Visualization for Weight Loss -The Gabriel Method

The Positive Stresses

cise is imminent. Stay open to the idea, and always keep an eye out for some type of activity that would be fun. When you find such an activity, give yourself the opportunity to experience fun and to reconnect with your body. • Visualize. The night before exercising, visualize the next day by seeing yourself enjoying the activity of choice. If you are going to play basketball, see yourself putting on your outfit, tying your shoes, going to the court, and having a great time. See yourself in great shape as you are playing. Take advantage whenever you can to do the other visualizations as well—the Imaginary Predator, Your Ideal Body, and Rekindling the Joy. • Have an inspirational role model. For me, as I was losing weight, that inspiration was Ashrita Furhman. Ashrita has broken over 186 world records for feats involving super- human strength and endurance. He holds the world record for the fastest time running fifty miles while juggling! He pole-vaulted up Mount Fuji. He holds the record for the fastest mile while balancing a milk bottle on his head. The list goes on and on. He once biked for over twenty-four hours straight after training only three days! When I first read about Ashrita, I was spellbound that it was humanly possible to do such things. He was, and still is, a tremendous inspiration for me. I remember when I first started biking, I would think to myself: if Ashrita can bike for twenty-four hours, then certainly I can bike for twenty minutes. This put everything in perspective for me and made it all much easier.

Finally, always get your doctor’s approval before starting an exercise program.

Other Ways to Maximize the “Get Thin or Get Eaten” Adaptation Aside from the right type of exercise, there is another way to connect with that primal “Get thin!” adaptation. You can trigger an “acute stress.” An acute stress is any sudden and intense stress, and it can be frightening, exciting, or thrilling.

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