New Article Published! Transforming Your Inner and Outer Self Successfully When Your in Over Your Head

Are you a Goat Or a Tiger?


Consider the Oriental fable about the little tiger orphaned immediately after birth, raised by a friendly herd of goats. The little tiger played with the goat kids, drank milk from the nanny goat, and slept secure in the goat's cave. Quite naturally, the little fellow came to think of himself as a goat. He did his best to bleat like a goat. He tried to cultivate a taste for grass and paper, but something inside didn't always feel quite right. Have you ever felt like this when you've approached changing your behaviors and habits when it comes to your inner and outer self? Could it be that maybe it does not align with your true values and beliefs in life? You might want to search a little deeper and find out why by asking the right kinds of questions especially when it comes to your health and fitness long term goals and sustainable outcomes.

One day a huge Bengal tiger came bounding into the clearing where the little tiger was playing with the goats. As the tiger roared, the goats ran for cover. The little tiger was the only "goat" who didn't race away. Instead, he felt strangley drawn to the huge, magnificent creature. Do you ever feel like this when you first set out for your health and fitness transformations, programs, or New year goals? You feel big, bold, courageous, and have an I can do mentality right. Then what? Read on about this brave little tiger.

The big tiger led the little fellow down the hill to a nearby river and urged him to take a close look at his reflection in the water. Whenever he had looked in the water before, he had seen his reflection as an odd - looking goat, because that was what he expected to see. But now he saw his reflection differently, as a tiger. When people lose weight for the first time sometimes they can't handle it because they have not excepted the new image of themselves from the inside out and they don't know how to accept it. I have watched this so many times in my career over the years how people yo-yo and self- sabotage their hard work and efforts. It is truely a matter of the inner work period! Keep reading to learn more about the little tiger.

The big tiger let out a tree- shaking roar. "Why don't you roar like that?" " Never tried," thought the little tiger. He sat back on his haunches like a big tiger did, took a deep breath , and tried to roar. To his surprise he felt a rumble deep within his stomach. It grew stronger. He opened his mouth wide and the most amazing roar came out, cascading over the the jungle. From that day forward he knew he could never be a goat again. I know change is so scary at times and most of us don't want to really change we are attached to our ways, thoughts, behaviors, and habits, but for those of us who are still searching for the right answers keep reading.

You can be tiger, not a goat. A lion, not a mouse. Your big self, not your small self. You may have never tried to roar, and that's all their is to it. If you feel you are in over your head, you probably aren't. You've probably just never tried going their before. Most people have more talent and ability than they give themselves credit for. Go ahead and throw back your head and roar as loudly as you can. You'll probably surprise yourself! I believe in you even if you feel you really are in over your head literally. Have a healthy, happy, and prosperous day!

References: Dr. Maxwell Maltz, M.D., F.I.C.S.

By, Natalie Pyles

Health and Fitness Expert, Nutrition Specialist, Wellness Coach, Author, & NSA Speaker

'How to Sport Confidence in uncertain times'

Now more than ever You need to stay Focused, Disciplined, and Determined do not give in to medicrioty and stay true to Your heart, soul, and game!

Confidence is a universally desired trait. It affects performance, and since confidence is purely a subjective experience controlled by your perception, altering your perception can greatly influence your confidence. Working on your mindset will likely provide far greater results than time spent training or working out in the gym.

Achieving Your Capacity

You can’t achieve more than your capacity. Let’s face it – you can only give 100 percent, and that should always be your aim: getting as close to your capacity as possible. One of the greatest blocks to performing close to your capacity is problems with confidence.

“Playing as best you can is one of the keys to greatness,” according to John Wooden, one of the few basketball coaches who is in the Basketball Hall of Fame as a player as well as a coach.

In an interview with Anthony Robbins, John said, “I don’t get my players to play to win; I get them to perform the best they can.”

Expanding that belief, you can say, if a player is taking a free throw, his attention is best served focused on doing the task at hand and not wasting valuable space in his mind worrying about the effects of the shot.

John Wooden’s teams often beat better opponents because they played to a higher level of their capacity, even though they had a lower capacity as a team. It was this consistency that earned them so many titles.

The same holds true in other sports. Every tennis player can make a great shot. The great ones just make them more often and at the most important times.

Focusing on playing the best you can in each match will give you a greater chance to reach your capacity.

Focus and “The Zone”

The more you can focus single mindedly on the actions required to achieve a task, the more chance you have of achieving it. Anything else coming into your mind is redundant. When a player has this intense focus, he constantly slips into what athletes call “the zone,” the place where everything is effortless, the mind is quiet and magic just happens.

