weak willpower. You ll feel fat, ugly 3

4 and unattractive. You ll even start hating your own body. These emotions create even deeper waves of negative thoughts in your mind, which continue to feed your negative emotional spiral. Before you know it, you ll find yourself eating again to feel better and cover up your negative emotions. It s a vicious circle, and no matter how hard you try there s just no way out......or is there? In this module, I ll show you how to consistently generate positive thoughts so you can transform your mind from your worst enemy to your greatest ally. To begin with, let s imagine a different scenario. Imagine, for a moment, that you re a happy and positive person. You love your life and you feel loved, appreciated and accepted by others. You love your body, and are completely satisfied when you look in the mirror. You are in complete control of your emotions, and you eat only when you re hungry. Doesn t that feel good? The fact is.. It s Not What You EAT That Makes You Slim Or Fat, It s What You THINK. This may sound hard to believe at first, but I assure you it is true. Countless scientific studies have verified the distinct relation between a person s thoughts and the reality they face as a result of those thoughts. If you re familiar with the Law of Attraction, you ll know that all forms of energy will attract other energy vibrating at a similar frequency. In other words if you are vibrating at a frequency of happiness, you will attract similarly happy people and events into your life. A renowned study conducted by Dr. Masaru Emoto, a Japanese scientist, found that humans are also capable of manipulating the composition of molecules in water. In this study, Dr. Emoto took water and exposed it to different objects and environments. He projected a thought onto a glass of water, or put the water next to a 4

5 specific object. The water was then frozen, and the resulting water crystals were observed under a microscope. Incredibly, when a glass of water had a piece of paper with a positive message like love stuck to it, the water crystals formed beautiful patterns that were pure in color and in perfect symmetry. On the other hand, when a glass of water had a piece of paper with a negative message like anger stuck to it, the water crystals were rough, dull and in a state of disarray. Water crystals after being exposed to message LOVE Water crystals after being exposed to message ANGER This same principle applies to your life. After all, 75% of your body is water. Your thoughts have a direct influence on your body, and the things around you (including your food). On Average You Have 60,000 Thoughts Per Day - Make Sure They re Good Ones! At this point you may be wondering, I m already thinking positive thoughts, so why am I still unable to lose weight? According to Mike Dooley, author of the bestselling book Infinite Possibilities the answer is very simple. We never want just one thing, do we? Nor do we ever think just one thought. In fact, scientists now tell us that each and every day of our life we can think more than 60 thousand unique thoughts! Well, whenever we re thinking this many 5

6 thoughts, isn t there a possibility - even a great likelihood - that some of our thoughts may contradict one another or even be mutually exclusive? For example you may spend half your time thinking about how lucky you are to have a relatively slim body, but the other half worrying over your bulges and thunder thighs. Needless to say, this sort of inner conflict will greatly restrict your progress. In this Module I will give you 3 powerful tools to program your mind with consistent and unbreakable positive thoughts. These 3 tools are: 1) Creative Visualization 2) Positive Affirmations 3) Gratitude Remember, with the help of this module, your slim and healthy body will truly be only a thought away! To A Slimmer & Healthier You, Nika Florek a.k.a. The Slim Yogi 6

7 Creative Visualization One of my favorite observations about life comes from Walt Disney, who once said: If you can dream it, you can do it. The fact is if you really want something, and if you can imagine it in your mind, you are perfectly capable of achieving it in real life. Think about that for a second, and consider this: everything you ve ever achieved in life always starts at the same place - your MIND. This also applies to losing weight and improving your health. You CAN have your ideal body, energy and health. All you need to do is tap into the power of creative visualization to get where you want to be. The rule is simple: Set Goal Visualize It Achieve It You already set your goals at the beginning of the Slim4Life Program. You know exactly what you want to achieve and why you want it. Go back to your goal setting sheet in the workbook and read your goals one more time. The next step you are going to take to come closer to reaching your goals is using your imagination and visualization. But before that, let s take a closer look at what visualization really is. What Is Creative Visualization? Creative visualization is the process of using your imagination to create positive changes in your life and achieving anything you want. Creative visualization is used and proven to work in any area of life, from health to business to sports - and is also an extremely effective in supporting weight loss. In her bestselling book Creative Visualization Shakti Gawain explains: Imagination is the ability to create an idea, a mental picture, or a feeling sense of something. In creative visualization you use your imagination to create a clear image, idea, or feeling of something you wish to manifest. Then you continue to focus on the idea, feeling or picture regularly, giving it positive energy until it becomes objective reality, in other words until you actually achieve what you have been imagining. 7

