Greetings!  

I have been doing some interesting research the last few weeks on myself.  Hypnotism.  I read an article that stated a weightlifter was lifting weights and he could press a certain weight eight times over his head, then he was hypnotized and he could press it over 40 times.  That is a significant difference, and it really showed me the limitations that we place on ourselves.  Our minds are what controls our bodies, and like I say every single day, we are so much stronger than we believe.

Many professional athletes use hypnotism to help them get and stay in "the zone."  Michael Jordan and the Bulls used hypnotism and visualization to win their championships.  Mary Lou Retton visualized her routines before winning gold medals.  Many golfers, like Tiger and Jack Nicklaus use hypnotism to help with the distractions on the course and be better able to get focused.  I visualized myself winning in my competitions, not knowing that I was already using this technique. 

I did some research and I called a hypnotist in town.  We sat and talked for a couple hours about hypnotism, how it works and what it can do.  She told me that she hypnotized herself before surgery and did not need any anesthetic, and has used it since during her recovery.  Hypnotism can be used for performance enhancement, weight loss, stress reduction, stopping smoking, pain relief, recovery, and so many other things. 

No one is going to cluck like a chicken, you are going to learn how to use the power of your mind to give you an edge.  Nothing more.  In fact, she does not even hypnotize you, you do it yourself, she is just the facilitator.

When we first met, the thing that really hit home was how to describe "will power."  I am the queen of will power when I have a goal in front of me, unstoppable sometimes, but that takes a lot of energy and it is very tiring.  That is one reason I cannot stay in contest shape all year long.  It is hard to muster all of that will power every day.  And when the shows are over, it kind of feels like it is gone.  So I asked her if she could help me get my will power back. 

Will power, she said, is two separate things.  Will and Power.  The will comes from the conscious mind, from wants and goals that you set in place consciously.  The power comes from the subconscious mind.  Without even thinking about it, you make choices on a daily basis. 

If you are dead set on doing ten pushups and you tell yourself that you can the whole way through and just do them, I bet you will be able to do ten pushups.  But if you say I want to do ten pushups, and then you think about it, what happens?  You think about it, about why you "can't" do ten pushups or that it might be hard or what if you are not strong enough.  When you let yourself "think" about it, many times you will talk yourself out of the ten.  Your conscious mind will limit what your body can actually do. 

In my experience, if I say out loud that I am going to run sprints today or get on the step mill for 20 minutes, nine times out of ten, I won't do it.  I can make myself when there is a goal in place, but I have found out that if I don't say it or think it, and I just walk into the gym, up the stairs and get on the treadmill, set it and go, I will have an amazing sprint workout.  If I let my conscious brain talk at all, those same sprints are torture and the whole time I want to stop. 

With Tupac in my ears and Sports Center Top Ten plays of the week on the TV, my extra cardio workouts go by in no time.  I cannot think about my heart racing while I am listening to my music, and I get inspired to run faster when I see a great catch or a three point shot on the tube.  But when I think about it, it is over.  My mind also limits me...IF I let it.

So, I have been getting some help with my will power.  It has really helped.  After contest prepping for so long, food was a constant thing on my mind.  Kathy has helped me relax about food and have a better relationship with it.  I was the one giving advice on food journals, but I was having trouble in my life.  There was a major disconnect, but now after only three weeks, I have a much better handle on what is going on.  I am truly amazed.  She is talking to my subconscious and stimulating it to bring back the power.  It gets easier and easier every single day to make healthy choices.  I am not tense about food anymore.  I eat, and then I am done.  I feel like I have the control back, and that is a good feeling.  A powerful feeling. 

Food does not have to control you.  Pain does not have to be in your life.  Anxiety about anything can be eased.  Hypnotism can be helpful with performance at work, self confidence, more restful sleep, focus.  I would say, pretty much anything.  The mind is in complete control, and all change (or lack of change) really does start in the mind.  You can use your power and do something, just as easy as you can talk yourself out of something.

If you are interested in learning more about this or have any questions, please let me know.  Or if you would like to get into contact with the woman that I am using, her name is Kathy and her number is 309-242-8343 (I believe that she prefers text messages over voicemails).  She is a nurse as well as a certified hypnotist and she is helping me. 

On a completely different note, I found a great book at Sam's this week.  I will bring it to class the rest of this week and have it out on the counter.  It is called The Most Effective Natural Cures on Earth by Jonny Bowden (one of my favorite nutrition gurus).  It has natural cures for everything from stress, low energy, acne, weight loss, diabetes and so many more.  Flip through it, I have already gone and gotten a few things that he recommends in the book.  We might just be missing one vitamin and we would feel so much better.  I firmly believe that pretty much everything can be cured or prevented with a positive attitude and a healthy lifestyle. 

Flip through the book.  If I forget to put it out, remind me!  :)

And another note, I just got an email from Woman's Health that has me worked up!!  Here it is, read it and be sure to think about what you are putting into your precious body!!  http://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/frankenfish?cm_mmc=Dose-Newsletter-_-686002-_-09152011-_-readon 

Have a wonderful day.  Love, Emily

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