Richard Bandler (co-developer of NLP) in his work discusses some strange occurrences in this altered state of mind referred to as “the zone.” He notes time distortion in tennis players slowing the game down so they have more time to hit the ball.

The quickest way out of “the zone” is to think consciously, which will happen if you lose confidence or have doubts. Removing the fears and doubts and accepting you will give it your best shot will allow you greater opportunity to enter the zone.

Being Fearless

“I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games, and 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed,” said basketball legend Michael Jordan.

This quote shows that Jordan was fearless. He didn’t like losing, but he didn’t fear it. Being fearless meant he was less likely to get taken out of “the zone.”

I worked with a professional tennis player who feared having the second serve returned fast past her. As she threw the ball up into the air, this fear physically manifested itself in her shoulder, causing the muscles to tense up. This in turn caused a self fulfilling prophecy of having a weak second serve. Even thinking about throwing the ball up created tension in this player.

We addressed and resolved the fear using mental/emotional techniques such as NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) and EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique). (EDITOR’S NOTE: For more on each of these techniques, please see the “related articles” to the right.) After EFT in particular, all the tension this player formerly experienced was released, freeing her physically to make the shot and freeing her mind to focus on the game. I have seen many muscle memory issues from past defeats and missed opportunities, and the actual process of clearing these up is simple when using NLP or EFT.

Each time you clear a fear, it frees up more mental capacity to focus on getting close to 100 percent capacity, which results in improved performance. Realizing that “there is nothing to fear but fear itself” is an important step. A fearless opponent is always a very dangerous opposition, as he will adjust his game until he finds openings.

The great players do not fear making shots. They are the ones who will make big plays on match point or with seconds to play in a grand final. They are willing to take responsibility because they hold no fear.

Release your fears of making mistakes and just focus on what you need to do. Once you accept you have fears and you face them, they transform into a valuable resource for you.

Fear and Choking

Choking refers to losing confidence, especially self confidence, just at the moment when it is needed most and doing poorly as a result (e.g., in sports). Often, the act of choking can completely alter an athlete’s life and/or ruin her career.

There have been many famous instances of choking but few greater examples than Jana Novotna’s defeat in the 1993 Wimbledon singles final to Steffi Graf.

Novotna, who became famous for crying on the shoulder of the Duchess of Kent during the trophy presentation that year, had taken a 6–7, 6–1, 4–1, 40-15 lead and, with victory in her grasp, started missing simple shots. One notable shot was an overhead smash that hit the back tarp. Many shots went out by long margins.

Graf, sensing the crumbling of confidence, went on to win the next five games and the tournament. A great player can sniff weakness in an opponent and will rise to the occasion.

Novotna was a classic example of choking. Gripped with fear, she was unable to relax and play her game.

I once worked with an Australian Football League junior who had lost his confidence. When kicking the ball, he kept choking, which had been affecting him for half the season. This all stemmed from one poor kick he wasn’t able to put out of his mind, and therefore, he couldn’t concentrate on the things he needed to do.

Why is it some shots or failed attempts stick in the mind, and we are unable to get over them? I describe this as shadowing. This one (or more) kick, miss or game overshadows all the knowledge of how to play and overshadows the resources the athlete possesses. This is created from a state of mind that is influenced by many factors. The kick means more than just a missed kick. It could mean letting people down, and this adds unhelpful pressure. If this isn’t dealt with, you can play one bad game after another, which will really make an impression on the mind and can affect long term confidence.

Putting the mistake into perspective and moving on is fundamental in every sport. Michael Jordan had mastered this art. Some athletes perform better under pressure, but it is my belief that these athletes develop greater focus, almost needing something to “kick start” them. They do not allow the tension to affect them and their game negatively.

Relaxing the muscles is important. It is the mind that controls the muscles through its perception of events.

Mind Blocks

One amazing way to improve confidence is to remove a block in an athlete’s perception, which is usually tension created from a poor game or mistake.

I regularly see athletes who are stuck thinking about one bad shot. This blocks them from the mental resources of playing at their peak. They are just unable to stop thinking about it.

The bad event is likely to keep playing over and over in the mind’s eye until the player has learned something from it and can move on.

Let’s say a player played really well in nine games and badly in one. You would expect him to have high confidence, wouldn’t you? But it doesn’t always work that way, as the bad game takes on greater meaning than all the good ones combined. This one bad game literally blocks all of the confidence gained from the good games.

