Just as we train our bodies for optimal physical fitness, have you thought about training your mind for mental fitness?
I’m embarrassed to say I hadn’t until recently. Though I have been a lifelong athlete, I had never applied the same principles to my mental fitness & just chalked up any of my mental strength to DNA, experiences & circumstance. And as a result, received the same results in my life as any haphazard physical fitness program might bring. Well, time to take responsibility for casting off that victim mentality and the powerlessness that comes with it & TRAIN my mind with intention!
But first let’s examine why:
Benefits of good physical fitness:
- Greater endurance
- Reduced risk of disease
- Quicker recovery under stress
- Higher levels of output / strength / power
- Increased agility
- Better sleep
- Greater productivity
- An increased overall sense of well being
Similarly :
Benefits of good mental fitness:
- Greater ability to focus / clarity
- Reduced risk of mental/emotional illness
- Quicker recovery under mental/emotional stress
- Higher & deeper levels of thought & understanding
- Increased creativity
- Greater decision-making capabilities
- Deeper relaxation
- An increased overall sense of peace & confidence
Mental Fitness Program Tips include ( but are not limited to)
- Mastering the discipline of “Staying In the Moment”, not dwelling on the past & not future pacing. This is a conscious calling of oneself to keep thoughts on your current activity ONLY! (Just FYI multitasking is off limits & is to the brain like cigarettes are to the body….debilitating!)
- Practice the skill of making decisions in the presence of uncertainty, knowing that the highest achievers make decisions all the time in this state & become comfortable with uncertainty.
- Hold your standard high for your own mental attitude daily
- Learn to quickly get “back up”-Have a strategy in place to quickly process mental /emotional speed bumps that will inevitably come your way. You don’t sweep them under the rug, but rather metabolize them to add to your mental strength or are able to cast them off, depersonalizing them & move quickly past them if they do not add to.
- You believe your time is valuable and you respect it.
- You believe the world/your family needs your mental fitness to be at it’s best.
- Awareness of when you hit a mental wall & committed to finding a solution to move past it. (Maybe rest, physical exercise, listening or watching something motivational, getting outside help from a qualified source like a coach)
- Very careful about what you are “feeding your mind”: Movies, music, media, messages, and those you surround yourself with are positive forces for good. Eliminate the mental toxins, poisons, clutter & junk from your mind’s eyes & ears.
- Develop great mental routines (the same way you develop physical fitness routines): Early AM reading or listening to positive, motivational, spiritual sources, prayer, meditation & journaling to center your thoughts, weekly & daily planning for organized success & peaceful schedules, good energy as well as time management.
These are just a few of my adopted mental fitness tips that are proving to create the growth in my mental capacities that I’d hoped for that are opening up my life to an increased level of living. (Romans 12: …”Be transformed by the renewing of your mind..”) Happy Training!
Remember …“Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.”
Henry Ford
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