your mind and body by doing the entire week’s exercises, but on Sunday there will be no yoga – just a long walk in the fresh air. This means that at the end of your 28 days you will have learnt at least 60 yoga postures and have an exercise plan that will keep you fit and healthy for life! Don’t worry if you think you are really stiff and inflexible at the moment, you’ll be astonished how quickly you begin to improve!
Over these 28 days you are concentrating on yourself and achieving all your goals. And these goals might go a lot further than just becoming slimmer, healthier and full of energy – although that’s a pretty good start! The beauty and lifestyle tips I have included will soon become a part of your life, helping to make you feel positive about yourself and look much better. And when you are feeling good about yourself, there is no limit to what you can achieve.
If you stick with my plan, at the end of your 28 days, you should:
Weigh 10 lbs less;
Feel 10 times fitter.
But, much more than this, you will have learnt:
The amazing life-enhancing power of visualization;
Over 60 yoga exercises that will form the basis of an exercise regime to keep you fit, healthy and in great shape for life;
A healthy eating plan to keep your weight off – for good!
In short, you will have a comprehensive health-giving tool that is yours, not only for the next 28 days, but also for the rest of your life.
I bet you can’t wait. Let’s get started!
Disclaimer:
Not all diets and exercises are suitable for everyone. To reduce the risk to you, please consult your doctor before beginning this exercise and diet programme. It is designed for people in good health and is not suitable for pregnant or lactating women. The instructions and advice presented are not intended as a substitute for medical guidance. The writer and publishers of this book do not accept any responsibility for any injury or accident as a result of following the exercise programme or for any health problems experienced as a result of following this diet, or for any failure to lose weight. The plan is followed entirely at the participant’s own risk.
The Amazing Power of Visualization
Most diets do not work for one major reason and that is that while they use vitamins, minerals, recipes and super foods they never involve the subconscious mind.
Your mind is the most important computer in your house, but while most people realize that their desktop computer needs programming, they give no attention to programming their own mind. Over the years, your mind will have been programmed by your parents, teachers, friends, aunties and uncles – and everybody else who has helped make you the person you are today. But along the way you were probably taught some extremely bad health habits. For example, if you were good you may have been rewarded with a bar of chocolate; if you fell down and hurt yourself, you may have been given a sweet ‘to make it better’. And you may have been told you would never grow up big and strong if you didn’t finish all the food on your plate. Twenty years later, probably you still reward yourself with chocolate or biscuits to cheer yourself up.
These are just small examples as to how our brains have been programmed regarding food. But more importantly, if you established a negative image of yourself in your childhood, you are probably still carrying that image around with you today. Maybe you felt unattractive and a big lump at school. If that is the case, it is likely you still see yourself as such and whenever you try to diet, your subconscious mind brings this image back to you, encouraging you to eat the amount it takes to keep you as an unattractive big lump.
But, by changing the image you have of yourself you can change yourself and be exactly as you wish. This incredible power of the human brain means that you can re-programme your brain so that you become exactly the weight and shape that you desire. However, only you can do this for yourself. If you do not change your mental image of yourself, you will never lose weight or become the person you would like to be.
In his brilliant book, The Power of Your Subconscious Mind, Dr Joseph Murphy explains the power of the subconscious mind in this way:
‘There are two levels of your mind – the conscious or rational level and the subconscious or irrational level. You think with your conscious mind and whatever you habitually think sinks down into your subconscious mind, which creates according to the nature of your thought. The subconscious mind is the seat of your emotions and is the creative mind. If you think good, good will follow, if you think evil, evil will follow. This is the way your mind works.’
This sounds so simple but it is so true. If you think of yourself as large and fat that is what you will become; no matter how few calories you try to consume during the day, your subconscious mind will make you grab that piece of cake or a snack to ensure you remain fat. Your conscious mind gives the command and your subconscious mind makes it happen. But if you tell yourself daily or, even better, 3 times a day, that you are beautiful, healthy, slim, agile and energetic, and keep on doing it, your subconscious mind will re-programme you to make it happen.
To assist you with reprogramming your subconscious mind, look through some magazines and find a picture of the body and shape you would love to have. Now buy yourself an attractive notebook and stick it on the front page. Next, find a picture of you smiling and looking good and stick your head on the picture of your ideal body, so that you can see how fabulous you will look.
Alongside this picture, write down your name and desired measurements; add to this a single sentence describing how you want to be, such as ‘I am happy, attractive, slim and agile.’ Make your own individual statement and be brave: think about the new ideal you and put it in your notebook.
I am …
My goal weight is …
Hips goal size …
Waist goal size …
Thighs goal size …
Bust goal size …
If you have another particular goal to achieve, such as a promotion, a salary rise or finding a new house, write this down as well in the present tense, for example ‘I have got the promotion I have been aiming for and love my new job.’ (Make it exciting, positive and happy.)
On the inside page write the date and the exact details of your weight and measurements before you start the plan.
Weight …
Hip size …
Waist size …
Thigh size …
Bust size …
Now you won’t need to weigh yourself again until Day 7, but focus 3 times a day on the positive image of your picture, your statement, your extra goal and your goal measurements and weight. Do this every day for the duration of the plan.
