Hello hello! Hopefully you’ve had a good week so far and it continues to go well for the rest as well! I’m genuinely thrilled to be able to continue our exploration into the remarkable power of our mindset today as I’m sure many of us have our own struggles with this in one way or another. 

Last week, we got into how our mindset can propel us towards our wellness goals—or hold us back. Today, we’re going to go even deeper by discovering some practical strategies to harness this power for lasting change.  

Here’s a question for you: Have you ever felt like your mindset is holding you back from achieving your health goals? If so, you’ll be happy to know that you’re anything but alone. Many of us have hidden mental blocks that prevent us from reaching our full potential.  In fact, did you know that according to research, up to 80% of our thoughts are negative? Imagine the impact of turning those around! 

How often do you tell yourself things like, ‘I can’t do this,’ or ‘I’m not good enough’? 

These negative thoughts can sabotage your efforts long before you even begin. Recognizing these barriers is the first essential step and when you do, keep a daily journal where whenever you experience feelings like self-doubt, you can write down the situation, your thoughts about it, and what your feelings are concerning that. Over time, patterns will emerge and you can practice something called Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) exercises on yourself.

That’s where you challenge the validity of your self-doubt by finding evidence against it and writing it down. Can anyone relate to this so far? I’d love it if you’d share your thoughts in the comments if you would be so kind, and thanks for doing that! I think it’s important to support each other as best we can.

Another way of reframing those thoughts would be that for every negative thought, ask yourself: “Is this true? What evidence do I have that contradicts this thought?” 

Replace the negative with a positive affirmation. Shock Statistic: Studies show that only 8% of people achieve their New Year’s resolutions. Why? Because their mindset isn’t aligned with their goals. 

One of my favorite techniques is using what’s called the “What If” technique. It’s one that most of us play this in a negative way, “what if everything goes wrong” so to speak but here’s how you can do it instead. Whenever you catch a negative thought like that, reframe it by asking, “What if I succeed?” at whatever it is you’re thinking about. Has anyone tried this before? How did it work for you?   

Visualization is another powerful tool our brain can use. By vividly imagining your success, you create a mental blueprint that guides your actions into that success. Find a quiet space, close your eyes, and take a few deep breaths. Visualize yourself at the peak of your wellness journey and as you do, try to engage all of your senses. Imagine the details—what you’re wearing, who’s with you, the sounds, the smells, the lighting, even the temperature.

By-The-Way, Visualization isn’t just a mental exercise; it’s been shown to activate the same brain regions as actually performing the task would.  That’s right, the brain reacts the same whether you think it or atually do it! Your brain can’t tell the difference between imagination and reality! 

Positive affirmations can also help to reinforce your goals and boost your confidence. When you choose affirmations, make sure that they resonate with you and to repeat them daily, preferably in front of a mirror out loud.  If that isn’t your thing, you can create your own personalized affirmation audio track, just record yourself on your phone, Ipad, etc reciting your affirmations and listen to it daily, the more the better. 

Last week we mentioned support Systems and how surrounding yourself with supportive people is crucial, so work on building your support network, it doesn’t have to be huge. Identify who’s the positive influences in your life and make time to connect with them regularly.  Engage in groups or forums related to your wellness goals.

Other benefits of having strong social connections is that you can increase your lifespan by up to 50%! Positive social interactions can boost your immune system, lower blood pressure, and increase your chances of living a longer, healthier life.  

So again we want to start by identifying your most common negative thoughts. Write them down and then challenge them.  Practice reframing negative thoughts daily and remember to celebrate even the smallest of wins. Every time you successfully reframe a thought or achieve a small goal, celebrate it!

Mindfulness Practices can also be helpful so try to incorporate mindfulness practices into your daily routine.  Spend a few minutes each day in meditation, focusing on your breath and gently redirect your thoughts when they start to stray. Practice deep breathing exercises to calm your mind and body and don’t be surprised if you stray a lot, it takes practice, keep at it.

Mindful Eating is another one you can do by simply slowing down and savoring each bite while paying close attention to your food. Before each meal, take a moment to appreciate the colors, textures, temperatures and aromas of your food.

I’m going to share a real-life example here: My friend Jane who struggled with chronic stress and anxiety that was starting to effect her health, had to find a way to get on top of it and she wasn’t interested in prescription drug therapy. Through mindfulness and positive affirmations, Jane slowly learned how to manage her stress and even managed to build up her self-confidence!

For her in particular, this was extremely important as chronic stress can shrink the brain’s prefrontal cortex, (which is responsible for memory and learning) while enlarging the amygdala (which is involved in our fear and stress responses) thus creating an endless loop of ever increasing stress which would further effect her health. This just goes to show how critical it is to manage stress for our overall brain AND body health.  

Remember, reprogramming your mindset is an ongoing process so be patient with yourself and be sure to celebrate those small victories along the way. 

In the final part of our series, we’ll focus on discovering your ‘why’ and mastering mindfulness. Knowing your core motivations for pursuing health and fitness is crucial, so stay tuned and let’s continue this journey to transform your wellness from the inside out!

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