Monday, February 23, 2009

Behavior modification and guilt by association

We tend to derive anticipated emotion, pleasure or pain, from previous experience and we also experience or relive those emotions each time we think of the stimulous again.  The trick is to understand that is what is going on and to decided whether or not our intrinsic response is fair or just guilt by association.  In other words prejuidice can be held against anything not just people.  If you have had negative experiences with exercise and have developed an association of feeling bad with going to the gym the very thought of going to the gym may cause those sensations or feelings to bubble up again in your brain.  This is a very real phenomena and does have a very real effect on the body with the release of stress hormones which make you fat btw.  Adrenalin makes you fat.  Cortisol makes you fat.  Even testosterone, especially in women, makes you fat.  And estrogen does too, just in a different place/way on the body.  Learning to reprogram your response and expectation is a very powerful tool.  I highly recommend recognizing how you feel about the behaviors which produce physical fitness and if the idea of exercise makes you cringe consider reprogramming yourself to smile when you think of sweat.  Challenge the icky feelings, they may just be left over feelings that are not serving you anymore.  

No comments: