Set an Intention for Your Health!
Using the Power of Thought to Create All Around Health
As bathing suit season rapidly approaches our focus turns
to exercising and eating more healthfully. The goal? To look great in that
bikini or tank, shorts, sleeveless tops. While this is a motivating incentive
to get and be healthy, wouldn’t it be great to live in a healthy
state all year round? Can you imagine being able to pull out all of those
great clothes season after season and have them all fit, to consistently
look and feel great?
While this may seem like an impossible goal, it is do-able – one
day at a time. It takes intention and a willingness to pay attention to
your total well-being, not just one aspect of it.
So what do I mean by intention?
We’ve all set goals and New Years resolutions to lose weight, right?
How many times have you said, "Ok, I’m going to go to the gym
5 days a week and start eating right on Monday."? How consistently
successful have you been? You might go along pretty well for a while (it’s
estimated New Year’s Resolutions last about 21 days) then that Monday
comes. It’s raining and cold and you really don’t feel like
getting out of bed so you decide, " I’ll go tomorrow!" Tomorrow
comes and something else comes up. Then the next day you go but the next
day you don’t. Before you know it you’ve missed several days,
you start getting discouraged, feel badly about yourself and beat yourself
up and you give up entirely…."What’s the use?"
Well, there is a different way to approach this – it is to
set an intention
An intention is an energetic state that we create by directing
our thoughts, energy and attention to create the state of being we desire.
It differs from a goal in that it focuses us on a state of being instead
of a specific outcome and defined expectation. There is more permission
to play and choose in an intention than in a goal which tends to box us
into thinking we have to do "it" a particular way. Intentions
don’t set us up for failure as goals often do. And they are powerful
because they call on our thoughts, energy and attention – the secret
to successful long-term change.
For example, at the beginning of this year I set the intention to "pay
attention to and be gentle with my body, mind and spirit, making choices
daily that nurture and challenge me." I knew I was contemplating joining
the gym and taking up yoga, walking and doing some weight training again
and I also knew I didn’t want to set myself up for failure. I wanted
to do this without the pressure and guilt trips I can get into that make
exercising a chore, one more thing to do and a source of guilt or obsession.
So what has this intention created for me?
I joined Fitness Unlimited and love it! I’ve been attending the delightful
yoga classes, doing some weight training, walking my dog daily (it’s
great for him, too). The best part is I’ve been doing this with an
ease (nurture) that has created a state of mental and emotional peace about
my body and how well I’m treating it.
Here are some simple steps to help you set an intention for your
self:
1 |
Think of the energetic or emotional state that you
want to create for yourself. This can be around exercise, diet, or
spiritual and emotional states you want to experience.
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2 |
Take a deep breath and imagine your self in that state. Imagine
you are already there and enjoying it. Spend a couple of minutes here.
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3 |
Now put words to what you just experienced and write them down.
Here are some examples of intentions my clients and I have created.
I suggest you create your own to make them more powerful and meaningful
to you:
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My intention is to:
• Honor my body and it’s needs with gentleness
and consideration
• Take actions every day that create health in all aspects of
my being
• Love my body and give it what it needs every day
• Listen to what my body wants daily – and do that!
• Give my body the best I can in exercise, diet and rest
every day
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4 |
Once you have created your intention, make a list of 10 things
you can do and ways you can honor your intention. Let your mind have
fun with this – you may think of ways to be healthy that are
new!
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5 |
Then tell somebody! Share your intention with a supportive person
in your life.
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6 |
And, most importantly, have fun and honor your intention!
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Monique Morimoto Flaherty, MS, CPCC is a certified life and business coach
who guides, supports and partners with people on the path of self-discovery
and self-creation. She helps clients discover the truth of who they are
and to create lives that are fulfilling, joyful and expansive.
Telephone: 617-328-7113
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