It all starts here….
What do you think is the number one thing that helps COPD ? And ILD?
It’s not oxygen… it’s not medications…. it’s EXERCISE.
Now, I want to ask you a question and I’d like an honest answer. What was your first reaction to the word exercise? For some people , their reaction is ‘I know, Yeah, OK” or something like that. But some people immediately reply with “I can’t exercise”. I believe it was Henry Ford who said, “Whether you believe you can, or believe you can’t, either way, you are right”.
If you are reading this, there is a 99% chance that you can exercise.
What images come to mind with the word? Richard Simmons? The Olympics? 20-somethings running around the gym in skimpy spandex?
Exercise can be something as simple as walking the hallways of your home, or the perimeter of your yard. There are lots of exercises you can do even sitting in a chair!
Here’s the rub: Every time you say out loud, to yourself, or to someone else, “I can’t”, it gets embedded in your subconscious mind. Keep saying it, and your brain believes it. You will have a hard time talking your body into doing anything if your brain does not believe it is possible.
The second part is, you have to WANT to exercise. And here’s the truth: not many people really want to exercise, they just want the benefits and results that come from doing it regularly.
So how do we program our brains to tell our body that we can, and also, we really do want to?
2 easy phrases: I can, and I will. I CAN exercise and I will do xyz amount of exercise today.
Here’s the trick: set reasonable goals. If you have not exercised for months, stating “I can and I will run a marathon next week” sends your brain into a protective mode that says, “Too out there! Not going to happen!” Stating “I can and I will walk from my bedroom to the living room twice in one day” may push the limits of your mind, but it won’t jump in and try to foil you. Simply repeat several times: I can and I will. If you want the benefits that come from physical activity, stop trying to convince your mind that you want to exercise. DO convince your mind that you can. And you will , because you want the end result: more stamina, more energy, less breathlessness, less excess weight to carry. Try it now: “ I can and I will _____________. Now go prove yourself right, and start feeling better today.
Always looking out for you,
Your Breathing Specialist
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