8 To practice creative visualization you don t have to follow any specific religion or believe in any metaphysical or spiritual ideas. You just need to have a desire to broaden your knowledge and an open mind to experience something new. How Does Creative Visualization Work? It s now scientifically proven that energy is the main component of our physical world. Everything within and around us is made up of energy, and we are all part of a huge energy field. The Law Of Energy says that energy of a specific vibration attracts the energy of a similar vibration. Thoughts and feelings emit their own energy that attracts energy of the same kind. This means that any thought that you have in your mind will most likely be materialized in the real world. Taking it further, if your thoughts are mainly negative, you ll attract more negativity into your life. In other words, if you think that you are ugly and unattractive, then you will be - because your body is the manifestation of your thoughts. On the other hand, if your thoughts are positive, you ll attract positive things into your life. If you think with love and care about your body, it will respond to your thoughts and be exactly the way you see it with the eyes of your imagination. According to Shakti Gawain, we always attract into our lives whatever we think about the most, believe in most strongly, expect on the deepest levels, and/or imagine most vividly. What You Focus On Manifests When we are negative and fearful, insecure or anxious, we often attract the very experiences, situations, or people that we are seeking to avoid. If we are basically positive in attitude, expecting and envisioning pleasure, satisfaction and happiness, we tend to attract and create people, situations, and events that conform to our positive expectations. So, consciously imagining what we want can help us to manifest it in our lives. ~ Shakti Gawain, author Creative Visualization 8

9 A lot of people wonder what it actually means to visualize. When I first started visualizing I was worried that I was doing something wrong, because when I closed my eyes and tried to visualize I couldn t actually see any mental picture, I felt like nothing was happening. If this is how you feel while visualizing, take my golden advice: stop thinking about it and worrying that you are doing something wrong. Don t try to force anything. Just relax, and observe what comes to your mind. 5 Simple Steps To Effective Creative Visualization STEP 1: Set Your Goal Decide on the goal you want to achieve with regards to your body and health. Be clear on your goal and make sure that you start from something that is achievable in the near future. Use the Goal Setting Sheet from the workbook to set proper goals. STEP 2: Create A Clear Mental Picture Of Your Goal Visualize achieving your goal by creating a clear mental image of it on your mind. Think of your goal in present tense, as if it already exists in your life. Imagine how it makes you feel, and think of as many details as possible. STEP 3: Focus On The Mental Picture Of Your Goal Often Bring the mental picture of your goal into your mind at least twice a day - in the morning when you wake up and in the evening before you go to sleep. You can also visualize during the day, when you have a few minutes for yourself for relaxation. In this way your goal becomes an integrated part of your daily life and thinking process. Focus on your goal often, but don t overdo it. Always visualize in a positive and relaxed manner. STEP 4: Give Your Goal Positive Energy When you visualize your goal make sure that you are doing it in a positive and motivating way. Leave no space for doubts or disbelief, and ignore all the negative thoughts that 9

