Why Being Present is Crucial to Losing Weight
My mantra is always, “If you do it, do it right.” And that is the message I have been imprinting into my kids — and my clients as well. First, let me explain why I am implementing this mantra into my kids’ habits, and then I will explain the benefits of this mantra for my clients' (and your) fitness — or, more accurately, for becoming CEO of your body.
I am sure you’ve come across a situation in which your child(ren) wanted to help you (or their teacher) just so they could get “good points,” or else a specific reward (like my son getting a superhero toy). Of course, I always welcome my kids’ help; however, sometimes I know they can do a better job. I explain to them that when you offer to help or when you are asked to help adults, those adults are counting on you to complete the job to the very best of your ability (the teacher or I would not have asked you to help if we knew you couldn’t do it). If you offer to organize the books at school or fold the laundry at home, do it in the best way you can so your teacher and I don’t have to spend our own time fixing it or doing it again; after all, we have our own jobs to get done. Always put a high standard on your work by doing it RIGHT.
This mantra, “If you do it, do it right,” is even more important in fitness and shaping your body. Nothing triggers my “annoyed” button more than seeing people on their phones while working out. However, it is not my nerves that pay the price, it is them — because they are taking precious time out of their busy schedules, but ultimately doing nothing to help their bodies.
Why is it a waste of time at the gym when your mind is not on your workout? Because in order to get the right results, you MUST connect your muscles with your mind (and soul, too) during the hour you dedicate to your exercise. That means you MUST be Present. You can’t expect to transform your body while your mind is somewhere else during exercise.
There are two factors, Physiological and Your True Soul, for why it is crucial to be Present during exercise (a.k.a. doing it RIGHT).
Physiological Factor: Mind-Muscle Connection
Studies show that a strong mind-muscle connection leads to better performance. Better performance means involving more muscle fibers. Involving more muscle fibers by pushing the muscle to its fullest potential results in 1. More calories burned, and 2. More muscle toning. More and more researchers agree that concentration allows more muscle activation: more work is being done.
You see, building a healthy and toned body is not just about working out in a gym and eating the right food. Let’s take, for example, ballet dancers. They have beautifully toned bodies because their practices are all about the mind-muscle connection, which means bringing their attention to their bodies in every single move. What does it mean for you? As you perform each exercise, you must think about each actively engaged muscle, like the abs or arm muscles. Why? Because the quality of the neuromuscular connection determines how hard your muscles are working out. Building a toned body is not about how heavy the weights are, but how much your mind is connected to your muscles.
I always say to my clients that, before increasing weight (which our egos love to do), they should check in with themselves to see how Present they are and how precise (RIGHT) their movements are. If they are engaging every single fiber in their abs or thighs, and they think there is no other muscle fiber to be connected, then they can go ahead and increase their weight.
True Soul Factor: Soul-Muscle Connection
Again, I will use the ballet dancers’ performance. As I already mentioned, ballet dancers must connect the mind with muscles to perform; however, if they reach the connection between soul and muscles, their performance becomes “Next-Level,” which results in an unforgettable experience the audience does not just see, but which they can truly feel. When you connect your muscles with your soul, you perform with Passion. Have you ever seen anything awful created with Passion? I haven’t.
It is just like cooking with Passion. When you decide to cook for a person you love passionately, your cooking starts with shopping for the best gourmet ingredients. Then, while you cook, your thoughts are all about the person you love and for whom you are cooking; therefore, it would be impossible for your meal (sprinkled with so much love) not to come out as the most delicious meal (yes, even for first-time cooks).
Without being Present and working out with Passion (soul-muscle connection), it will be very difficult to create the body you love — just like the delicious meal.
So, if you have been wondering why your time spent in the gym isn’t more fruitful, check your Presence level — and DO IT RIGHT! Get your mind and soul involved and connect them with your muscles. You can activate as little as one muscle or as much as an entire muscle chain: the choice is yours, CEO!
The better the connection between your mind, soul, and muscles, the better CEO of your body you become.
If you do it, and you do it RIGHT, I promise you: You will build your CEO body!
P.S. Your time is precious, so don’t waste it on mindless, soulless exercise.
Learn more about becoming tuned in and connected to your body by emailing me at:
heavenlybodyafter40@gmail.com