What if you were as good as all of your good performances? What if you could focus on the good ones and forget the bad ones and learn from them?

Something magical happens when this memory is resolved and put into perspective. This often happens naturally, but sometimes it can progress for years and can even ruin a career. When the block is removed, the bad game or mistake blends into the background, and the player gains a more balanced perspective and is able to focus on the task at hand.

I believe the great players learn to let things go the moment they happen and just focus in the present moment and the present shot. Athletes like Michael Jordan can just focus on their abilities. They think about what they want to happen and believe they can achieve it, putting mistakes behind them. Even missing so many important shots, Jordan is still one of the most successful athletes of all time.

Great athletes hold no fear and keep doubt at bay. Losing happens and is part of the game. Great athletes do not invest any energy or mind resource in losing. They get straight up and fight again.

Some will say that the great athletes rely on their ability. This is most certainly true, but how many other athletes have we seen with incredible talent but who are not able to apply it or to regularly get near their capacity. It is not just ability. It is applying that ability consistently.

Everyone’s own thoughts are unique, and it is what these thoughts mean to us that can cause problems. Instead of focusing on playing her game one shot at a time, Novotna let her fear control her, and this cost her the title.

Building the Right Frame of Mind

Since we can now see how the way we think about events affects our state of mind, will changing what we think about change our confidence? You bet it will.

Try it yourself. Think about one of the worst games you have ever played. Now take a moment and notice how your body feels. Notice any tension you feel and notice how much confidence you have. Doesn’t feel good, right? Most of you will have felt some residue energy from that memory. To your body and mind, it feels as though it is happening over again.

Now forget about that and think about the best game you ever played. Think about how great it felt. Tune into your body and sense how it feels. How’s your confidence? The chances are this feels much better. In the space of two minutes, you can completely change the way your body feels through thoughts.

I once worked with a professional athlete who was a great passer of the ball, but when he missed a pass, he would lose confidence. To restore it, he would make lots of small passes until his confidence returned. This seemed far too much work, so we used the following technique: whenever he missed, he thought about the best game he had ever had and felt the adrenalin of that rushing through his body. The result was quite startling. He went on to be player of the tournament.

You are free to think what you like, but we get caught in habitual thinking patterns and assume that is the way things work. Once you realize you have control, you are on the path to mastery.

A golfer may address the ball in the same ritualistic way for each shot to get him into the right frame of mind. Other sportsmen will bounce the ball a certain number of times or hit their gloves together. They are looking to activate a pattern.

If you create a ritual associated to confidence - known as an “anchor” in NLP - then you can fire this anchor off each time you need to access that confidence.

Three Easy Steps to Improve Confidence

1. Clear any blocks. When a bad shot or mistake plays on your mind, just accept you made a mistake and focus on the good shots. You can personally use EFT while thinking about the bad shot or mistake, and it will often clear the block there and then. If this doesn’t work, you may need to go a little deeper, and chances are a good EFT practitioner can quickly resolve it.
2. Create an anchor to get you in the right frame of mind. See www.nlpu.com or any of the thousands of other NLP resources available online. This will allow you to start to control the states of mind you require for top performance.
3. Just give it your best shot. When it comes to choking, realize that, whether you win or lose, doing your best is all that counts. You will win a lot of friends and respect giving it your all. You can’t do more than that. Looking back, you can relax in the knowledge that you gave it your best shot.

Confidence is an abstract concept and unique to each individual. But as we continue to understand more of how the mind and perception works, we can improve confidence significantly, which translates to improved performance.

References:

PT on the net
David Charalambous

Forwarded By, Natalie Pyles

Call Me For Your FREE Consultation Today! 1-800-681-9894 or 480-212-1947 e-mail fitnesselementsassociates@yahoo.com or WWW.MyFitnessElements.com

' How Personal Trainers and Wellness Coaches can help prevent the Stressed and tired force' linked to military suicides by incorporating Wellness'

' How Personal Trainers and Wellness Coaches can help prevent the Stressed and tired force' linked to military suicides by incorporating Wellness Solutions'



WASHINGTON (CNN) -- An increase in the number of suicides among military personnel can be traced, in part, to a "stressed and tired force" made vulnerable by multiple deployments, a military leader said Wednesday.
Long troop deployments in Iraq, above, and Afghanistan have been cited in the rise in military suicides.

Long troop deployments in Iraq, above, and Afghanistan have been cited in the rise in military suicides.

