If you believe it to be true, it is…

I’m continuing on the how to stay fit and healthy whilst leading a busy lifestyle conversation this week, although it may not seem like it because I’m going to be talking more on mindset.
Yet it’s very clear to me that it all starts in the mind. I know that if you get that sorted first then the rest (the food, exercise etc) flows naturally and sticks.
Practically everyone has lenses that they view the world through…
Imagine putting on a pair of glasses that aren’t yours, they’re not right for your eyes or maybe you don’t even need glasses, so they distort your vision…
And, that’s exactly what’s happening with the ‘lenses’ by which you view the world through.
Then put another pair of glasses on top of that first pair, then another, and another… So, now you’re looking through all four sets of lenses!!
Each one different … Perhaps one of them is rose tinted, but another is grey tinted.
How is your world view now?
… Of course, no surprises it’s going to be totally skewed, fuzzy, a misinterpretation of reality!
You won’t be able to see things clearly and if you’re looking through rose tinted or grey tinted glasses you won’t perceive things as they are.
What’s funny about coloured glasses is that it doesn’t take long for your eyes to readjust and see all colours normally again, yet you’re still looking through coloured glasses you just don’t see it anymore!
Also, in wearing all of these ‘lenses’ your eyesight will soon enough adjust and probably deteriorate to compensate.
So, applying all this back to the ‘lenses’ you have in your mind – i.e. your beliefs – hopefully this analogy helps illustrate how they can do the exact same thing to your outlook and perspective!?
These lenses or filters are beliefs that may have been applied during childhood, many people take on their parents’ beliefs and it’s not they’re old enough and gain a sense of self that they start to question them …
Other beliefs come from societal conditioning, the media/press, culture, religion, social groups, celebrities, your Doctor, the government …
On a side note, it’s also one of the reasons I go on and on and on about choosing who and what you surround yourself with VERY carefully. This includes what you listen to, read and watch, where you live, socialise etc  – not just the people in your life.
 I’ve written about beliefs before, so you may remember that once a belief is ingrained in your mind, your mind automatically goes to look for evidence to support that belief… it’s called ‘confirmation bias’ …
So, say for example, you believe that dogs are aggressive … you’ll actually subconsciously look for evidence of that and yet screen out all the evidence against it.
In this example, you might see a dog bark at another dog and with this belief you’d interpret it as aggressive, yet maybe on that particular occasion it was actually barking because it was excited and happy!
You’d also be far less likely to pay attention to dogs looking sweet, docile and calm because that’s not on your radar.
I’m using this as an example because it’s something very simple to make it easy to understand, yet the exact same principle can apply to anything in your life.
Bringing it back to what we’re talking about: health and fitness …
If you struggle with your health and it feel likes it hard work, I want you to pause for a moment and consider that it starts with your mindset and your beliefs.
So, I’d like to invite you to take a moment now and note any beliefs around your health and wellness that you are fixed on…
You may hear yourself say this to friends and family on a regular basis… It may even be something your Mother, Father or a Grandparent used to say that’s been passed down to you…
It could sound something like:
 “We’ve always had a sweet tooth in my family”
 “Our side of the family struggles with weight [or insert any other health complaint]”
 “Dairy makes you put on weight”
 “Fat is bad for you” – you could also insert any other major food group here.
 “When you’re short like me it’s really hard to keep the weight off”
 “I’m never going to be able to X (for example run) because of my Y (for example knee problem)”
 “Women need X number of calories a day and men need Y”
 “I have a slow metabolism”
 “I always put on weight over the holidays”
… I could go on and on and on with these, I’m sure the list could be endless in fact. But you get the gist!
I hear comments like this from people and new clients all the time.
Yet it’s so amazing when you bust through these beliefs and then people realise that it was just a lens that was holding them back.
With these fixed beliefs, you’re locking yourself in a cage and yet that thing you hold on to so tightly could be the very thing that will set you free!
An amazing yet also scary example of this is something that I heard when I was at the Tony Robbins event earlier this year.
When a Dr tells a terminally ill patient how long they have left to live, they often pass away a week or so either side of that date.
Yet it’s been shown that when you don’t tell the person a specific date they can live well on past the date for months if not years!!
This is literally because the patient doesn’t take on a belief.
I was blown away when I first heard this!!
I’m not suggesting the Doctors are wrong per se, I think it comes more down to the power of the mind.
At the event, Joseph McClendon, who is Tony Robbins top coach, told a story of how he wouldn’t let a Dr tell his sick Mother how long she had to live because he knew this to be true. In fact, as he tells it he almost got thrown out of the hospital for getting so angry at the Dr who was insisting he was going to tell her. Joseph apparently visited his Mother every day, kept playing her videos and interviews of people who survived cancer, he brought in nutritious smoothies every day and also watched funny movies with her.
She ended up living a further 11 years, yet the Dr was going to tell her she had 9months left.
Your mind is very, very powerful!! This is also a fantastic example of who you surround yourself with – as Joseph knew, so he forced his positive, optimistic energy on her and through the videos etc.
Personally, I subscribe to the notion –  your thoughts create your reality.
So, with that in mind…. What do you think could be holding you back with your health and wellness?
What thoughts are you really attached to and what are your strong beliefs?
Bring them to the forefront of your mind and give yourself the opportunity to consider that they might not actually be true…
Once you have one or more, look into them, be willing to see evidence to the contrary – challenge yourself to look for opposing evidence and see what happens!
Love,
Kate x