Mind Over Matter: Training Your Mind Along With Your Body

I spend equal amounts of time at the gym and exercising outside, but I invariably run into the same complaints from my fellow fitness-seekers-someone is tired, and disappointed that they aren’t seeing results, so they are going to give it up.

No matter how often I hear this, it never ceases to upset me. I am fit now, but I wasn’t always, and it took a long time to get to the point where I was comfortable with the way my clothes fit. There were certainly times that I wanted to quit, but I understood one vital truth that I believe more people should think about while exercising: change does not happen overnight.

Too many people exercising want immediate results, and are completely discouraged when their one run a week, during which they don’t even break a sweat, doesn’t help them shed the pounds like they had hoped.

I’m not saying that exercise is easy. Even though I kept going when I didn’t want to, it was never easy to get over the initial resistance to exercising.

I believe that the key to a healthy lifestyle starts with changing the way you think about results. Try to remember that you are exercising to change your body for life, not just for the moment you are exercising. Envision yourself in twelve weeks after you’ve been working out consistently. You aren’t working toward a cheap fix, you’re working toward fitness, which describes a general attitude and not just your level of physical agility, strength, or body fat percentage.

Be willing to go through some tough days. The best results are always hard-earned. Think about child labor, which is often considered one of the most painful ordeals a woman can ever go though. Though the pain is great, the reward is greater; in fact, many mothers say that they feel an ever closer attachment to their child because of the pain.

You are trying to reshape yourself when you exercise, almost like being born again. Think about the pain in terms of labor. If you accept the challenges as a natural part of exercising, you will feel even better about the results.

It’s also easier to handle the difficulty of exercising by breaking it down into a manageable plan. Getting discouraged is much easier when everything is ambiguous. Determine a schedule and then follow it. Set goals and then reach them. Even if they’re small goals, they will still motivate you to make progress toward your goal.

The important thing to always remember is that you are working toward a new you. It will take work, but all good things do, and if you can train yourself to think that way, working out will be the easy part!