Step outside your comfort zone
“Move out of your comfort zone. You can only grow if you are willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new.” ~ Brian Tracy
This past week I have been very frustrated by trying to teach some people some very simple IT. It has been frustrating because they had closed minds. They thought that it would be too difficult for them to learn so they didn’t even try.
One of the biggest reasons why people get stuck in reading and discussing things instead of taking action to change their lives for the better is simply that for a while it feels uncomfortable.
But to make real changes in your life you have to step outside your comfort zone.
When you get stuck in your comfort zone then you are closed up. You create barriers that stop you learning and achieving new things. If you want to begin producing different results in your life, you’ll need to step outside your comfort zone and do something different.
The emotions you experience are often a result of what you focus your mind on. Change what you focus on about something and you can change your emotions about that thing. I’ve been guilty myself of having a closed mind when I have been exercising – thinking I can’t run any faster or further but when I went out running with my trainer he pushed me to go further – to step outside my comfort zone. It was hard at the time but I achieved more than I thought I could and I’m glad I did it.
For years, the 4-minute mile was considered not merely unreachable but, according to physiologists of the time, dangerous to the health of any athlete who attempted to reach it.
When Roger Bannister crossed the finish line with a time of 3 minutes, 59.4 seconds, he broke through a psychological barrier as well.
John Landy, considered one of the great milers of that era, had never gotten closer than within 1.5 seconds of the 4-minute barrier before. Within 46 days of Bannister’s breakthrough, Landy surpassed the record with a 3:57.9 in Finland. Bannister and Landy raced later in the year in the “Mile of the Century” at Vancouver, a runoff to decide who was the fastest at running the mile. Bannister won in 3:58.8 to Landy’s 3:59.6, the first time two men in one race had broken 4 minutes.
By the end of 1957, 16 runners had logged sub-4-minute miles.
What holds us back in our zone of comfort is often a fear or that facing that fear head on might be overwhelming. You need to work at stretching your comfort zone and slowly making it less uncomfortable and frightening.
If you have decided to start going to the gym it might be easier to actually get going and keeping going there every week if you have a gym-partner. If you need to lose weight team up with a group of friends and aim to motivate each other.
Realise that it can be fun to get out of your comfort zone despite what your mind and feelings might be telling you before you get started. Think back to the previous times when you have broken out of your comfort zone. Focus on the positive memories, when you got out there, when you took a chance. And you will probably remember that it wasn’t so bad, it was actually fun and exciting and something new to you.
A lot of times we automatically play back negative experiences or negative interpretations of events in our minds before we are about to do something. We forget about the positive memories and our previous, positive achievements. Let the good memories flow through your mind instead.
It can be uncomfortable to step out of your comfort zone. But the discomfort will be temporary so just do it even though you may not fully feel like it.
If you accept that there is going to be some discomfort it tends to become smaller or less significant. If you on the other hand focus on how hard it is, think about it a lot and create all sorts of drama around it then you feed it with more energy and it becomes so uncomfortable that you can become paralysed from taking action.
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When it comes to our health and wellbeing, Britain is a nation of ‘all talk and no action’ according to a survey for new online service NHS MidLifeCheck (www.nhs.uk/midlifecheck: http://www.nhs.uk/midlifecheck).
Despite almost half of adults (46 per cent) believing they need to think more about leading a healthy lifestyle, the same amount (47 per cent) admit to spending a lot more time talking about getting healthy than actually doing anything about it. And a third of adults (33 per cent) say they wouldn’t even know where to start.
Women own up to being the worst offenders with one in two (48 per cent) of 45-64-year-olds saying they are more inclined to give advice about being healthy than take it (31 per cent for men of the same age).
The survey also revealed that although people around the 40 year old mark are much less knowledgeable about their own health and fitness than their parents – 69 per cent having no idea about their blood pressure, compared to 27 per cent of people over 65 – they spend more time worrying about it. Top of the list of concerns for mid-lifers* as they get older is keeping fit and active (81 per cent), with staying slim at 73 per cent and 70 per cent worrying about their emotional wellbeing.
NHS MidLifeCheck (www.nhs.uk/midlifecheck: http://www.nhs.uk/midlifecheck) has been launched to help people over 40 turn their good intentions into reality. The free, confidential website is easy to use and supports people in planning for changes they choose to make. Following a simple multiple-choice lifestyle questionnaire, the site gives personal results and advice. Users can create an individual plan, set goals, track their weight and sign up for free emails, texts or letters to help them along the way.
Public Health Minister, Gillian Merron, said:
“It’s really important to take steps to manage our health and set goals to ensure we live life to the full.