"We must find ways to relieve some of this stress," said Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli, vice chief of staff of the Army, in testimony before the Senate Armed Services Military Personnel Subcommittee.

"I think it is the cumulative effect of deployments from 12 to 15 months," he said, adding that the longer deployments are scheduled to continue until June.

He cited long deployments, lengthy separations from family and the perceived stigma associated with seeking help as factors contributing to the suicides.

Adm. Patrick M. Walsh, vice chief of naval operations, said suicides are the third leading cause of death in the Navy.

"We must eliminate the perceived stigma, shame and dishonor of asking for help," he said.

Gen. James F. Amos, assistant commandant of the Marine Corps, said his branch of the service has incorporated education and training about suicide prevention "at all levels."

He said four of 55 mental health professionals deployed in the U.S. Central Command were recently embedded with Marines. He expressed optimism that that tactic would pay off, but he said he had no data to support his expectation.

And Gen. William M. Fraser, vice chief of staff of the Air Force, said his branch, too, was taking steps "to ensure airmen are as mentally prepared for deployment and redeployment as they are physically and professionally."

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, said the efforts have not sufficed. He noted that last year, for the first time, the suicide rate among military personnel has exceeded that of the civilian population. "What's going on?" he asked rhetorically.
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* Army suspects up to 18 suicides in February

The panel members made clear that, whatever is going on, it is complex. Chiarelli said the Army tallied 133 confirmed suicides last year and is still investigating another seven possible ones. At least 70 percent of the suicides had "some kind of relationship problem," he said. Often, the situation was worsened by something else, such as a financial or legal problem, he said.

And it wasn't just the trauma of war that appears to heighten the risk. The suicides were about evenly divided among those who had returned from deployment, those who were still deployed -- some on a third or fourth tour -- and those who had never been deployed, Chiarelli said.

All of the military leaders said they had too few mental health professionals in their ranks.

But Walsh said professionals are not the only people who must be trained to intervene, noting that it is often the shipmate or the battle buddy who seeks assistance for someone in need.

And Navy counselors are now asking family members for feedback that often proves more illuminating than what the sailors themselves are willing to impart, he said.

"If I survey the family, I'm going to get a different set of answers."

One reason some service personnel are reluctant to seek help from their chain of command is because they fear they will then be passed over for promotions, the panel members said.

In some cases, they pay out of their own pockets to seek help privately, Rubenstein said.

And others call civilian hotlines, one of which reported getting three calls per day this year from active-duty military personnel.

Representatives of all of the branches of the military said they have seen recent increases in suicides.

At the Pentagon, Defense Secretary William Gates said he believes the 15-month deployments "were a real strain" on many, but expressed optimism that beneficial changes are in the works.

"All the services are are addressing this problem, but the Army in particular, I think, is really going after it in a very aggressive way," he said.

But some suicides appear to defy all prevention efforts. Maj. Gen. David A. Rubenstein, deputy surgeon general of the Army, cited the case of a 33-year-old soldier who was living at home with his wife and three children.

He suffered a traumatic brain injury more than two years ago and had been giving weekly motivational speeches to other soldiers in a clinic.

For the past two years, the soldier also had been seeing a psychiatrist. The most recent visit occurred last Friday.

On Monday, he saw his primary care doctor and his nurse case manager, and also had a life-skills appointment.

"On Tuesday, he apparently committed suicide," Rubenstein said. "This soldier was treated, compliant and supported in every way, and yet he's dead today."

The suicide underscores that suicide is "a complex, very difficult problem that causes all of us to scratch our heads and wonder: how do we stop the next one?"

Last year, at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, two cadets and two members of the staff and faculty killed themselves, said Brig. Gen. Michael S. Linnington, commandant of the cadets.

He cited stress from broken relationships and, in one case, a pre-existing mental health condition that academy officials had not known about at the time of admission. None of the four had been deployed to a combat zone.

Linnington called the spate of self-directed violence at the school "troubling and unacceptable" and said preventive measures there had been beefed up in recent months.

We as Health & Fitness professionals can really help fill the need here by developing programs and a space for this need. We all know the technique of Diversion and to help these great military people cope, and deal with what they are going through. A person should not have to re-live bad experiences day in and day out we all know what that does to our psyche & pysioligy. Have a happy and healthy day!


Call Me For Your FREE Wellness Consultation Today! 1-800-681-9894 or 480-212-1947 e-mail fitnesselementsassociates@yahoo.com