When I am in the gym, I hear all types of comments that clients make about their life, work, family and most importantly, their bodies; “I hate my butt, arms, fat gut, hips etc.” When I was going through counseling for my eating disorder, I was made aware of how often I said negative things about myself. Words are very powerful, they can lift someone up or tear someone down, one of the main reasons for my eating disorder was the way I talked about my life and body.
Through the 1990’s, Dr. Masaru Emoto performed a series of experiments observing the physical effect of words, prayers, music and environment on the crystalline structure of water. Emoto hired photographers to take pictures of water after being exposed to the different variables and subsequently frozen so that they would form crystalline structures. The results were nothing short of remarkable.
For example:
“You make me sick, I will kill you”
“Adolph Hitler”
“Thank you”
“Love and Appreciation”
To see the results on the water go to Dr. Emoto’s water crystal experiment.
The water stamped with positive words was far more symmetrical and aesthetically pleasing than that stamped with negative words. That concept is relatively easy to grasp, but this extremely tangible evidence of it is astounding. If the words and thoughts that come out of us have this effect on water crystals, it’s amazing to think of what kind of effect they have on the people and events that come into our lives. Also, the average human body is 60% water, ponder that one for a while…
I have found that when female clients would start embracing their bodies and talking kindly to those areas that they disliked, they would actually start losing inches on those areas. The power of positive thinking can have very real and tangible benefits on your body.
Another important area is not owning ailments. When we say my arthritis, cancer, asthma etc. we give the ailment permission to take ownership of our health. I want a healthy body and I want to speak life to the areas of weakness in my body. When I was coming out of my eating disorder I was told by a counselor that I was to tell myself in the mirror that I loved myself and to speak all the attributes I liked about myself. I know it sounds weird and it was very hard for me to say at first. Now I say everyday all the things I’m thankful for in my life, and I have learned to watch how I talk about myself and my loved ones.
Thinking and speaking positively about your body is an important part of getting the results you want. Keep this in mind throughout each day and you will get better results both at and away from the gym.