10 tell you your goal is not achievable. Visualize with a strong conviction that you ll achieve your goal and every step you take is getting you closer to its realization. This positive vibration that you are giving to your goal will help to manifest it faster. STEP 5: Relax While Visualizing It s crucial to be deeply relaxed while visualizing. When your body and mind enter a deeper state of relaxation, your brain wave pattern slows down into a deep level of mind known as the Alpha level. By visualizing while in the Alpha level, you are using your subconscious mind to create the desired results. Reprogramming your subconscious mind to think slim and healthy is the most important part of your long term weight loss journey. The best time to visualize is in the morning, just after you wake up or in the evening before you go to sleep, because at those times your body and mind are naturally relaxed. While visualizing lie down on your bed or, if you have a tendency to fall asleep while lying down, sit up with your back straight on your bed. How To Use Creative Visualization For Weight Loss Creative visualization is a simple and straightforward process. The most important part is to set your goal and visualize achieving it as clearly and as often as possible. If you want to lose weight and become healthier, just create the mental image of your ideal self with all the tiny details, exactly the way you want it. Shakti Gawain recommends you pay attention to the details like what you would wear, how you would feel, and the sounds you would hear. Make it a vivid picture so it will imprint on your subconscious. Sometimes it is helpful to imagine you are watching yourself on TV or sitting in a movie theatre and you can see yourself going through your usual daily tasks but exactly as you want to be, as you intend to be. Notice how you feel when you wake up in the morning, knowing that you don't have to struggle to find something to wear, because you can wear anything you like. 10

11 Notice how it feels putting on your jeans and feeling comfortable knowing you look great. Notice how you feel walking up the stairs and not being out of breath. Notice how you feel when it is really hot outside and how much easier it is being thin. In his book Infinite Possibilities. The Art Of Living Your Dreams Mike Dooley gives the following advice on using visualization for successful weight loss: If you want to lose weight, instead of just visualizing yourself being thin from time to time, create a list of hundreds of positive ramifications that being thin will bring into your life. You might think of what it will be like shopping for new clothes that no longer fit. You might think of your friends reactions when they learn of the changes you ve made. Think of picking new goals that would only seem attainable or worthy of dreaming once you are already at your ideal weight; think of how going for walk or exercising will be so much easier; or imagine helping and inspiring others to achieve what you have achieved. Think of everything that will be positively different, because virtually everything will be! Imagine feeling good about your body, being fit and trim, working out, jogging, playing sports, sweating, and loving it. Can you envision yourself posing for pictures and loving the results (medicine-free, hospital-free, doctor-free, pain-free)? Never, ever having to think about your health when deciding upon future adventures, vacations, jobs, and travel while supporting others in their quest for a healthy life? Can you see yourself like this? I can. 11

12 Action Steps There are many different ways of practicing effective visualization. Below I describe my 3 personal favorites. Try all of them and choose those that resonate best with you. My guess is you ll like all of them as much as I do :-) 1) Listen to the Slim4Life Visualization & Relaxation Audio Listen to the audio on a daily basis. The visualization part of the audio will get you in the frame of mind of a slim and healthy person, and will reprogram your subconscious mind to think slim and positive. By using the power of your imagination, you ll forever change the way you feel about your body, food and exercising. This scientifically proven method will help you reinforce all the new habits that you are trying to form. You can listen to the audio at any part of the day, ideally in the evening before you go to sleep. The relaxation feature of the audio will help you sleep better. IMPORTANT! - DO NOT listen to the audio while driving or operating machinery. Listen only when you can relax in a quiet and safe place. 2) Visualize During Meditation Before you start your day, spend 5-10 minutes in the morning sitting quietly with your eyes closed, visualizing your ideal self. Imagine how your day will look like, what you are going to eat, how will you dress, and how all this will make you feel. Think as a slim person, having your dream body, beautiful on the inside and out. This exercise will plant a positive seed in your thoughts, and will help you go through the day feeling positive, happy and stress-free. 3) Create a Perfect Me Vision Board When you were a child, did you ever try cutting out a photo of your favorite actress/ actor from a magazine and sticking your face on it so you could play make-believe? I did, and it was a lot of fun! You probably didn t realize back then that what seemed like a fun game was actually a very powerful visualization exercise. 12

