Mind over Body: Thinking Your Way to a Healthy New You

Starting a diet and exercise program seems to be a universal quest. Sticking with it? That's a different story.

One of America's leading health experts says the key to improving our body is what goes on between our ears.
     
For 20 years, celebrity trainer Joel Harper has helped high profile clients lose weight and stay in shape. He says the number one tool to get and stay there is the right attitude.

Mind Your Body

Many people don't realize it, but we're always talking to ourselves about ourselves. Not out loud, but up internally. Those messages are repeated over and over again.

Harper says whether that self-talk is positive or negative often determines whether we succeed or fail at our diet and exercise program.

In his book, Mind Your Body, Harper says we must identify our own thoughts.

"It's so important that I get all my clients to focus on that first," he explained. "And they're like, 'No, no, no, I just want to workout,' and I'm like, 'Great. We're going to work out. But you've got to tap into the power of the mind and what your thoughts are doing.'"

"We have 70,000 [thoughts] a day," he continued. "Let's say 10 percent of those are negative -- that's 7,000 thoughts a day. That's a lot of negative thoughts."

Harper says he gets his clients to express their thoughts out loud.

"So while they're working out, I ask them these questions, and one of them is, 'How are you feeling?' And they're like, 'I really don't want to do this, I feel really uncoordinated, I've never done it before, I have horrible balance,'" he said. "And I'm like, 'There you go.'"

How to Fix 'Stinking Thinking'

The way to fix a negative attitude is to reverse those statements and say positive ones out loud, five times in a row.

"It gets rid of cyclical thinking," Harper explained. "A lot of us have cyclical thoughts and they go over and over again and we just keep replaying them out of habit."

"And we create these habits and it turns into our behavior and everything we're doing in our daily life. So I get people to break those thoughts," he said.

However, Harper cautions his clients to make their positive self-talk in the here and now, not down the road.

"But also with your positive affirmations and your positive thoughts, what are you doing with those?" he continued. "Are they something like, 'Oh, I'm gonna do?' Something that is positive, but it's in the future?"

"I tell all my clients to make it in the present moment. And really have thoughts that I am doing it now, so it brings it into the present and makes you accomplish it today," he said.

Harper gives examples such as saying out loud, "I have amazing balance" five times in a row while doing balance exercises. He says he's seen his clients perform better instantly when they do this.

On the other hand, he says he has observed the way some of his clients sabotage their own success.

"A lot of people want to lose weight," Harper said. "And they're like, 'Oh, I've tried diets before; they've never worked. I'll lose 10 pounds and then I'll immediately get it back. '"

He says self-defeatist attitudes like that almost guarantee failure. Harper advises those people to start saying this key phrase instead: "I lose weight easily and swiftly."  

A Nutrient-Dense Diet

When it comes to diet, Harper advises his clients to eat nutrient-dense foods. These are foods that calorie-for-calorie pack in lots of vitamins and minerals.  

The opposite of nutrient-dense foods are foods with "empty calories," such as soda and many processed foods, that have lots of calories but very few health benefits per calorie.

Harper cautions that people can still gain weight while eating healthy foods so portion control is still an issue. For example, raw nuts are a smart snack, but they can be high in calories, so stick with no more than a handful a day.

Harper says a good rule of thumb regarding portion size is to make sure the items on your plate are not touching.  
     
With that in mind, here's a good self-talk statement: "I eat nutrient-dense foods while keeping an eye on portion size."

Don't Forget to Drink Water!

One of the most important health tips, yet the one that is often most neglected, is drinking enough water.
     
"I cannot tell you how many people come to me and they're dehydrated, just because they haven't had enough water," he told CBN News. "Their back's tightening-up, they're not feeling their best, they're getting lethargic -- all because they're dehydrated."

To get the right amount of water, divide your weight in half. That number is how many ounces you should be drinking each day. Add 10 ounces more if you exercise.  

Furthermore, make sure you spread out your water intake throughout the day.  Don't drink it all at once.

Tips for a Good Workout

When it comes to working out, Harper says that should become a daily activity. The good news is you don't have to spend the time or money going to a health club.

"It's great if you do that, but you can do amazing workouts using your body as your gym," he said.

Resistance training is when you use your own body weight as resistance instead of using weights. Harper gives many examples of such exercises in his book. Resistance training builds muscles, which strengthens bone and speeds up metabolism.

However, resistance training is only part of the exercise equation. Equally important are balance drills, some of which he illustrates in his book.

"So when you do these balancing exercises, one side's going to be harder than the other side," he cautioned. "But with time, if you do it over and over again, they're going to balance out and they're going to get much easier."

Developing good balance is one of the best ways to avoid falls, which often lead to serious injuries.

In addition to strength and balance, Harper recommends his clients elevate their heart rate with cardiovascular exercise. This is good for the heart and increases lung capacity.

Harper saysa number of cardio exercises can be done in small spaces, such as a hotel room.

Pain Management/Prevention

Finally, remember to stretch. Stretching is an excellent way to manage pain, as well as prevent it from occurring in the future.  

Certain stretches target specific areas of concern, such as back pain. Some leg stretches combat painful plantar fascitis of the foot.

Neck stretches can alleviate the tension that comes from sitting in front of a computer all day, which often leads to headaches.

So take it from Joel Harper, trainer to the stars: a moderate amount of nutritious food combined with strength, balance cardio and stretching exercises will help you reach and maintain your diet and fitness goals... provided you believe you can do it!