“The Government has a responsibility to help people make healthier choices that are simple and easy to do. NHS MidLifeCheck is a free and confidential service for the over 40s covering important topics from healthy eating and physical activity, to emotional well being. It’s all about helping people make small changes to their lifestyle which could help to make a big difference to the quality and length of their lives.”
Sir Liam Donaldson, Chief Medical Officer, said:
“Most people in their 40’s generally enjoy good health, however for some people certain chronic health issues can start at this age – with cancer, heart disease and diabetes being some of the biggest causes of death. We all need to be aware of how to help prevent potential health problems.
“NHS MidLifeCheck, the third stage of NHS LifeCheck, is new for prevention in the NHS. It has been designed, in consultation with health professionals, to cover a wide range of topics such as smoking, diet and exercise, and emotional wellbeing – to provide those in their mid-life with the information and opportunity, to better understand how their current choices could affect their long-term health and well-being.”
talkSport presenter, Mike Parry, has been using NHS MidLifeCheck for the last few weeks and sharing his progress with listeners. He said:
"Having had serious heart problems in my late 40’s, I now know just how much a healthy lifestyle can help to prevent disease. You don’t have to join a gym or start eating seeds – it’s just about making a few small changes. I have cut down on the amount I drink and walk a lot.
“NHS MidLifeCheck is something anyone can use. It gives you straight-forward information and helps you to focus on what you really want to achieve. My goals are to push myself harder when I’m walking and really think about the food I’m putting into my body."
Other key highlights from mid-lifers* surveyed include:
- Over two-thirds (68 per cent) of women are often more concerned about their family’s wellbeing than their own as they get older, more so than men of the same age (52 per cent).
- People of mid-life age were less worried about how much alcohol they drink, with nearly two thirds (61 per cent) of 45-64 year olds not worried about it at all
- A third (34 per cent) only think about their health when they become ill or are feeling down.
- Over three in four women (76 per cent) worry about their emotional wellbeing as they get older, more than men of the same age (63 per cent).
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“The difference between can and cannot are only three letters. Three letters that determine your life’s direction”. Remez Sasson
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People across the country are being urged to help make a real difference to the lives of older and disabled people, as the first national Dignity Action Day is held today.
Simply treating people with dignity can make a huge difference to the lives of the thousands of people in England who currently receive care and support. Dignity means receiving personalised care, being treated with respect and being recognised as an individual.
Dignity Action Day celebrates good work around dignity in care and asks everybody – members of the public as well as health and social care staff – to ensure that everyone who receives care is treated with dignity.
There are already more than 14,000 Dignity Champions who are committed to making dignity in care a reality for all. Across the country, care staff and members of the public have organised events such as coffee mornings, entertainment evenings and arts and crafts days for those who receive care, either in residential settings or in the community.
Care Services Minister Phil Hope will today fulfil his Dignity Action Day pledge to visit Oakley Grange in Corby, which provides day services for adults with learning disabilities. He will be helping out with the crafts and games sessions including teaching service users how to juggle.
And it’s not too late for the public to get involved – action on dignity is an ongoing movement, and people can help make a difference by becoming one of thousands of Dignity Champions – people from across the health and care services, as well as members of the public, who are committed to making dignity in care a reality for all.
Care Services Minister Phil Hope said:
“Dignity must be at the heart of care. To achieve this we are transforming the care and support system to make it fairer, simpler and more affordable for everyone.
“The ageing population means more of us will need care and support at some point. We’re asking the public to give a bit of time to make a big difference to the lives of those receiving care by becoming a Dignity Champion.
“The simplest form of dignity doesn’t cost a penny. It’s treating someone with consideration. It’s taking time to get to know them. And it’s speaking to someone with respect.
“If everyone gives this some thought, we really can change things and put dignity at the heart of care for everyone. I want to say a big thank you to everyone who is already getting involved and everyone who made a pledge for Dignity Action Day.”
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As adults, we tend to think we know all and don’t often realise how much we can learn from children. Yet we can learn so much about healthy lifestyles just by observing a group of children interacting with each other.
Something we can learn from children is about healthy lifestyles, and one of the first things we can learn is that every activity can be fun. Children move around all the time, not because they know about health benefits, but because it is fun. They crawl, they walk, they run, they jump, and they climb. Children enjoy constant motion. Yet as adults we forget that exercise can be fun. For adults exercise is a must-do routine to stay healthy.
Learn from children – the more you move, the more energetic you will feel and the better shape you will become.
Children like to run. They don’t walk when they can run. In an adult world, don’t drive when you can walk. Don’t take escalator when you can use stairs.
