Studio Fitness | Mind Your Workout

Tips to Improve Your Mind-Body Connection and Enhance Your Fitness

It’s often said that change happens when the pain of where you are becomes greater than the pain you anticipate from moving forward. This is especially true when it comes to fitness. The pain that leads you to change can be any number of things—a struggle to walk up a flight of stairs, fatigued arms from trying to carry all the groceries at once, wincing when you glance in the mirror or receiving an unsettling diagnosis from the doctor. Whatever your personal situation is, making the decision to change is the first step to improving your health. Make up your mind that this is important enough to devote your time, efforts and energies. The creator of a very popular fitness/diet plan once said transforming your body begins with transforming your mind.

A popular buzz phrase in the field of health and fitness today is the mind-body connection. There are plenty of studies done on the power of the mind. But how can we personally apply the lessons from the current neuroscience research? Here are some quick tips that can take your fitness to the next level.

Connect your mind to the workout.

Research done at Hull University in the UK shows that the more you concentrate on the muscle you’re trying to activate, the greater the contraction of those specific muscle fibers. Study subjects had electrodes attached to their biceps and were asked to simply visualize themselves doing a bicep curl. Electrical activity was measured even when they were just thinking about the specific action. In other words, become aware of how you are contracting your muscles and the exact motion you want to take your body through. Too often, it’s easy to become distracted, engaged in conversation or just simply not focused on what you’re doing. Use the power of your mind to make your workout more effective by visualizing the specific muscle actions you’d like to make.

Quit multitasking.

Current research done at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, shows that multitasking deters efforts at losing weight. Apparently, the constant task-switching breaks down self-control and weakens one’s ability to make healthy rational choices when it comes to food and exercise. So make an effort to do tasks one at a time, and you might be surprised at how much easier it is to make healthy choices.

Prepare for Change and focus on your goals.

Keep sticky notes in visible places, leave your workout attire and shoes in plain sight, weigh yourself often, and surround yourself with positive role models. Think about your goals … especially during the tough times. Keeping your eyes focused on the end result will help you stick to your exercise regimen during the hard times.

Check your attitude.

Attitude is the key to success or failure. Maintain a good attitude about your exercise program by dwelling on all the positive benefits you will reap. Observe your thought life regarding exercise and be careful to avoid the negative self-talk that inevitably takes you on a downward spiral that ends up in the land of despair and depression. That uncomfortable feeling you experience in the beginning won’t always be there, and over time you may even find exercise quite enjoyable. Always try to remember that it is for your own good.