Have you ever wondered how some people seem to lose weight without even going to the gym?

Do you wish you could find the time to get more exercise in your day?

Do you want to know how to use your mind to help you lose the pounds, lower your blood pressure and lose body fat?

A recent clinical trial from Harvard University showed that housekeepers who were educated about the exercise benefits of routine household duties like dusting and vacuuming lost weight within four weeks without working harder or eating better.  Because these women were informed that vacuuming and performing other cleaning duties were equivalent to working out, their minds transformed these routine activities into exercise.

Visualize working your quadriceps and hamstrings when you walk up and down the stairs carrying loads of laundry.  Imagine increasing your upper body strength with every window cleaned and each tub scrubbed.  And if you’re fortunate enough not to have to do any significant housework on a daily basis, you can use the same mind technique in everything that you do. 

Whether you’re walking up a flight of stairs, shopping aisle after aisle at the supermarket or picking up after your little one, think about the calories you’re burning doing these activities, the exercise your body is getting by participating in these tasks and the pounds you’ll lose by keeping your mind focused on exercise in whatever you do.

Even before I read this article, I was silently amazed that I lost two pounds without even changing my eating habits or increasing my workout routine.  What I did notice is how I focused my mind on getting the most out of every flight of stairs I climbed…how I pictured my thighs getting exercised with every step I took…how I understood that I’d burn a significant amount of the calories throughout the day just by walking up and down the halls of the hospital. 

The pounds suddenly starting coming off and staying off once I focused my mind on burning calories during my normal daily activities.  After looking at those flights of stairs as more than just a means to get from one floor to another but as my own unique way to exercise and to burn calories…I lost an incredible two extra pounds in two weeks!

The key to using this technique is to be informed and knowledgeable. 

You have to actually know and believe that you can burn calories by doing regular household chores, gardening or routine daily activities like shopping.  Only then will you possess the power of your mind to lose weight, lower your blood pressure and live a healthier life.

So start exercising your mind!

To your wellness,
Dr. Traci Ferguson, The Health and Wellness Queen 

This entry was posted on Sunday, August 26th, 2007 at 5:00 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.