13 To make your weight loss journey fun and enjoyable, take some time to create what I call the Perfect Me Vision Board. All you need to do is cut out a picture from a magazine that looks like you would look in your perfect body, and paste the photo of your head on the body. Show yourself with your perfect body, feeling wonderful about yourself. To make your Vision Board more powerful, also paste images of all the things that you ll be able to do when you get fit. For example: wearing your sexy bikini, running, playing longer with your kids, having a hot date with your husband and looking stunning...and anything that you have always wanted to do, but weren t able to because of those extra pounds. Just cut out the pictures from the magazines and paste them on the white sheet of paper. You can also add affirmations to your Vision Board to make it even more powerful (read about affirmations in the next chapter). Place your Vision Board in a visible place (mirror, fridge, wall etc.), look at it every day in the morning and evening, and imagine how you ll feel while experiencing all these wonderful things that were never accessible to you before. Indulge in these positive emotions, and feel the positive energy flowing through your body. Every time when you are visualizing you get closer to your goal - your ideal slim & healthy body. For more tips and Creative Visualization Techniques read: 1) Creative Visualization by Shakti Gawain 2) Infinite Possibilities. The Art Of Living Your Dreams by Mike Dooley 3) Notes From The Universe by Mike Dooley 13

14 Positive Affirmations What Are Affirmations? One of the most important elements of creative visualization is affirmations. Known to some people as mantras, affirmations are short, empowering statements that you repeat to yourself with a strong conviction that what you are saying has already materialized in reality. For example... I Am A Slim & Healthy Person Affirmations harness the power of your mind to bring about what you want to create. They help focus your attention on your goals and keep you on track. Using affirmations will help you make your weight loss goals a reality. There s no format and there are no magic patterns; it s just a short phrase or two (or three) that you repeat again and again, usually out loud but sometimes silently - says Mike Dooley. Using affirmations and mantras is actually a simple form of self hypnosis, because by repeatedly saying and feeling what you want to experience emotionally - as if you were already there, you create an energy that gives them and their related thoughts more permanence and credibility in your own mind. Research shows that nearly 90% of our daily thoughts are negative. Most people focus more on what is missing in their life and what they don t want (excess weight), rather than what they want to create (healthy lifestyle). We tend to focus on problems, not solutions, and if thoughts become things, no wonder we are struggling with living the life that we want, including the life of a slim and healthy person. Negative Thinking Makes You Fat Our bodies actually have a physical chemical reaction to the content of our thoughts. Negative thinking makes our bodies produce cortisol and other stress hormones, which make us store fat around our bellies. Positive thinking has the power to unleash endorphins and other feel good chemicals throughout our body. Most of us have far more negative thoughts than positive ones. Yet, most of us go through our days unaware of the negative content of our minds. Then we wonder why we feel so badly. ~ Catherine L. Taylor The Power Of Affirmations - Reshaping Your Mind, Body And Destiny One Thought At A Time. 14

15 Another psychological study found that optimists (people who see the glass half full) live longer, healthier lives than people who are pessimists (people who see the glass half empty). Pessimists are more prone to illness, depression or even cancer. Even more interestingly, people who have problems with weight and chronic dieters tend to be pessimists. It s not easy to stay positive when you are on a diet or fighting excess pounds. Being restricted by certain foods, not being able to wear the clothes you like, to do what you d like - it s a constant state of forbidden foods and activities, and the inability to live the life to the fullest. The good news is that weight loss and enjoying a healthy life don t have to be such a struggle. It is possible to change your pessimistic and negative thinking with the use of affirmations. Positive Affirmations Keep You Focused On What You Want In Life They are like self administered pep talks designed to reprogram our negative beliefs and thoughts and transform them into new positive thoughts and ideas. In short, they change the way you think and feel about things. You must be aware though, that affirmations are more than just repeating positive words. They are a process of becoming aware of the thoughts and words that you use every day, and consciously changing them into positive ones. For example if you find yourself thinking, What s the use of exercising, I ll never get fit, you might instead say to yourself, I deserve to be slim, healthy and happy. Or when you are looking in the mirror and saying negative things about your body like, I hate my huge butt and flabby stomach, replace it with a thought like I m getting stronger and slimmer every day. I love my body. Every time you catch yourself speaking or thinking negatively, turn it around to something positive. Negative thinking is just a bad habit. It will take some time but it can be turned around and using positive affirmations is an extremely effective technique that can transform the reality you create for yourself in a very short period of time. I My Body In the Slim4Life Program Workbook you are introduced to one new positive affirmation for 30 15

