Fun, Fitness, and Fresh-air

So I've been doing some reading this past month from books that are largely philosophy-based. I just finished reading The Secret, as well as A New Earth. Some of you may think of philosophical readings as a bunch of inner-peace self-help bullshit that tends to be about as realistic as you only eating just one serving of your favorite ice cream. However, the above two books truly do provide/teach a lot of great principles, and if you start out reading them with a completely open mind, you won't finish thinking it was all bullshit. Instead, while you may not feel entirely enlightened by the end of the book, I can guarantee either one will help you be in a state of happiness ten times greater than before.

I want to use some of the principles discussed in the book to talk about how one can happily and efficiently lose weight (hence the fitness theme of this blog). But first, I want to briefly discuss the main concepts explored in each book, as these will be extremely beneficial for anyone, regardless of whether you're trying to lose weight or not.

A New Earth predominantly focuses on living in the present. Through living and being in the present, you can start to awaken your true self, not just your "self" that's being controlled and dominated by your thoughts, which often revolve around either the past or the future. Think of how many times a day your thoughts focus around future desires, future plans, past regrets, past conflicts. Probably too many times to count. These thoughts take up so much time and so much of your focus that rarely are you ever really just living, breathing in each present moment. Until you can be completely present, you will be unable to remain steadily happy and satisfied. If you are always looking to the future for excitement and satisfaction, then you're going to be always looking to the future for this life fulfillment, and it will be a never-ending cycle of waiting, and waiting, and waiting. If you stay tied up with your past, then how can you ever be happy? Your past is never going to go away, but the changes that can be made in the present, without dwelling on the past, can happen right now. Every moment you live is in the present. You can never live the future or the past. So, by being complacent and happy with the present, you will be happy always because you are always present.

The Secret largely discusses the importance of thinking and believing into existence your wants and dreams. You have the power to draw towards you whatever you desire, but only if you truly believe it will happen. "Your thoughts become things," is one of the mantras explored in the book. It also emphasizes the value of optimism. It states, "It is impossible to feel bad and at the same time have good thoughts." If you stop and think about this statement, it is really true. How can you feel bad if all your thoughts are good? What I got out of this book is not necessarily the fact that thinking and imagining good things will automatically make these things come/happen for you (although I do believe there is some truth to this), but rather that by always imagining good in your life, you will be a much happier sustained person. By creating optimistic thoughts within you, you will radiate confidence, positiveness, and will have just an overall glow about you. This in itself will draw good things and people towards you.

So...Relating some of these concepts to weight loss and overall health:

If you are continuously overweight, then to get thin something needs to change. You can't just miraculously lose weight overnight without any effort. Maybe its the junk food, the endless hours watching TV, the busy schedule, or any of the other millions of excuses you have about why you've gained weight, but trust me it's possible to lose it. And maybe you aren't a fan of healthy food or exercise, but one thing is for sure, both are vital in order to not only lose weight but to maintain good health. But not just exercise and diet are important. A positive attitude is essential as well. You are never going to lose weight if the whole time you're putting forth effort you are miserable or negative, willing to give up on yourself in a split second. Being healthy and maintaining a healthy weight is a lifestyle, something that will require consciousness everyday. You've got to want it. You've got to want to be health, be fit, and be successful. Endless negativity and misery associated with getting fit will make it impossible to incorporate health conscious tactics into everyday life (unless you want to live in endless misery).

For now I will leave you with these preliminary principles to think about. In the next several posts, I will be further discussing themes from A New Earth and The Secret and applying them to how to lose weight and maintain an overall state of good health.