The power of visualisation

Willpower does not work in regard to weight loss because the human imagination is much more powerful.

Words are extremely powerful, so to ensure successful weight loss you must use positive, empowering words to uplift your spirit and define your goal. For example, if you state your goal as:

“I just want to get rid of that nasty, ugly cellulite, podgy stomach and flabby arms.”

This is a perfect example of what I describe as a goal described in a negative manner. Stop for a moment and consider what comes into your mind when you say words like “ugly”, “nasty”, “cellulite”, “podgy stomach” and “flabby arms”? Conjure up a mental image of yourself with ugly cellulite, podgy stomach and flabby arms. What does that do to uplift your spirit — nothing! It might even encourage you to think that it is impossible to get rid of those unwanted features of your body, and this is when that little voice inside your head speaks up and says: “If I can’t get rid of them, I might as well have fun and eat that king-size bar of chocolate and I might feel better.”

If words weren’t so powerful, do you think restaurants would go to all the trouble of writing such delicious descriptions of the fantastic meals on their menus? For example:

A thick, juicy, organically raised sirloin steak, grilled to your satisfaction, served with garden salad and fresh asparagus, topped with mozzarella cheese.

Descriptions like that are extremely inviting and appetising — and have me salivating just while reading them (I’m biased, by the way, I’m a big steak lover!).

But what if the restaurant had written:

Slaughtered cow, burned and arranged with dead vegetables and covered with fermented milk.

Is that description as inviting as the previous one?

Visualise

Now that we have discussed some of the theory behind goal setting, I want you to stand in front of a mirror, visualise yourself at your goal weight, and picture yourself running along the beach with your partner at a Bali resort, inhaling the fresh sea air, feeling your partner’s hand in yours, the warm sand beneath your feet . . . Feel the body, the new you and STOP. Remember the feeling and write it down