HEALTH & FITNESS

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Steer Yourself Out Of Your Rut

I

magine that you are driving on a
poorly maintained dirt road filled with
deep ruts created by cars passing
by day after day. Each passing car

makes the ruts deeper, making it almost
impossible to drive between or outside
of the ruts. In fact, the thought of turning

your wheel to steer your car out of the
rut might be scary and it feels safer to
just stay where you are.

in unwanted ways and get in the way
of our ability to create positive healthy
change in our lives.

emotion or behavior that is more in
accordance with our desires, we begin
to create and then deepen desirable

Here's an example: Have you
started something new, such as
an exercise program, and then

new pathways. As we keep
reinforcing these new path-

ways, the old ones begin to
disappear.

talked yourself out of it after
a few days? This is the neural

This is how many people

pathway speaking, the pathway
that keeps you stuck in the rut

develop lifelong exercise
programs. They make a

Well, our minds operate much like
the drivers on this road. Every recurrent
thought or emotion, response, reaction

of the ways that you currently
think about yourself or spend
your time. It feels more com-

conscious choice to begin
exercising regularly, perhaps
to feel stronger, lose weight

and pattern of behavior creates ruts,
technically known as neural pathways.
Many of these neural pathways serve

fortable to maintain the status
quo, just like it feels more com-
fortable to stay within the deep

our well being, so that we don't have to
think about brushing our teeth, buckling
our seat belts or stopping at a red light.

ruts on a dirt road. In fact, you
can expect to encounter ten-
sion or even resistance from your mind

or improve their health. They
experience resistance in the
form of thoughts or feelings
that suggest that it would be

Or course, we all had to learn these
things, but with repetition they have
become automatic; it would be uncom-

and body when you seek to change a
thought, emotion or behavior pattern,
just as you would feel tension in steering

fortable not to do them.
However, many of our thoughts, emo-

out of a rut in the road.
The good news is that neuroscience

tions and behaviors are just as auto-
matic and yet do not serve our best

is showing us that our neural pathways
are much more flexible than previously

interests. These pathways keep us stuck

thought. Each time we chose a thought,

• Spinal Stenosis
• Herniated Disc
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better to stay in bed or that
they can take today off or that they've
never been successful in the past and
won't be now. However, if they actively

push back against this resistance, tying
on their athletic shoes and heading out,

brushing their teeth.

The first step toward positive change
is recognizing any negative ruts that
you are in. You can take active steps to

counter the thoughts or emotions that
kept you stuck in your previous pat-
terns once you recognize them. Don't be

surprised by the resistance you encoun-
ter; remind yourself that any tension
or stress you feel is the old pathways
speaking.

Remembering that it takes time to
create new, more desirable neural path-

ways, you can feel good each time you
take the desired action until one day you
find the resistance is gone and you've

changed in the way you desired.
Know that each time you make a
healthier choice it becomes easier

and easier to make the next choice a
healthy one, too, until unhealthy choices
become a thing of the past.

❑

over time the pathways that kept them
from exercising in the past begin to

Dr. Denise Jacob practices hypnosis, healing

disappear and the new behavior of regu-
lar exercise becomes as automatic as

is a speaker for area organizations. Call (248)

touch and health counseling in Birmingham. She

514-8259 or visit www.jacobholistichealing.com .

• Non Surgical Spinal
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LEVINE CLINK

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31390 NORTHWESTERN HIGHWAY
BETWEEN 13 MILE AND MIDDLEBELT • 248-855-2666

Dr. RAN. Levine

Dr. D. B. Cohen

Phone consultations available

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A30

July 30 • 2009