Meditation for Motivation

Obesity is not a fashion faux pas; it is a health hazard, and people dealing with obesity issues should not be driven by shame to try to achieve some idealistic image goal. Media should motivate toward better health and longer life. Once we understand the real goals, the journey becomes a little less daunting. By now, we are all aware of the basics: eat less, exercise more. Still, weight loss requires levels of motivation and dedication that many people feel they are not able to achieve on their own.

The single most important tool for promoting better health is the mind, and the single most effective way to develop the mind is through meditation. Just like weight lifting is exercise for muscles, meditation is exercise for the mind. Knowing what to do and making the conscious decision to do it can be at opposite ends of the weight loss chasm,and meditation can help fill in the gap. Using meditation to develop mental clarity and improve focus can change the way you look at weight loss and help you overcome the obstacles that get in the way.

You don’t have to be a guru to be able to meditate. There are a few simple steps to achieving tremendous results:

1.Find a quiet place to meditate. This should be some place where you can be alone and uninterrupted for at least ten minutes.
2.Lie down on your back or sit up comfortably, with your back straight and supported.
3.Breathe. (Yes, it’s that simple.) Inhale through the nose, exhale through the mouth, focus on your breathing and let your mind and body relax with it.
4.Quiet your mind. (This is the hard part for most of us.) As thoughts, worries, and concerns rush in, mentally set them aside to deal with later.
5.Focus on the issues that you deal with in your weight loss struggle. Use imagery (creating mental pictures related to achieving your goals) to help you discover solutions.

If you are new to meditation, begin with steps 1-3 each day until you feel comfortable with them. Add step 4 until it becomes effortless, then advance to step 5. Meditation isn’t going to instantly boost your metabolism or burn a bunch of calories, but it can give you the mental foundation you need to succeed in the physical efforts that will.