If you ask any fitness buff the secret to success,they will likely tell you there is no secret. Reaching your goals requires a combination of physical effort,dedicated diet and mental focus.Despite the large number of successful athletes who cite regular meditation,visualization or some other kind of mental training, many people still don't utilize this valuable tool.Perhaps this is because they don't see the mental aspect of success as being as important as training and diet.Actually,it is the most important element.
The true marker of success is not the ability to lose weight and improve performance within a short period of time,but rather the ability to achieve an enjoyable and maintainable lifestyle that allows you to look and feel great all year. Think about the obstacles that stood in your way in the past. Factors like stress, poor time management,getting off track at social events,illness and injury,self-criticism and burnout. None of these actually physically prevent you from sticking to your diet and training goals.Even in those times when you actually are physically unable to exercise,no one forces you to also stray away from good nutrtion.
The common element behind why all of those situations throw us off course is mental toughness. We don't train our brains. We don't prepare ourselves to handle these situations. When faced with them we falter.The good news is that it's possible to change our brains with regular training,just like we change our bodies. However,just like as with physical taining,results don't happen overnight; mental training has to be consistent and progressive. The daily practice of meditation and other relaxation-response-inducing activities physically alters our brains.
The benefit of a regular meditation or mental training program is twofold.You can physically alter your brain and body chemistry and physiology, and also better prepare yourself to deal with life's odstacles and challenges. You can make the most significant impact on your outer self by training your inner self. Just like your physical training in the gym,mental training must be become a part of your everyday life. It's not something you can just do for a while and then reaps the rewards forever. You must commit to regular practice. The two most popular types of mental training are meditation and visualization. There are many different ways to meditate and visualize,but to start, here are two simple exercises to try.
Simple daily meditation
Find a quiet place away from distractions. Set a timer for 10 minutes;have it on vibrate rather than setting an alarm.Sit comfortably with your feet on the floor,hands in your lap and posture upright but relaxed.Close your eyes and take some deep breaths. Focus on filling your lungs with air and then slowly exhaling. Relax and watch your thoughts go by. Don't try to stop thoughts or control them. Just acknowledge them as they come up and then let them go.Bring your attention back to the present moment and let the thought go. When your timer vibrates,don't open your eyes right away. Take a couple more deep breaths and pay attention to how you feel.Are you more relaxed ? Alert ? Focused ? We aren't aiming for anything in particular,just note how you feel at the end of each session
Simple daily visualization
Find a quiet place away from distractions.Set a timer for 5 minutes;have it on vibrate rather than setting an alarm. Sit comfortably with your feet on the floor,hand in your lap and posture upright but relaxed.Close yor eyes and think of a time when you accomplished something you were proud of.Remember as many details as you can. Where are you? What are you doing?What are you wearing? Can you hear other people?Is there food? What does it smell like? Taste like? Make this image as vivid as possble. Stick with the same visualization for several days until you can quickly and easily re-create the scene and the feelings in you mind.
These basic exercises can help you start to harness the full potential of mental training
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