Picture Yourself Fit

Posted: Nov 20 in Lifestyle and Activity by Staff

Hoping for a bit of help with your first workout in Macon after weight loss surgery? You might be surprised how helpful a bit of mental guidance can be.

Visualizing your workout might sound a bit odd—after all, to get the benefits of a workout you are going to need to move your body, not just your mind. However, before you try a workout for the first time it can help to sit down and mentally picture yourself engaging in the activity. This will help you know what to expect during your workout, helping you concentrate more on working out and less on the unknown of what’s ahead.

Why This Works

Do you think visualizing your workout sounds a bit odd? Researchers have undertaken the task of seeing how the brain interprets visual imagery. When you mentally picture yourself doing something, the same neuropathways that are active during the actual activity become active.

So, sitting down on the couch and mentally working your way through a fitness DVD or gym routine can make it more familiar to you mentally, helping you power through the workout on your first try without feeling so rusty and giving your weight loss efforts the boost they need to get started.

The Walk Through

To visualize your workout, you need to set yourself up for real thing. That means getting on your gym clothes, filling up your water bottle, grabbing your MP3 player and then stretching, just as if you were about to really head out for some exercise.

Once you are physically ready to work out, sit back down and let your mental activity kick in. You can visualize just about any sort of workout this way.

If you are planning on going for a walk, jog or gym session, then put on a timer for 30 minutes (or longer!) and put in your headphones. The timer will give you a good idea of just how long your workout will last, and by listening to your MP3 player you can make sure you have enough energetic and motivational music keep you going through your whole workout.

• Picture yourself walking through your neighborhood or jogging through a local park as you listen to your music.
• Envision yourself walking into your gym and have in mind what piece of equipment you are going to use first.
• If you are going to try some strength training, plan out which machines you are going to use and how many repetitions you are going to do on each.
• If you are planning on doing a workout DVD, watch the movie the entire way through.
• Search for an Internet video of fitness courses with the same description as the one you are hoping to go to so you have a better idea of what to expect.

Visualizing your workout can be a great form of weight loss help. Your real workout isn’t going to be exactly the same as what you’ve visualized, but it will likely be similar. Picturing your workout can reduce a lot of your pre-workout jitters by letting you know what you can expect—which will also reduce your risk of developing an injury on your first day back at the gym!