Children are never bothered with their lack of knowledge or
qualifications. They try if they have never done something before. If they fall, they get up and try again. If they fail, they don’t punish themselves. Adults are too comfortable with habit. We shy away from unfamiliar activities. Because of that, we miss out opportunities or experience. The next time you are thinking about joining a yoga class, or trying a new exercise class just do it. Don’t know how to play tennis? Get someone to teach you. Try and keep trying.
Children stop eating when they are full. They can have few bites of their food and then turn their heads away. We adults tend to leave clean plates even if we are bloated. Worse we will order more or go for a jumbo-sized meal.
Children love sleeping. They go to bed early. Adults stay up late, often watching the television.
Children enjoy learning whereas the adult emphasis is more on the end result and we want it fast.
So, the next time you are looking for inspiration for losing weight and getting fit, watch a child and remind how much fun a healthy lifestyle can be.
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One million mums say their families are eating better and being more active, and people are making positive changes to their shopping habits, thanks to Change4Life. This new data comes as the Government’s healthy living movement celebrates its first year of activity today.
Change4Life is an innovative, interactive healthy living campaign. It helps families to achieve and maintain a healthier lifestyle by promoting healthy habits that encourage them to eat well, move more and live longer.
The movement is already showing good progress in changing harmful behaviours which can lead to people becoming overweight or obese:
- one million mums claim to have attempted to change their children’s behaviour as a result of Change4Life;
- latest data show that obesity prevalence in children is levelling out;
- an early analysis of people’s shopping baskets suggests that families who signed up to Change4Life are now more likely to chose low fat milks and low sugar drinks: and
- for every pound spent on the campaign, three pounds are spent by partners such as Tesco and Asda to build momentum.
In its first year, the focus of the campaign was on young families. The spotlight will now fall on adults. This follows new evidence, published today by the National Heart Forum, which predicts a near 100 per cent rise in diabetes by 2050 unless people take action now.
The independent report states that rising adult obesity will see significant increases in diseases like diabetes, coronary heart disease, hypertension and stroke. Losing weight, improving your diet and increasing the amount of activity you do can, for example, reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by more than 50 percent[i]: #_edn1.
The next phase of Change4Life will bring a new wave of advertising to our television screens encouraging adults to ‘Swap it, Don’t stop it’ – make simple changes in their diet and lifestyle which will help them lead longer, healthier lives, and lose that unwanted spare tyre.
Secretary of State for Health Andy Burnham said:
“In response to an urgent need to tackle the alarming rise in obesity, we launched Change4Life – not just a campaign, but a movement with a mission to encourage people to eat well, move more and live longer. We have surpassed all our targets for the first year and we are beginning to see the positive impact on families as they start to adopt healthier lifestyles.
“The beauty of the campaign is that it motivates everyone to get involved right down to local communities. For every pound we spend on the campaign, other organisations have committed to spend £3 to build momentum. This makes Change4Life a highly powerful movement.
“Unless we build on the achievements of this first year, we will still face an obesity crisis in years to come. Today we are launching Change4Life for adults. We are going even further to support people to make the simple changes that will lead to us living healthier, longer lives.”
The next phase of the campaign urges adults to ‘Swap it Don’t Stop it’ – giving people tips on how to lose weight and feel healthy without giving up all the things they love. There are a series of suggested ‘swaps’ – including swapping watching a favourite sport on television for taking part, increasing fibre intake by choosing brown rice over white, or simply swapping bigger plates for smaller ones to choose smaller portions of food.
The new range of television and poster adverts will air from Saturday 20 February.
One year after the movement started, an early analysis of people’s shopping baskets suggests that families who signed up to Change4Life are now more likely to choose low fat milks and low sugar drinks. The analysis compared purchases made at Tesco in September-November 2009 with the same time period in 2008.
The Change4Life movement has branched out across England with supporters at the grassroots, in the NHS, local government, commercial sector and non-government organisations. Change4Life activity is now in schools, GP surgeries, community centres and supermarkets. A range of sub-brands including Let’s Dance with Change4Life, Bike4Life and Walk4Life have supported people to get up and about, and the campaign has also been extended to pregnant mums and families with babies with Start4Life.
Communities have embraced Change4Life. In its first year:
- 44 per cent of randomly selected primary schools, hospitals, general practices, town and village halls, children’s centres, pharmacies, nurseries, libraries and leisure centres displayed Change4Life materials
- more than 25,000 local supporters used Change4Life materials to help them start conversations with over a million people about their lifestyle.
