Today at a Glance
Are you ready to unlock your full fitness & health potential? In this newsletter, we’ll share five powerful tools that have helped our clients achieve their goals and get a grip on the complex process of personal change.
Today we dive into Phase 6 of “The Anatomy of Change” and explore the transformative process of identity restructuring.
Don’t miss out on this opportunity to learn how to reprogram your mind and design your life intentionally.
Ready?
Trauma can hurt the brain. But researchers have also seen that negative thinking and bad programming from our past can also affect it. As well as bad habits and lifestyle choices.
Those effects are even visible on “brain SPECT imaging” aka brain scans.
Daniel G. Amen, M.D., the author of “Change Your Brain, Change Your Life” did over 70,000 brain scans (amongst others his own). He witnessed how his brain ‘aged backward’ and looked much younger than 20 years prior. His mind was sharp, clear, and worked better than ever before.
Here’s what “before” looked like in his own words:
“I was 37 years old. When I saw the toxic, bumpy appearance [in SPECT brain scans], I knew it was not healthy. All of my life I have been someone who rarely drank alcohol, never smoked, and never used an illegal drug. Then why did my brain look so bad?
Before I really understood brain health, I’d had many bad brain habits. I ate lots of fast food, drank soda like she was my best friend, often slept only four to five hours at night, and carried unexamined hurts from the past.
I didn’t exercise, felt chronically stressed, and carried an extra 30 pounds. What I didn’t know was hurting me … and not just a little.”
So what did he change?
Obviously, he changed his lifestyle. And in order to do that successfully he cleaned out negative thinking, bad programming, and unhealthy conditioning with what we call Identity Restructuring Techniques.
"You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength."
The Anatomy of Change — Part 6
As mentioned in previous newsletters, personal change is a complex process that can be influenced by various mechanisms.
We call it “The Anatomy of Change”.
It’s a 9-phase process resulting in transformation.
Today we’re going to talk about…
Phase 6: Identity Restructuring
Let’s dive in…
What is Identity Restructuring
Identity restructuring refers to the process of reevaluating, redefining, and transforming one’s sense of self, including beliefs, values, and behaviors.
It often occurs in response to significant life changes, challenges, or personal growth experiences, leading to a fundamental shift in how a person perceives themselves and their place in the world.
This restructuring can result in a more authentic, empowered, and aligned identity with an individual’s true values and aspirations.
And now imagine you could do this intentionally. Designing your life, a healthy and fit lifestyle, and merging optimal performance with well-being on purpose.
And then imprint it in your brain, locking it into your subconscious.
The Beyond Fitness Framework is all created around the core identity, of who we want to become. It works in both ways—from the inside out, from the outside in.
Identity Restructuring works from the inside out.
Working with Identity Restructuring Techniques consequently will program your mind for what you want to achieve. And the best thing about it… It will come more naturally to you since you already became that person—mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
Use Identity Restructuring to Unlock your Full Fitness & Health Potential
True empowerment comes when we start to look deeply at our beliefs. We may find their roots in the conditioning of religion, culture, society, education, family, media, and even our genes (the latter being imprinted by the sensory experiences of our current lives, as well as untold generations).
As humans, we tend to resist change until circumstances become so painful that we can no longer continue with business as usual. This is true for both individuals and societies. We wait for a crisis, trauma, loss, disease, or tragedy to examine who we are, what we do, how we live, what we feel, and what we think or know in order to accept meaningful change.
Often, it takes a worst-case situation for us to start making adjustments that are beneficial to our health, relationships, work, family, and future.
But it doesn’t have to be that way…
Any person has tremendous power when their
- thoughts and actions are equal
- behavior and intents are in sync
- actions and words are in harmony
- bodies and brains are functioning as one
- words and actions are speaking the same language
5 powerful Identity Restructuring Tools
We have successfully used with clients that helped them experience profound shifts in perspective, behavior, and overall well-being and are leaned on cognitive restructuring:
Identifying Cognitive Distortions
To make this clear, here’s a little example:
“You’ve been following a balanced meal plan for a week, and you had a slice of cake at a party. Now you’re feeling guilty and thinking, ‘I’ve ruined everything! I might as well give up and eat whatever I want for the rest of the day.’ What cognitive distortions are evident in this thought process?”
Positive Affirmations
You can write your own or take this one for now:
“I am the architect of my health and happiness. I make conscious choices that promote my well-being, physical, mental, and emotional. Every step I take is a step towards a healthier and happier me.”
Reframing Perspectives
Changing our perspectives is an ongoing process. Be gentle with yourself.
“I choose to eat healthily as an act of self-care and love for my body, not as a punishment for what I’ve eaten in the past.”
“I shift my focus from my body’s appearance to what it can do. I appreciate my body for its strength, resilience, and the activities it allows me to enjoy.”
“I focus on the journey of improving my overall health, rather than obsessing over specific outcomes. The process is where the real transformation happens.”
Gratitude Practice
You can steal this one from us…
“I am thankful for my body, no matter its shape or size. I appreciate the unique vessel that carries me through life’s experiences and allows me to engage in the world. I express gratitude for my body’s resilience, its ability to heal, and the strength it provides for various activities. I release any negative judgments about my weight and embrace the journey of self-acceptance and self-love. Each day, I choose to honor and celebrate my body with kindness and compassion.”
Behavioral Activation
Behavioral activation includes a variety of actions that improve one’s physical, mental, and emotional health. This strategy promotes holistic health and includes regular physical activity, mindfulness or meditation practice, spending time in nature, and connecting with loved ones—to name a few.
We encourage people to put self-care first and concentrate on pursuits that support their values, make them feel fulfilled, and make them happy.
That’s it for today.
Hope you enjoyed it (and learned something new).
This is Part 6 of our big “Change Series”.
Revealing the other 3 phases over the next few weeks.
If you want to reread the previous parts… here you go:
Part 1: How to change yourself (and your life) on awareness
Part 2: How to get motivated (and never stop) on motivation
Part 3: How To Acquire New Knowledge (And Learn Faster) on learning new skills
Part 4: How to Accelerate a Better Life (The Elder Mastermind) on support systems
Part 5: How to reinforce Behavior Change (through identity-based habits) on behavior change
What’s going on in our world
This was another productive week in the Mexican jungle.
We extended our coaching offers as promised:
Get 25% off till the end of August ’23.
We have also created a free resource for those of you with busy schedules who want to improve your bodies and minds through better nutrition.
3 recipes. Maximum of 15 minutes prep-time.
They’re a fraction of what we provide to our coachees, and we are sharing them here for free. Take a look and let us know if there is anything that you like.
On Wednesday, we had to bid farewell to Sayulita. We spent a fantastic month exploring the Pacific Coast of Mexico and the surrounding jungle.
We are extremely grateful and feel blessed for the time we spent there. It was an unforgettable experience.
Here’s a glimpse of our last workout at this amazing place.
We have now arrived in Mexico City and are settling into our new place. We will keep you posted next week.
As always, stay fit, stay active, and enjoy your life.
Ketty & Markus