16 days. All affirmations are aimed at changing the way you think about your body. If you want to become slim and healthy, you have to start thinking like a slim and healthy person first. For your convenience, at the end of this chapter I have included a list of all 30 affirmations from the workbook. You can print it out and place it in a visible place, so you can refer to it often. In addition to the affirmations I have prepared for you, feel free to create your own positive affirmations related to your body, mind, health and overall happiness. Use the form at the end of this chapter to write down your own positive affirmations. Before you start, make sure to read the section below where I explain you the 4 simple rules to build affirmations that work. How To Create Affirmations That Work? Follow the 4 simple rules below to build effective affirmations: RULE 1: PRESENT TENSE Always phrase affirmations in the present tense, not in the future. Create your desire as if it already exists, as if what you are affirming is already a fact. Don t say I will get slim and healthy, but rather Every day I m getting slimmer and healthier. RULE 2: POSITIVE Always phrase affirmations in the most positive way you can. Focus on what you do want, instead of what you don t want. Don t say I no longer eat unhealthy food, but rather I now eat healthy and delicious food that fuels my body. RULE 3: SHORT & SIMPLE Keep affirmations short and simple. Don t try to form elaborate sentences expressing your desires. An affirmation should be a clear statement that conveys a strong feeling. The more feeling it conveys, the stronger impression it makes on your mind. Remember that feelings wrapped in short messages speak best to your subconscious mind. 16

17 RULE 4: REALISTIC Start with affirmations that are more realistic and achievable. If you weigh 230 lb. and start to use an affirmation that says, I now weigh 100 lb, it will feel like a lie to you. It s just not realistic. A better one in this situation is I m getting thinner every day! Realistic affirmations are easier to turn into reality. Action Steps 1) Meditate On The Workbook Affirmations In the Slim4Life Program Workbook you'll be given a different affirmation to concentrate on every day. Read it quietly in the morning and take a few minutes to meditate on it. Let it be your positive mantra of the day. The affirmation will be your guiding thought, helping you to make a healthy choices throughout the day. Whenever you catch yourself thinking negative thoughts, change them instantly by repeating your positive affirmation. 2) Create Your Own Affirmations Use the last page of this chapter to write down your own positive affirmations for weight loss and health. Remember to follow the guidelines for creating effective affirmations outlined above. Make sure to print out and place your affirmations in a visible place where you can easily access it on a daily basis - such as in your notebook or diary, or on your bathroom mirror or fridge. If you don t have a printer, simply take a sheet of paper and write down your affirmations. As an alternative use sticky notes. Read your affirmations on a daily basis and use them to replace your negative thought patterns. In just a matter of days, it will change the way you feel about yourself and give you a more positive outlook on your body. 17

18 30 Positive Affirmations For Weight Loss And Health I love and accept myself completely as I am Everything I eat adds to my health, beauty and attractiveness I get hungry only for the healthy foods that my body really needs I m now irresistibly attractive to men (or women) I love my body as it is My body is strong and healthy I'm beautiful on the inside and outside I feel, look and act young My self esteem is increasing every day I respect myself, I'm more positive and confident When I look at myself in the mirror I feel proud at my appearance I'm in full control of my body I eat the right foods only when I'm hungry I chew my food slowly, enjoying every mouthful I stop eating when full, without craving for more I eat less, feeling satisfied The food I'm eating is cleansing my body and mind I drink a lot of water every day. It purifies my body and keeps me healthy My metabolism is fast and efficient, burning off fat fast and effortlessly I remain at my ideal weight easily I'm loved and respected exactly as I am My friends admire my strong will and commitment to staying slim Every day I am feeling better and better about myself I am more active in my daily life I have the energy to do things I love I feel motivated to exercise daily. I enjoy exercising! I feel more optimistic and excited about life My mind naturally focuses on positive things I am slim, healthy and truly happy I live my life to the fullest 18

19 ~ My Affirmations For Weight Loss & Health ~ 19

20 Gratitude The Single Greatest Thing You Can Do To Change Your Life Today Would Be To Start Being GRATEFUL For What You Have Right Now ~ Oprah Winfrey Gratitude is a positive emotion or feeling of thankfulness for anything that we experience in our life. On a basic level gratitude is as simple as saying thank you for a birthday gift, a lift to work, a favor, a great meal or a compliment. I call it the every-day automatic gratitude - which is basically a part of the social etiquette that we were taught since we were kids. The model is simple: you get or experience something nice and you say thank you. This type of gratitude is great and helps us to appreciate people and things around us, but it doesn t end here. Gratitude is a vastly powerful tool, and goes way beyond the day-to-day act of appreciation. On a higher level gratitude is an emotional vibration that makes it easier to manifest what we want in life, and puts us in sync with the things that we desire. To enter a higher level of gratitude you have to start consciously and purposely looking for things in life that you want to be grateful for. You basically need to form a consistent habit of expressing heartfelt gratitude on a daily basis, finishing every day with asking yourself a simple question: What Are You Grateful For Today? By answering this question, you ll very quickly start attracting and manifesting the things that you desire in your life. You see when you take time to think about the positive side of life and enter a sincere state of gratitude, your energy (vibrational resonance) is at a much higher vibrational frequency. You already know that energy of the same frequency attracts the energy of the same kind of frequency - thus to attract positive things into your life you need to be and feel positive in the first place. Expressing gratitude raises your vibrations and makes you feel positive and happy, and this is exactly what helps you attract the events, conditions, and circumstances that you desire. 20

21 In other words gratitude turns you into a magnet that draws to you more of what you are expressing gratitude for, including your slim and healthy body. Give Thanks For Everything That Happens To You Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation. ~ Brian Tracy, Best Selling Author & Professional Speaker Expressing Gratitude Can Change Your Life (And Make You Exercise More) It s now scientifically proven that people who express gratitude are 25% happier, less depressed, less stressed, and more satisfied with their lives and social relationships. In his new book Thanks! Dr. Robert A. Emmons describes the gratitude study he carried out with 3 experimental groups over 10 weeks. At the end of every of 10 weeks the members of each group were asked to write down the following things: GROUP 1: The Gratitude Group: 5 things they were grateful for in the past week. GROUP 2: The Hassle Group: 5 daily hassles from the past week. GROUP 3: The Events Group: 5 events that had occurred in the last week, without focusing on positive or negative aspects The types of things people listed in the gratitude group included sunset through the clouds, the chance to be alive and the generosity of friends. The things listed by the hassle group were: taxes, difficulty with finding parking or burning the macaroni and cheese. 21

22 The results of the study are incredible. People who were in the gratitude group and kept the gratitude journals on a weekly basis felt 25% happier - they were more optimistic about the future, they felt better about their lives as a whole and they even did almost 1.5 hours more exercise a week than those in the hassles or events groups. What s more, the study shows that expressing gratitude resulted in higher reported levels of alertness, enthusiasm, determination, optimism and energy. Additionally, the gratitude group was more likely to help others and made more progress toward personal goals. According to the findings, people who feel grateful are also more likely to feel loved and sleep better as a result of thinking less negative and more positive thoughts just before going to sleep. The study conducted by Dr Emmons is just one example of what gratitude can do for your life, but the benefits are countless. Being grateful will make you healthier, happier, more energetic and success driven. It trains your brain to think more positively and begin focusing on things you like about your life instead of the things you don't. "Once you get started, you find more and more things to be grateful for," says Dr Emmons. Your outlook on life changes and you are simply becoming a more positive and better person. How Gratitude Supports Weight Loss By now the skeptic inside you is probably wondering how the simple act of being grateful can help you on the journey towards the slim and healthy body? The answer to this question is threefold: 1) Accepting & Loving Your Body The Way It Is Gratitude teaches you how to make peace with your body, no matter what shape, size or weight it has at the moment. It makes you look at your body with full acceptance and love, saying I m grateful for my body the way it is. It stops you from beating yourself up for being overweight, unhealthy or out of shape. You can t turn back time. There s no point in hating your body and punishing yourself for being too big. If your body is out of balance due to your unhealthy lifestyle in the past, 22