- NHS staff ordered more than six million items of Change4Life material
- primary schools generated more than 50,000 sign-ups to Change4Life
- local authorities and primary care trusts worked together to create new activities including street parties and roadshows
In addition:
- Change4Life has worked with other government departments to launch sub-brands (such as Swim4Life, Play4Life and MuckIn4Life
- three of the main health charities (Cancer Research UK, Diabetes UK and British Heart Foundation) ran their own campaign in support of Change4Life and other non-Governmental organisations, such as Natural England and Sustrans, also supported the campaign
- businesses supported the movement, for example by providing free gym access, money off fruit and vegetables, and low cost bikes
[i]: #_ednref1 The US study showed that lifestyle change(weight loss, improved diet and being physically active) reduced the risk of developing glucose intolerance by 58%.
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“The one thing all famous authors, world class athletes, business tycoons, singers, actors, and celebrated achievers in any field have in common is that they all began their journeys when they were none of these things. Yet still, they began their journeys.” ~ Mike Dooley
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Don't give up!
I had some bad news on Friday. It knocked me for six. Needless to say on Saturday my diet and exercise went out of the window. Losing weight often feels like an impossible challenge.
Then I was reminded of this quote: ‘You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing that we call ‘failure’ is not the falling down, but the staying down.’ – Mary Pickford 1893-1979.
It’s so true, failure is not falling down, it’s staying down. You might have tried to accomplish a certain goal once before such as losing weight and not succeeded. You are not alone – almost everyone who has tried to lose weight has at one point failed. But it only becomes a failure if you give up.
Those of you who, like me, are parents will have experienced pivotal moments in your child’s development – such as learning to walk. Around the age of one most babies are desperately trying to walk. They will stand, hold on to things, try to walk and often take a big stumble. There will be tears but then, after a few minutes, they will try again. Babies must walk and they don’t give up.
We have a lot to learn from our babies, because as adults we forget that never give up attitude that we were born with. When it comes to health and fitness the two hardest aspects are getting started and sticking with it. Making any type of commitment requires time and commitment, but the rewards you reap touch every aspect of your life. Tenacity is the commitment to the goal regardless of what has to be endured along the way. So remember that word. Tenacity. If you have not succeeded in the past, understand that falling down is part of the process – it does not mean you have failed. Just keep trying, eventually you will walk. Just Don’t Give Up!
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Truth hurts…
Have you ever noticed that when someone suddenly goes on a diet and slims down it’s usually because something has triggered a reaction – they’ve seen themselves looking fat in a photo, they’ve had a health scare, or perhaps someone has made a rude comment? A celebrity that springs to mind is Hannah Waterman. She was plastered all over the tabloids in a very unflattering picture of her in a bikini. Next we hear that she has been on a diet, has brought out a fitness video and she looks fantastic. Another time, someone I know was in hospital and the consultant, who was speaking to a colleague, referred to her as ‘this obese patient’. Wow that was all she needed and over the next 6 months she shed over 4 stone. Other cases I’ve heard of are the person who got stuck in a plastic garden chair, someone who’s son said he was embarrassed by her picking him up from school, and someone who was told that he would have to pay for an extra seat on an aeroplane because he was so fat. All these were triggers that made the people concerned realise that they had to do something about it.
But why did these people need a trigger? They must have known that they were overweight. Perhaps sometimes people can go into denial – they avoid looking at pictures of themselves, they kid themselves that they don’t look fat and family and friends are too polite to tell them otherwise. Sometimes seeing themselves in a photo or a video can bring the message home to them – suddenly they see themselves through someone else’s eyes. Sometimes perhaps a family member needs to be cruel to be kind to get the message across.
If you know deep down that you need to lose weight think of an event in the future, perhaps a wedding or a holiday, and think how much better you would look if you lost those extra pounds. Another useful trick is to fast forward your mind to the end of your life. Imagine your funeral and your family reading out messages about what you had done and what you had achieved. What would you like them to say? Imagine reading some of the cards on the flowers. What did people think of you? What did you accomplish in your life? Did you die early because of being overweight and smoking? Or did you live healthily until old age? To a degree your future is in your hands. Look after your body now and it will serve you far better in the future.
As Astrid Alauda said “Your body is a temple, but only if you treat it as one.”
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“I use the word “fat.” I use that word because that’s what people are: they’re fat. They’re not bulky; they’re not large, chunky, hefty or plump. And they’re not big-boned. Dinosaurs were big-boned. These people are not overweight: this term somehow implies there is some correct weight. There is no correct weight. Heavy is also a misleading term. An aircraft carrier is heavy; it’s not fat. Only people are fat, and that’s what fat people are! They’re fat!” ~George Carlin
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