You are at a mental roadblock and you want to change how you think…so how do you do it?

Remember that you are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with. Start by increasing your average and spending time with people that build you up instead of bringing you down. Consider the ‘toxic’ relationships in your life and work to resolve that issue. This could mean either forgiving someone, asking for forgiveness, or simply removing them from your life. Surround yourself with positive people that know they can accomplish whatever it is they want to do.

Focus on past success. To many, the past can represent regretful behavior and mistakes. The coulda, woulda, and shoulda’s are going off in your head. Since you can’t change your past, you can only change your attitude on the past. Instead of thinking of past failures, think of past successes! Write down a list of 100 successes. Don’t think it is possible? Go by daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly successes—no matter how big or small, and I promise you will have 100 in no time.

Go complaint-free! First, stop complaining about things that you cannot control—like the weather or traffic, for example, and come to grips that you must make the best out of the situation and not bring unsolicited negativity into your life. Stop complaining about things that you CAN control too—such as your health or your lifestyle. You have simply chosen not to do anything about it because that would involve change, change you are scared or not ready for. Look at that complaint as the opportunity to take action to make a change. Wish you could improve your body composition? Stop complaining and start taking action because that is something that you have full control over. You must take 100% responsibility for your life!

Jenny Westerkamp, RD is a registered dietitian and nutrition consultant for SportFuel and Eat Like the Pros, both based out of the Chicago suburbs. SportFuel is an integrative nutrition practice, while Eat Like the Pros is an organic meal delivery service. Jenny is also the co-founder of All Access Internships, a website dedicated to serving the dietetic student community. She enjoys writing about real food and has contributed a variety of websites, newsletters, online magazines, and blogs.

What are some proven techniques to change your subconscious programming?

Human connection is always critical—and when we desire to make any kind of change, we need all the support we can get! By surrounding yourself with people that support your journey, you will find that you begin to attract people that are also working toward self improvement and true inner balance. At SportFuel, when our clients undertake a Nutritional Cleanse, (a large lifestyle change for most!) we teach them to be aware of “energy vampires”. What are “energy vampires and who are yours? You probably know them well–those people that try to suck the life out of you –people continually spewing negative thoughts. Of course, we all have negative thoughts as our mind is always thinking so the thoughts themselves are not the problem. It is our processing and rumination of the negative thoughts that, if not curtailed, can begin to become our reality. Remember that YOU are in charge of what you think about and YOU CAN control what you think about. At SportFuel, we use the Cleanse period to also establish a better awareness of how you nourish yourself, what you are thinking as you nourish differently, and then finally making the connection to how you feel when you nourish lovingly with real foods. The following are a few techniques to explore to help you move toward establishing healthy subconscious programming:

The BodyTalk System:

This concept works to synchronize and balance the body-mind. The body is a complex system with interconnected physiological, biochemical, emotional, environmental, hereditary, and genetic components. The BodyTalk System taps into our “innate wisdom” about our own health. With neuromuscular biofeedback, a protocol of questions, and healing through body ‘tapping’, the body-mind complex is reconnected, which fosters healing and balance. It is a noninvasive and safe complementary or stand-alone treatment.  (See http://www.bodytalksystem.com/learn/bodytalk)

Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT):

EFT is an alternative psychotherapy and the theory is that negative thoughts and emotions can cause disturbances in the body’s energy field. Practitioners use acupuncture points to manipulate the body’s energy field, all while the patient focuses on a specific memory, so that essentially, a psychological problem is alleviated. Many SportFuel clients have benefited from learning and using this technique. (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emotional_Freedom_Technique)

Hypnotherapy:

Hypnotherapy done correctly can bring a person into a deep state of relaxation and an altered state of consciousness, helping a person become exceptionally responsive—although the practitioner is certainly not in control of their mind. Instead, they teach patients how to improve their own state of awareness, which in turn can positively affect their own bodily processes and responses. One hypnotherapy technique involves remembering an event that lead to a negative reaction, and then separating that from the learned behavior and replacing it with a healthier behavior. (See http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/hypnotherapy-000353.htm)

Julie H. Burns, MS, RD, CCN is founder of SportFuel and Eat Like the Pros®, both located in the Chicago suburbs. SportFuel is an integrative nutrition consulting firm, while Eat Like the Pros is an organic meal delivery service. Julie’s past and current clients include the Chicago Blackhawks hockey team, Chicago White Sox baseball team, Chicago Bears football team, Chicago Bulls basketball team, Northwestern University’s varsity teams, Next Level Performance and individual pro and elite athletes.