Hypnosis and Behavioral Changes Impact the Motivation to Exercise

Saturday, October 31, 2009 by: Steve G. Jones, Ed.S.
Tags: motivation, health news, Natural News

(NewsTarget) Exercise is a very important aspect of overall health. Times have changed in the past 100 years making daily chores easy and requiring little physical exertion. The average person no longer has to grow their own food, wash clothes by hand, or build their own house. Transportation now relies heavily on cars instead of bicycles and walking on foot. The good news is that society as a whole is more efficient and productive. The bad news is that most people`s physical output is not keeping up with caloric intake. It is important for everyone to incorporate physical exercise into their life. Research continues to show the benefits of physical activity. Behavioral changes and hypnosis have been shown to help people increase their motivation, so exercise can become a part of their daily routine.

There are many benefits of exercise. According to the Mayo Clinic, physical activity stimulates certain brain chemicals that can improve overall mood. Incorporating regular exercise can even prevent depression. Exercise can also prevent many major chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, osteoporosis, and type II diabetes.

Currently, the majority of Americans are overweight. Exercise can help people lose weight and reach a healthier fitness level. Physical activity also promotes better sleeping habits. It can help you fall asleep more quickly at night and allow you to have a more restful, deep sleep. Exercise directly and indirectly gives you more energy. Indirectly, exercise can help people lose weight and get more sleep that will help increase energy throughout the day.

Hypnosis is a beneficial tool to use to motivate the incorporation of exercise into one's daily routine. Hypnosis along with neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) techniques has been shown to improve behavior and motivation in relation to exercise. One of the most common problems with exercise is finding the will-power and motivation to make it a mandatory part of everyday life. Hypnosis helps combat lack of motivation and procrastination in regards to physical activity (Densky, 2006).

A recent study showed that behavioral strategies worked best in initiating a change in a person`s lifestyle. Behavior strategies include goal setting and self-monitoring. To incorporate physical activity into one`s life, behavioral changes require persistence and motivation. Behavior interventions were shown to increase participants' physical activity by an average of 48 minutes per week. This is significant because 48 minutes can provide a multitude of health benefits. Many people feel overwhelmed about starting an exercise program, but with behavioral changes and incorporating hypnosis to increase motivation, exercise is an easier task (Medical News Today).

Sources

Densky, A.B. (2006). How to get motivated to exercise with hypnosis and NLP. Retrieved on October, 16, 2009: http://www.neuro-vision.us/Articles/hypnosis...

Mayo Clinic. Exercise: 7 benefits of regular physical activity. Retrieved on October 16, 2009: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/exercise/HQ...

Medical News Today. The importance of exercise. Retrieved on October 16, 2009: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/116...

About the author

Steve G. Jones, Ed.S. has been practicing hypnotherapy since the 1980s. He is the author of 22 books on Hypnotherapy. Steve is a member of the National Guild of Hypnotists, American Board of Hypnotherapy, president of the American Alliance of Hypnotists, on the board of directors of the Los Angeles chapter of the American Lung Association, and director of the Steve G. Jones School of Clinical Hypnotherapy.
Steve G. Jones, Ed.S. is a board certified Clinical Hypnotherapist. He has a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Florida (1994), a master's degree in education from Armstrong Atlantic State University (2007), and is currently working on a doctorate in education, Ed.D., at Georgia Southern University. Learn more at:
http://www.betterlivingwithhypnosis.com/