Years ago, I created a presentation which I called, “The 7 Habits of Highly Fit People”. The title borrowed from the seminal Stephen Covey book. I love that book, and highly recommend it. It is one of my all time favorites for personal development. The purpose of my presentation was to give the audience a framework for developing and following a successful fitness lifestyle. However, I have revised my thinking a bit. I no longer use the term “fit” in this regard, opting instead for “well”. You see, a person can be fit without being well. And since my focus is on Therapeutic Training, I have changed the title of this work to “The 7 Habits of Highly Wellthy People”. Most of you know by now that my desire is for each and every one of you to join me in my journey of strong health and vitality. It is my raison d’etre. I know that you don’t have to be and do what everyone else is and does. We can be different. All it takes is strict adherence to simple principles. These principles guide me in my wellness journey, and it is my hope that you adopt them. I have modified my original list as I have grown and experimented. So, here are the 7 habits, continuing with habit 2: Habit 2: Practice PMS
No, I don’t mean that kind of PMS! I am referring to the habit of Positive Mental State. This is a critical habit, it is very difficult to follow, but will yield for you super human results. Whereas habit 1 is what you should do each and every week to ensure you have scheduled time for working on your wellness, habit 2 is the primary glue which you should practice daily to ensure you can do all the other habits well. The best time to practice PMS is precisely when you don’t feel like it. PMS is medicine for the soul. And I have discovered that the more you force yourself to practice this principle, the more it happens naturally. From the moment I wake up, I tell myself this is going to be a GREAT day because I will make it so. The principle reminds me that my body is my own personal self-contained universe — the only universe that I can control. I can not control other universes. But as I practice and learn to properly control my own, I can better relate to other universes. This is a daily struggle for me, but obviously well worth it.
The key lies in understanding that your thoughts lead to your feelings, your feelings lead to your actions, and your actions lead to your results. Moreover, the very words you choose to use affect your paradigm (how you see the world). So why not use positive, empowering words? Each of us has all the tools needed to have a powerful impact on the personal universe. All we have to do is develop the skills to use those tools. (Please, re-read the previous two sentences again out loud). It is incredibly liberating to me to understand that I can control what I do, don’t do, and how I choose to respond to what happens to me. In thinking in this manner, I realize that I am totally responsible for me. Nothing happens TO me; I can choose how I respond. I don’t have to be negatively impacted by the weather; I can take my own weather with me wherever I go. So, I won’t say, “I hope 2018 is a better year than 2017 was”. Instead, I say, “I will make 2018 a better year than 2017 was”. Can you see the difference in thinking?
And the grand principle that allows me to do this is the practice of PMS. I remind myself to smile, especially when I don’t feel like it. I remind myself of how good I will feel after an exercise session, and this drives me to keep my promise to myself to show up for each exercise session which I planned with Habit 1. PMS will help you to complete your exercise sessions even when you would rather do something else. And, no matter what, I always congratulate and thank myself after each session, especially if it was a particularly hard session, for it is the hard session that builds the character the most. I struggle daily to work with stress-inducing situations, and PMS is what helps me to turn those problems into opportunities. I am by no means perfect at it, and that is why I practice every day. It starts with smiling, and with using empowering words. And only when you are better at managing your own universe can you more effectively relate to other universes. There is a quote that Stephen Covey read in another book, and I love it. I paraphrase it this way: “Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space lies our power to make a choice. And in those choices lie our growth and happiness.” Habit 2 — Practice PMS
Remember my vision for us — We will age together! But we will be different from previous generations. I want us to be functional centinarians, free from the chronic diseases and pains so common today. Aging is mandatory. Maintaining functional fitness and vibrant health — well, that’s optional!
If you have any questions, please do flip me an email. See you soon!
To Your Health!
Jeff Wooten, “The Body Mechanic” www.YourBodyMechanic.com