Training the Mind: Part Two

Fundamentals for training the mind will bring you closer to achieving your ultimate fitness goals.

E. Learn the positive benefits of failure!
Failure can be a great learning tool and an important process towards success. It defines limits for you, it instructs you as to which parts of your workout work and don’t work. It defines strength and weakness.

It’s not failure that hurts you, it’s the fear of failure that does.
This prevents you from really pushing your limits, working beyond hard, from releasing every last bit of energy, from focusing on total motivation. Through failure we learn our limitations and strength, it helps us move past failure to achieve more. We really don’t know how much enough is, until we know how much too much is. Once you experience failure, you will truly know more about yourself and you will be able to train more intelligently, more effectively and more efficiently.

F. Use visualization and imagery to power up and energize your workouts!

In your mind see yourself healthier, more energized, being stronger, having more endurance, and looking better. Think about how people will perceive the new and improved you, how you perceive yourself. Visualization techniques create positive mental forces that dispel doubt and keep you moving towards your ultimate fitness goals full steam ahead. From deep in your sub-conscious call up these energies, unleash the power within, even if you feel these powers are lacking. Trust that these powers are indeed within you waiting to surface and when they do, they will help you push on as you reach new fitness highs never thought possible.

G. Seek out circumstances that help and motivate you!

Pay very close attention (be mindful) to what/who helps you, to what/who supports you and what/who holds you back and what/who hurts you. Then make the positive adjustments needed to keep charging and moving towards your fitness goals.

H. Remember, whom you train with, where you train, and when you train all greatly influence your training.

* A qualified personal trainer will have an invaluable and extremely positive effect on you (and your workouts). With the right qualified trainer, motivation should never be a problem, with a trainer you will be able to work way harder and way more efficiently then you could ever do on your own or even thought possible.

A qualified trainer will also keep you from becoming bored with your workout by keeping you engaged. Workout boredom is one of the leading factors for fitness failure. Keeping your workout fun, interesting, constantly evolving, challenging (both mind and body) and for you to experience rewarding results are all key for fitness success.

With a trainer you will also reach and more importantly go way beyond your ultimate fitness goals more quickly and safely. A personal trainer will also set important new goals for you, keeping your body evolving, while helping you avoid serious fitness plateaus which will drastically slow and in most cases halt your fitness progress.

* Find a workout environment that is comfortable, safe and where you are free of serious distractions. People often pay little attention to this, but again these elements are key to your fitness success.

* When you workout is really a very personal preference and many fitness professionals have strong and various views on this subject. For me, “when” isn’t as important as- “just doing”. Some people perform better in the morning, others in the afternoon and some in the evenings.

We must always remain mindful that life happens and for many of us that are walking a daily tight rope balancing a career, a family, social commitments etc. we don’t always have the time to workout when we want, we may have to learn to be flexible when it comes to finding workout time. I believe sticking to a routine (especially in the beginning of a new program) is helpful and has many benefits but we shouldn’t be so strict that it starts stresses us out. We want to keep our workouts a positive not a negative experience.

Focus your mind on doing your very best, to get your workouts in and completed, and most important- stay mindful of your ultimate fitness goals for motivation.

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