How to Increase Your Motivation to Exercise With Fibromyalgia and Other Chronic Pain Conditions

If you want to become more active as a part of managing your chronic pain condition, the first step (after you check with your doctor, of course), is to know why you haven exercised yet. Easy enough - but how do we then transform those limiting beliefs into beliefs that will get us off the couch?

Through a four-step process, we can actually change our beliefs. It isn easy, but it is simple. Here how you do it:

1: Define Your Vision

Think about your ideal vision of yourself. Since we discussing belief-changing in the context of starting an exercise program, let consider our ideal selves in movement. Do you dream of hiking up a mountain? Walking the length of an 800-mile trail? Running a marathon? Swimming daily? Finishing a yoga class?

Whatever your vision of yourself-in-movement is, write down a description of that vision as if it were already true. Two cautionary guidelines:

Be realistic. You probably not going to be prima ballerina of the New York City Ballet, I afraid.
But make it exciting. Too small a goal won energize you and get you motivated.

Write down your vision as if it already your reality -- present tense, with as many sensory details as possible. What does it feel like? Are you racing on a horse back with the wind whipping your hair? Are you slicing easily through the pool water like a mermaid?

2: Determine Your New Beliefs

Holding your vision in mind, ask: does that person have to believe, in order to do what she does? Using your list of fears and current beliefs as a template or guide, begin listing out the beliefs that enable that vision to become reality.

If you believe now that it not worth it to risk a new flareup, then how about believing exercise makes me feel better and nothing is more important than feeling better you believe make me feel like a failure then how about and taking care of myself makes me feel wonderful, like a goddess Open Your Heart and Mind to Your Vision

This is probably the hardest part of this process: contemplating the possibility of letting go your current beliefs in favor of the new ones.

For some, this might smack of all in your head. Please understand: that not what I saying. Rather, it about changing the beliefs that are holding you back from doing something that scary and risky, but very effective at relieving your pain. It about your motivation to engage in this particular kind of treatment, not the pain itself.

But to get there, you first have to be able to envision letting those old beliefs go completely. And for many of us, that a scary proposition in itself. If you having difficulty with that concept, then try telling yourself this: can always pick up my old beliefs if the new ones don work. if you want to see a different result, you going to have to do things differently. If you going to do things differently, you going to have to believe different things. And to do that, you first need to open up to the possibility itself.

4: Changing Your Beliefs

We change our thoughts all the time, and beliefs are nothing more than entrenched thoughts. This is not to say that the process of changing beliefs is an easy one. It takes time, and some concentrated attention. For the first several days, if not weeks, you need to actively work to keep these new beliefs firmly in mind.

You don need to change your behavior during this time, if it feels like much -- just work on the beliefs. Eventually, those new beliefs will take hold and that will help propel you into action.

Try these suggestions for helping your new beliefs to take root and displace the old, unhelpful ones:

1. At least a few times a day, take five minutes or so to visualize your ideal vision. Try to make it as sensory an experience as possible. Feel it fully.

2. Set aside a regular time in the morning and at night before bed to reread your list of new beliefs. Read slowly, deliberately - better yet: say them out loud.

3. Consider the new beliefs in terms of your daily activities. Is there some action in particular you can take now to reinforce those beliefs? example: If one of your new beliefs is am an active person, find moments in your day to incorporate more activity. For instance, some light stretches in the morning when you get up, doing calf raises when you washing dishes, taking frequent breaks throughout the day to walk around or do pushups against the wall ... even creating a new fidgeting habit ... all these things can reinforce that new belief. You believe you an active person because you are an active person. See how nicely that works?

By following this simple four-step process, and giving it your full focus for a few weeks, you will soon find these more active beliefs and thought patterns are second nature to you. It will begin to feel not to exercise or move. Moreover, you may find that you more in tune with the cues your body is sending you, and this can help avoid exercise-induced flare-ups. Simply stop when your body says it time to stop.

Here to a more active and pain-free future!