Altering Perception to Get Healthy

Let’s face it… dieting is just way too difficult. With so many diet books out today, it seems like there should be one that works, right? But the majority of them lack one key element.

To successfully lose weight, or get healthier, or more athletic, you have to address your mindset and how you think about your health. In other words, you have to educate yourself.

People have all sorts of self-limiting beliefs when it comes to their health. They say things like "That’s too hard," or "I could never eat like you do." Everyone thinks you just have to be disciplined and strict with your diet and exercising, otherwise it’s not possible. People live in extremes. They either do nothing, or they do too much and burn themselves out.

What they don’t understand is that it has nothing to do with will power at all. It has to do with a change in perception.

My current perception is that if I eat anything unhealthy i.e. sugar, grease, excess fat, etc., I will feel like hell.

When I was in high school, my perception was that I could eat 2 Burger King croissant-wiches for breakfast, $5 at Taco Bell for lunch (which back then bought you about two tacos, two bean burritos, a tostada, and a double-decker taco), and a whole pepperoni pizza or more Taco Bell for dinner, and I would be fine. Actually, I’ll go so far as saying I thought I was healthy back then. Never mind that I got sick all the time. I felt like I was getting a cold every month. That was my perception, as it is for many, many people in this country.

The best way to get healthier and lose weight is to educate yourself. That’s what I did. I learned a lot about exercise and how it affects the overall physiology of our bodies. I learned a lot about food, good and bad. I learned about all the preservatives used to preserve and enhance the taste of food. I learned about vitamins and minerals and why our bodies need them. After I learned all these things, my perception on food and health was/is totally different. What I learned was important enough for me to make the change my body needed to be healthier.

That’s it. No magic dust, no magic pill, no diet books.

It’s all about the education.