23 don t treat it as a failure but rather as a lesson to learn from. Now you know what an unhealthy lifestyle can do to your body, as you learn from your own mistakes. Be grateful for this learning experience, accept yourself the way you are, and take massive action to get your balance back. 2) Getting Into A Positive Upward Spiral When you express gratitude you vibrate on a higher energy level, you are positive and happy, and you are simply in the state of what I call, the Positive Upward Spiral. Being in the positive flow keeps you away from emotional eating and overeating addictions. When you are feeling content and positive you don t have to cover up your negative emotions with food. You eat when you are hungry, not when you are sad, stressed or depressed. Anytime you re tempted to eat away a bad day, get grateful instead. Gratitude Symbol 3) Motivation To Stay On Track The more things you can find to be grateful for during your weight loss journey, the easier it will be to maintain a positive attitude and keep your motivation up. This will keep your mind focused on all that is good about eating healthy, exercising, and sticking to the daily routine rather than on excuses that you could come up with for not taking action. It will also get you past those tough moments when you are feeling demotivated to take action and stick to the exercising or eating plan. Gratitude Unlocks The Fullness Of Life Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity. It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow. ~ Melody Beattie, Author & Journalist 23

24 To give you an example of what your gratitude list could look like, below is a sample list that you can use as an inspiration for creating your own gratitude notes. Gratitude Notes For Weight Loss and Health I m grateful for staying in action and exercising today I m grateful for my strong and healthy body I m grateful for delicious & healthy fruits and vegetables I m grateful for the increased energy level after I exercise I m grateful for the compliments I received today I m grateful for my strong will and motivation to exercise I m grateful for being able to wear my favorite sexy dress I m grateful for fresh & home made breakfast I m grateful for water, it s nourishing my body I m grateful for waking up early today and practicing Yoga I m grateful for my family and friends who motivate me to stay on track I m grateful for the beautiful sunrise and my morning dose of vitamin D I m grateful for eating less today than I ate yesterday I m grateful for eating only when I was hungry without snacking or overeating I m grateful for being able to eat slowly and mindfully What You Focus On Expands. Be Grateful! "What you focus on expands, and when you focus on the goodness in your life, you create more of it. Opportunities, relationships, even money flowed my way when I learned to be grateful no matter what happened in my life." ~ Oprah Winfrey 24

25 Action Steps 1) Start Small & Simple Start your gratitude journey with this simple exercise. Take some time and think of 10 things you like about yourself. Do you like your beautiful eyes? Your great sense of humor? Your warm smile? Your sexy legs? Write it down in the space below. 10 Things That I Like About Myself & I m Grateful For 1)... 2)... 3)... 4)... 5)... 6)... 7)... 8)... 9)... 10)... Now read your list again and mentally express your gratitude for all the things that you like about yourself. Notice the way it makes you feel. Are you feeling the rush of positive energy flowing through your body? That s what I call the magical power of gratitude. By concentrating on what s positive you are vibrating on a higher energy level and automatically attracting more positive things in your life. Remember that it s not the things your are grateful for that count, but the feeling and energy behind them. 25

