How to think yourself fit

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Once your mind is focused, your body will be sure to follow. Kelly Baker has the lowdown. If there was a sneaky short cut to getting fit and healthy, you’d want to know about it, right? Well, there is: it’s good old-fashioned positive thinking. “An empowered attitude is what makes all the difference,” says Darren Shaw, a personal trainer and director at Sydney’s Ignite Health. “Once you’ve got that there’s no doubt that you can get the exact results you want.”

If you think that your attitude is less ‘empowered’ and more ‘can’t be bothered’, don’t worry. That’s easily fixed if you practice the following simple steps. Firstly, identify exactly what it is that you want to achieve. Perhaps you’re keen to lose weight or increase your fitness or strength levels. Once you’ve chosen your specific goal, it’s time to commit to it. One of the best ways to do this is to share it with those close to you. This will help to keep you accountable. It may also help to write down your goal and stick it somewhere you’ll see it each and every day. This will ensure you keep your goal in the forefront of your mind.

Darren suggests you also try ‘mental imagery’. A technique favoured by psychologists at the Australian Institute of Sport, where it’s used to keep our top athletes primed for success, mental imagery is simply rehearsing your workout in your head. Set aside five minutes each day to focus on how satisfying it feels to be working up a sweat. Then think about how positive you feel afterwards. If you can, picture every detail of your exercise routine (right down to what you’re wearing) as vividly as possible. Imagine your energy increasing, your muscles growing and your skin glowing with health and vitality. It may feel silly, but countless studies have shown it works.

And don’t forget positive self-talk. As often as possible, tell yourself: ‘I am strong, I am lean, I am athletic.’ Eventually, those affirming words will become the reality. “The mind is a powerful thing,” says Darren. “There are no official figures but in my experience if you can get your mind right, you’re 10 times more likely to see your health and fitness dreams come true.”

Jump-start your workout
Follow our five-step plan and within six weeks you should see noticeable improvements in your fitness, strength and stamina. Plus, you’ll speed up your metabolism, making it easier to lose weight. Now that’s what we call motivating.

Rest
Weight training and strenuous exercise actually break down muscle fibre. If you want your muscles to repair and rebuild themselves, leaving you fitter and stronger, you need to take regular rest days. Occasionally taking it easy also decreases stress and blood pressure and boosts immunity. “During rest, muscles and body systems regenerate,” says exercise physiologist Sarah Morante. “Skip the rest and the improvements don’t occur.”

Try it: Aim for a balance of hard days (think a five kilometre run or a full-body weights session) and easy days (say a yoga class or a half-hour stroll). To avoid burnout, take a day off from exercise each week.

Team up
Research carried out at Indiana University in Bloomington, North America, has shown that those who commit to working out with a friend are roughly twice as likely to stick with their program as those who work out alone. “Work out with a friend who is motivated and you’re halfway there,” says personal trainer Dean Piazza, of online training site www.getfit.com.au. “They’ll encourage you not to miss sessions and they’ll pick you up when you feel down or tired.”

Try it: Tell your friends, family and co-workers that you’re looking for a workout buddy. Your best bet is someone with similar goals and exercise experience.

Push yourself
If you’ve been working out at the same pace for weeks, or even months, then it’s time to crank it up. Varying the intensity of your workouts will keep you interested and keep those results coming. Simply alternate short, fairly intense spurts of exercise with periods of relatively easy exercise. This will challenge your body, resulting in quicker toning, increased fitness and weight loss.

Try it: Start by keeping your high-intensity periods short, say 15 to 30 seconds, and then give yourself at least three times as long to recover. Work yourself up to 60 seconds of high-intensity followed by 60 seconds of recovery.

Cross-train
Cross-training simply means performing a variety of exercises. If you usually cycle, then try walking; if you use the elliptical trainer, try rowing; if you regularly swim, try tennis. “Every time you change the activity, you challenge your muscles a different way,” says Jim Karas, author of The Business Plan for the Body (Hodder Headline, 2001). The result: increased fitness, decreased boredom and less chance of injury.

Try it: Commit to a brand new workout each week. Check out your local gym or community centre and see what classes are on offer. Think outside the box and try something different, such as a dance or martial arts class.

Weight train
Lifting weights builds and firms the muscles, giving you a long, lean look. It also increases muscle mass, which in turn boosts your metabolism, the rate at which your body burns kilojoules. The speedier your metabolism, the easier it is to keep your weight under control. Weight training also lessens your chances of developing diabetes, osteoporosis and colon cancer. It can also help to prevent injuries, increase energy and improve your posture.

Try it: Schedule a weight training workout three times a week. Aim for three sets of 12 to 15 repetitions. When you can easily knock out 15 reps it’s time to increase the weight. That way you will continue to see results.

Photography: Steven Chee. Styling: Nicholas Sholl. Hair & make-up: Laura Dominique.