Any suggestions on how I can change from a junk food eating couch potato into a person with healthy eating habits who exercises regularly. I know what I am supposed to do to support a healthy lifestyle, I just can’t figure out how to make myself do it. I will eat in a healthy way and exercise for a couple of weeks and then I fall back into my old unhealthy ways.

Signed, Is There Help For Me?

Dear Is There Help For Me:

First, let me congratulate you on the progress that you have made. You have figured out what needs to change in your life and you have figured out how to change it. The next step is to understand the difference between change and transformation.

Transformation is the ability to take the changes you have made and apply them consistently until they become your new way of life. Let’s take the example of a person who begins an exercise regimen and faithfully exercises twice a week. We might congratulate them for successfully changing their behavior by adding an exercise routine to their schedule. While any exercise is better than no exercise, a person who exercises twice a week has more inactive days than active days. Have they changed? Yes. Have they transformed their lives? No. In order to transform our lives, the new behavior has to be practiced more often than the old behavior until the new behavior is repeated every day – yes, couch potatoes, including weekends.
The key to transforming your life for the better lies in the ability to change your thoughts and beliefs and consistently practice self scripted behavior. In other words, train your thoughts to support your ability to move forward. It is as easy as changing your mind.

Self-healing thoughts are powerful tools for helping us transform our lives. Should I eat that ice cream or not? Should I exercise tonight or hang out with my friends? We know the right answer, and positive self talk, also called affirmations, help us create the fertile ground in our minds for good choices to flourish.

Self healing affirmations are mantra-like thoughts that are compatible with healthy behaviors and work by changing our inner motivational landscape.
Use this self talk to support your health and fitness behavioral goals and lead consistent behavior to transform your life. To use self talk to change your behavior and transform your health, first decide what area of your health you want to change. For example, you may want to reduce your intake of sugar. Healthy self talk that supports that might include: I have the power to control what I eat, I make healthy food choices. It is important to keep our self talk positive and focused on what we do want, not what we don’t want. Repeat the self talk frequently throughout the day.

The next week, you might decide to focus on increasing the amount of exercise you do. Healthy self talk that supports increased exercise might include: I love and care for my body and it cares for me, I exercise four times every week, I like going to the gym. After two weeks, you may decide to repeat the first week’s self healing talk, or you may move on to a new area you want to change.

Do some research; there are many books and internet sites with examples of positive self talk and healing affirmations.

Some examples of self-healing thoughts are:
I have the power to control my health
I control my own body
I have abundant energy, vitality and well being
I am always able to maintain my ideal weight
I am filled with energy to do all the daily activities in my life

Remember, it takes six weeks to develop a new habit and you will have to be consistent and persistent in using self talk to transform your thoughts and reach fitness behaviors. You can do it.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this column is of a general nature and cannot substitute for the advice of a medical professional. Even if a statement made about health is accurate, it may not apply to you or your symptoms. This article should not be construed as an attempt to offer or render a medical opinion or otherwise engage in the practice of medicine. Readers are strongly advised to seek the advice of a qualified medical professional.