The 1st of 3 levels of confidence is: “Physical Confidence.” This is the physical part of the confidence formula and represents your raw physical power, attractiveness and body language.
Your physical confidence is the quickest and easiest way to feel confident, and in my experience, people who ignore this have a tendency to end up sick, depressed and stuck to a couch with a TV clicker. And while there aren’t a whole lot of studies on being stuck to a couch with a TV clicker, there are plenty of studies that link a sedentary lifestyle with illness and depression.
But how can relaxing too much lead to illness?
The reason is simple. Your mind and body are directly connected. And according to health experts like Dr. Bernie Siegel, known for his best-selling book Love, Medicine and Miracles, “The mind and body are not separate units, but one integrated system. How we act and what we think, eat, and feel are all related to our health. Physicians should be capable of teaching this behavior to patients.”
While the Western world is just recently discovering that the mind and body are connected, in the East this principle has been embraced for over a thousand years. We even see signs of its use over 5,000 years ago in India with the creation of Yoga, which is interpreted as “Union” between mind and body.
Fundamentally, what happens in your mind affects your body and vice versa. For instance, when someone experiences an emotional trauma, like a death in the family, relationship breakup, or loss of a job, there is a corresponding effect in the body which could potentially manifest as insomnia, a depressed immune system, or a serious illness.
Of course, the opposite is true as well – what goes into your body affects your mind.
I used to teach at a yoga studio next to a market where I would observe first hand the effects of food on the energy level and mental capacity of individuals who dined at the outdoor tables. On several occasions, I noticed a guy with a six-pack of bananas who would plow through several before eventually collapsing his head on the table as if he was in a drunken stupor. Not exactly the state of roaring confidence we’re looking for.
Perhaps you may have experienced this tired and lifeless state yourself after eating a delicious sugar-laden éclair from the local pastry shop or a plate of grandma’s pasta with its accompanying explosion of carbohydrates. Or maybe you love McDonalds French fries, which contain acrylamide.
Not so fun fact… studies show that cats exposed to acrylamide can lead to convulsions and death.[i] Or maybe you love Top Ramen noodles with MSG but sadly; studies have confirmed the link between MSG and headaches.[ii]
While your taste buds may dance with delight and you may feel high from the serotonin they produce, shortly after indulging in these foods, you’ll most likely experience a sharp drop in blood sugar and a subsequent drop off an emotional cliff. I like to call this “The emotional rollercoaster,” because you’ll feel lots of energy then shortly thereafter crash into cognitive decline.
Now add in those chemicals of MSG, acrylamide, wheat germ agglutinin, and other toxic substances with their accompanying headaches, nausea and endocrine-disrupting effects and you’ll most certainly have a recipe for couch crush. “Couch Crush” is a maxim I made up for crushed confidence and stuck on the couch with no hope for success.
On the flip side, at some point in your life you probably also experienced eating something that made you feel high, alert and confident which created sustained energy and did not drop you off a cliff and send you to the couch. This could happen if you drank a delicious smoothie with the perfect balance of carbohydrates, protein, and fat with a dollop of raw wild honey.
Clearly, what you consume as part of your daily diet affects your mental state and can change your level of physical confidence. But food is just one part of the mind-body connection.
For example, have you ever sat in a chair for an hour or two and noticed how your focus and productivity gradually started to decline? You might even have felt angry or depressed; perhaps even a tinge of stiffness in your neck and lower back.
Biologically, your body wasn’t designed to sit for long periods of time, as clearly evidenced by the fact that so many normal bodily functions start to shut down when you sit too long. For instance, according to a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine in 2017, when you sit too long your heart pumps blood to your brain more slowly; your body starts storing fat and piling up waste.
In this particular study, participants who often sat longer than 90 minutes at a time were about twice as likely to die from heart disease, colon cancer, and Type 2 Diabetes than those who always limited their sitting time to less than 90 minutes at a time.
Adding weight to your existing challenges, a sedentary life starts to kill your motivation and makes it more difficult to pursue your dreams. Faced with this predicament most people will simply reach for a confidence replacement, like more toxic sugary food, or other unhealthy vices, which only make the situation worse.
But I’m pretty certain you’re reading this book because you’re looking for a new high, so I’d like to offer a simple, yet highly effective solution – move your body.
The Magic of Motion
Ever notice people who have bumper stickers that say: “I’d rather be dancing,” or “I’d rather be diving,” or “I’d rather be hiking,” or my personal favorite, “I’d rather not be working?”
Did you notice the common denominator in all of these passions? People are most passionate about these things because they force you to move your body. Or in the case of “working,” they hate it because most of the time it forces you to sit in a chair and not move your body.
A very magical thing happens when you move your body – you get high, you feel good. And when you feel good, you’re more confident. Of course, the opposite is true as well; when you don’t move your body enough, this lack of motion creates the emotional low of depression. But why does this happen?
According to the American Psychological Association (APA) “Usually within five minutes after moderate exercise, you get a mood-enhancement effect.”[iii] Biologically, this mood enhancement that you’re feeling comes from chemical endorphins released from your brain, which give you an almost instant feeling of confidence.
No Pain No Pain
We’ve all heard the phrase “no pain no gain,” but have you heard of the phrase “no pain no pain?” Probably not, because I just made it up, and for a really good reason.
Did you know endorphins created from exercise actually get rid of your pain and according to studies “help to alleviate anxiety and depression?” This is really important because when you engage in vigorous exercise endorphins kick in and deliver a euphoric high which according to one study, “similar to morphine, acts as an analgesic and sedative, diminishing our perception of pain.[iv]
So if you’re at all afraid of the pain of working out, forget it! With a good program like “Get Fired Up” you’ll have plenty of endorphins to make you feel good and forget all about any potential pain (more on Get Fired Up shortly).
While moving your body may make you feel high and give you instant feelings of confidence, it’s also important to consider exercise as a part of your daily routine. The APA also reports that when done consistently, “exercise helps reduce long-term feelings of depression and anxiety, and in turn, can help you maintain a healthy sense of self-confidence.”
An additional study published in Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment reports: “Among a sample of adult university staff members, increased physical exercise influenced self-esteem directly and indirectly.”
It sounds pretty simple… move your body and feel good. Sadly, most people see exercise as painful when in reality it’s the easiest thing you can do to get high, feel confident and get rid of pain. If you want instant confidence, moving your body is not an option, it’s mandatory! When in doubt, just remember this:
For Instant Confidence Move Your Body!
For more info on low self-esteem books and how to be more confident check out the most comprehensive and easy to use guide: “Get High On Confidence” by Chad Scott.
References:
[i] Albert S. Kuperman. Effects of acrylamide on the central nervous system of the cat.
Journal of pharmacology and experimental therapeutics. July 1958, 123 (3) 180-192
[ii] Morselli PL, Garattini S. Monosodium glutamate and the Chinese restaurant syndrome. Nature 1970; 227:611–12.
[iii] Kirsten Weir. The exercise effect. American Psychological Assn. December 2011, Vol 42, No. 11
[iv] Adam S Sprouse-Blum, BA, Greg Smith, BS, Daniel Sugai, BA, and F Don Parsa, MD Understanding Endorphins and Their Importance in Pain Management
Hawaii Med J. 2010 Mar; 69(3): 70–71.
