Melvines guide to a healthy lifestyle

Wednesday, 10 November 2010 13:21

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My good friend and fellow Ballina man, Denis Coen, who is a performance, mind and fitness coach, has kindly agreed to help me out with this week's column as I recently sought some help from him on how I would handle my new lifestyle for the month of November having decide to abstain from the demon drink.
He has come up with some interesting suggestions on how I can improve my health and my lifestyle, which can be a bit hectic at times given the job I'm in.
If this column does not appear next week, well you will know the Melvine has gone AWOL. It is all about self-esteem and it is something that has taken a battering for people in view of the current economic circumstances, while the bloody weather does not help either.
But, always remember, your health is your wealth.
Ten steps to heaven
1. Rise early every morning and have a healthy breakfast that will energise you for the day. Dress and look your best every day. Don't be worried what others think or if your friends make fun of the way you dress (they are just trying to push away their own low self-esteem). Feeling great on the outside will make you feel great on the inside. Also read for a half hour every morning. Read something positive and educational. Don't turn on the news first thing in the morning because all you will feed your mind with for the day is negative and horrifying bad news. Instead, read or listen to something really positive.
2. Work out and exercise every day for at least half an hour. Work on creating a healthy lifestyle.
3. It takes the same amount of time and energy to create an easy life as it does to create a hard life, so opt for a stress-free lifestyle. Change the way you think and watch out for all that negative turmoil that goes on in your mind all day. Start using positive affirmations such as 'I feel great' or 'I am a terrific and worthy person'. Make up your own positive affirmations that will empower you. Remember everything you think or say about yourself becomes your self-image so when talking to yourself and others make it positive and encouraging.
4. When you meet new people always volunteer your own name first. By doing this you begin to value your own name and with repetition this value will increase. If people pay you a compliment always say thank you with a smile. No matter what the reason might be for the compliment, don't brush it off or ignore it – just say thank you with a smile. Smile everyday also because smiling is universal and understood in every language and in every walk of life. Smiling sends out the signal that you are OK and everybody else is OK.
5. Go about your business in a brisk manner. Stand tall and walk as if you know where you are always going. Don't slouch over and saunter around aimlessly. Be confident in the way you carry yourself.
6. Take stock of your belief system. Take time to write down your current beliefs about yourself. See what beliefs are really true. Get rid of any negative beliefs and keep the positive ones. Challenge your beliefs every day until you become the person you really want to be.
7. Always respect yourself. Think about someone important to you who you really value and respect. Think of how you treat that person. Now start treating yourself that way too. Stop treating yourself horribly and quit the negative self-talk.
8. Stop comparing yourself to others and stop wanting to be like others. Set your own inner goals and standards and live by them instead. Work on achieving your own goals in life, love, business, health and happiness rather than focusing on what other people have or do.
9. Replace the words 'I can't', 'I won't', 'not able', 'have to' with words such as 'I can', 'I will', 'I am able' and 'I want to'.
10. As humans we resist change because it moves us out of our comfort zone and it also upsets our present security. To increase self-esteem you have to change. To adopt all of the above you have to change, so change is vital. I bet if it was a life or death situation you would change in an instant. Well, you can change in an instant. Sometimes it takes years to want to change but only a second to actually change. Take action now.