Continuing in yesterday's theme...

NEVER under-estimate the power of positive thinking. Focus on why you can instead of why you can’t, and so many obstacles fall away.

Watch what you are thinking. Be aware of your self-talk. I know this sometimes sounds a bit touchy-feely, but we talk to ourselves all the time.

I don't mean the nutty lady wandering down the street muttering to herself. I mean those thoughts we usually aren’t even aware of. You know the ones – I don’t have enough self-control to eat well, I can’t get fit because I’m not a sporty person, it will never work.

Start listening to yourself. Catch those negative thoughts and push them away. Replace them with positive thoughts – eating well will make me feel good, I’ll find an activity I like and then getting fit will be fun, I can make these changes.

The positive thinking habit can be hard. You might even feel a bit silly doing it – but our thoughts have a powerful influence over our lives.

LBTEPA wrote a great post about this a while back, and it has been going through my head a lot in the last few weeks. I hope you don’t mind me quoting you, but the ‘Act as if’ idea struck a real chord with me:

This week has been such an “Act As If” week – Act As If I’m disciplined, motivated, cheerful, organised. And let me tell you, as strategies go, it’s worked a TREAT. Really. I’m sure the effortlessness will return soon. It WILL.

What this says to me is: when things are a bit too hard, act as if you can do them. Then suddenly they’re habits again and doing them comes naturally.

It’s another form of positive thinking. And it doesn’t just apply to weight loss or getting fit. It applies to all parts of our lives.