Mental Fitness a Key Part of Health and Weight Loss Success
This is the time of year that our New Year’s best intentions can begin to wane. While we diligently made our nutrition and exercise goals, we may have forgotten another important aspect in success: a mental game plan. If you are struggling, this may be the missing link to unleashing your potential and maximizing your success.
Working on your mental game plan is a major factor in helping reach and maintain your other health goals. Up to 90 percent of success is mental! Thoughts, actions and beliefs need to worked through and engrained for long-term success.
Flex Those Confidence Muscles!
Work on the confidence it takes to reach and maintain your goals. Confidence in not a feeling you wait for to occur, it is a choice you make. By working on confidence you can overcome fears, push aside negative thoughts, learn from “slips” and never give up.
To increase confidence take a few minutes daily, while traveling to work or before you turn off your light at night, to visualize yourself being successful. Actually see yourself accomplishing the new behavior or task, how it makes you feel, and how the end result will affect your life. If negative thoughts come into your mind, practice turning them around into positive self-talks and solutions. See yourself taking the time for the good and healthy things in your life. If things get hectic take a moment to slow down your mind, take some deep breaths, engage in your positive self-talks and re-harness your confidence and fortitude.
Plan and Practice
Mental preparation also includes planning and practicing these new skills and knowledge. Put these into your schedule, create an environment that is conducive to using your new mental skills. The more you “practice” the more confidence you’ll have. These positive thoughts will become a habit.
Another great mental habit is looking ahead and getting rid of distractions or things that will interfere with your plan of practice. Of course, unexpected things come up in life, but if you have a back–up plan, this will help. Take time weekly to look ahead at what might be coming.
Your mental game plan can help you continue to move forward over the time it takes to reach and continue to maintain your goals. It is not about perfection; it is about consistency over time. Continue to remind yourself of and reconnect with what you are pursuing.