26 2) Focus On Progress, Not On Scale Always focus your gratitude on your daily progress rather than only on the scale. By doing so you are drawing your attention to every single step that brings you closer towards your dream body, without getting demotivated at times when your scale doesn t move. It teaches you how to be grateful for the process of becoming slim and healthy, not only for the end result. This approach is very powerful because it reprograms your mind to like the process itself, and will make it easier for you to stick to your healthy routine. So instead of being grateful for losing 5 pounds, you can express your gratitude for exercising, going through the day without snacking or your increased energy levels. Of course you can also get grateful for the pounds you have lost so far, but just make sure they are not the only and main thing on your gratitude list. 3) See The Positive In The Negative Or...Fake It Until You Make It! "When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change." ~ Wayne Dyer Very often, the emotional baggage that comes with being overweight stops us from being positive - we see everything related to our body in dark colors, and we hate the way we look and feel. Gratitude will change your relationship with your body by transforming negative thoughts into positive ones. To do it, you ll have to use the power of your imagination and do a little bit of pretending in the beginning of the process. Start by simply focusing on the parts of your body you love - even if they haven't yet formed in physical reality. This means that you start expressing gratitude for for the aspects of your body you would like to have, as if you already have them now. Be grateful for your sexy legs and 26

27 slim waist. Be grateful for your increased energy levels and strength. Be grateful for the ability to wear smaller clothes. You get the drill. Feel the positive energy of gratitude flowing through your body as you imagine these things are true. By going through this exercise you ll notice the positive change in your thought patterns. You ll start feeling less resentful about your body, and will be much more satisfied with it. All of the negative aspects you hated so much will start to fade away, and your imaginary dream body will slowly become a reality. 4) Form The Gratitude Habit The form in which you choose to express gratitude is not nearly as important as your consistency of practicing it. Make a commitment to yourself that you will get grateful at least once per day and stick to that commitment. It doesn't have to take a long time, and even 3-5 minutes is better than not at all. As the time passes by you'll notice that developing the discipline to express gratitude consistently delivers faster results, and is much more effective in manifesting what you want. Every day set aside a few minutes as your 'gratitude time'. I personally prefer to express gratitude in the evening, just before bed time. I can then reflect on all the positive things that I've experienced in the passing day and fall asleep with positive thoughts. It helps me sleep better and I wake up rejuvenated and excited to rock-n-roll another beautiful day :) 5) Choose Your Way Of Expressing Gratitude OPTION 1: Online Gratitude Journal Yo u c a n w r i t e y o u r g r a t i t u d e n o t e s o n l i n e v i a GratiitudeLog.com, a website known to many gratitude enthusiasts as The Happiest Place On The Internet. It s free and gives you the ability to connect with other participants of the Slim4Life Program who by expressing gratitude daily stay slim and healthy. GratitudeLog allows you to write down all the things you are grateful for and store it in the online form. 27

28 # TO JOIN THE GRATITUDE LOG CLICK HERE # TO JOIN THE SLIMYOGI GRATITUDE LOG GROUP CLICK HERE # TO FOLLOW ME ON GRATITUDE LOG CLICK HERE OPTION 2: Offline Gratitude Journal Second option is to buy a simple notebook/ journal and every day write down all the things that you are grateful for. Start with whatever springs to your mind and work from there. Try not to write the same thing every day but explore your gratefulness. In this way you ll create your own gratitude diary and you can return to it to find inspiration whenever you are feeling down or demotivated on your journey to a slim and healthy body. Keep your journal handy around your desk, in a bag or a pocket. Take it out and write in it every time something good happens throughout your day. After you finish writing, take some time and re-read what you wrote to let those positive thoughts sink in further. OPTION 3: Mental Gratitude (Meditation And Visualization) The third way of expressing gratitude is to mentally go over the list of things you are grateful for as you meditate or visualize. This is a very effective method because during meditation or visualization, your brain waves naturally slow down and enter the Alpha level. This allows the positive gratitude affirmations to penetrate deeper into your subconscious mind. This has a quicker, deeper, and longer lasting effect with less effort. If you don t like to meditate, another option is to mentally go through your gratitude list while doing things that are relaxing for you, such as walking, gardening or fishing. Your mind is very receptive when you are fully relaxed, so make use of it to manifest your slim and healthy body. 28

29 Slim4life For More Tips & Tools On Using The Power Of Thoughts For Slim & Healthy Body visit: SlimYOGI - All Rights Reserved Please do not copy, distribute or republish Imagine Your Way To A Slim And Healthy Body or it s parts without a permission of the author. 29