The Most Powerful Tool Inside and Outside of the Gym.

[ct_leading]What’s the most powerful tool every gym owns? Your mind!.[/ct_leading] Visualization is impactful, use it right and it allows positivity to flow in to all aspects of your life. When you can control your mind, your thoughts, and your energy, you can control all that happens around you.

Background

Throughout my entire life my family has taught me the power of positivity and visualization. What you put out into the universe is what you get back. You’ve heard the saying “Don’t put that out there”, its cliché, but powerful nonetheless. What you put out there will return to you in one form or another. Karma, everything comes full circle. BUT, I am talking about something much bigger, much deeper, and much more powerful. Anything you put your mind too can manifest in your life, literally! Your mind, your brain, the very tool that keeps you moving forward in life goes far beyond its visible, mental abilities. By practicing to think positive thoughts and use positive visualizations you will create a positive life for yourself.

Visualization and Positive Thoughts

Visualization can be as simple as lying down and focusing on a goal you want to achieve and actually seeing yourself achieve it. Or, you can take it a step further and meditate. Meditation brings calmness to your mind and allows you to focus on a single thought without interruption. I did both starting in my freshman year of high school. I would lie in bed every night and imagine myself opening my acceptance letter to Clemson University and jumping with joy. Now, I am attending my dream university and living out what I once visualized. Of course, I worked very hard for the opportunity to be a student at Clemson University, but I also know the constant nightly visualizations that I put out into the universe, seeing myself here on campus helped. Just by putting it out into the universe, I knew it had to come back to me. Throughout my high school years, I stayed positive and told myself it would happen. I would get accepted to Clemson and I would achieve all I had wished for. These days, I have adapted my nighttime visualizations for helping me fulfill my current goals. I visualize my transcript with the grades I work so very hard to achieve. I even visualize myself walking across the stage and getting my diploma. I put it into the universe and match it with hard work and dedication. The universe is here to deliver to you what you want. It doesn’t mean you don’t have to work for it, because you do. But, what it does mean is that when you focus on positive thoughts and positive energy, you will bring positivity into your live. Just like negative thoughts will bring negativity into your life too. So be diligent in your daily thoughts.

Mentally Tough

[ct_leading]We take on daily obstacles, hassles and stressors but if we let them run our mind and take control of our brain we will crumble.[/ct_leading] I’m speaking from personal experience. Before I got control of my mind I let it cripple me. I believed it when it told me I was not fit enough, smart enough, or even worthy. It was not a healthy place to be, in a self-made mental jail cell.

If you’re behind bars too the key is not far from your reach. Like the line from the Eagles song “Already Gone” says, “So oftentimes it happens that we live our lives in chains
That we never even know we have the key.” You hold the keys, the passcode for the way out you just need to believe!
Find a technique that works for you:
-Sleep with notes under your pillow
-Sleep with a reminder taped on your ceiling above your bed.
-Repeat out loud what you want to in your life before you go to sleep every night.
-Visualize yourself achieving what you want
-When stressed close your eyes, breathe and visually and verbally remind yourself why you are doing what you are doing.
-When you look in the mirror remind yourself how beautiful and intelligent you are.
-Meditate or practice Yoga.
Mental strength is just as important as muscle strength. If you do not feed your brain with positive thoughts, the negative ones will make a nice home, with no plans to move out. It’s easy to be negative and doubtful but it’s worth it to dedicate at least 10 minutes a day to yourself.

A negative mind has negative impacts on you!

A negative mind is that narrator in books your English teachers always warn you about. It will construct the story and details it wants. I had to take control or I was going to innocently serve a life sentence in that mental jail cell. Unlock the key, and take control. Tell yourself daily how incredible you are, how worthy you are, and how beautiful you are. No excuses no exceptions. It is time to stop putting yourself on the back burner. You most likely dedicate countless hours to social media, TV, etc. Why not dedicate time to your mental health and strength?

The tougher your mind, the more body positive results will come. A negative mind leads to comfort food and that only enhances the stress or sad state of mind. It is so mentally draining to be negative.

Unfortunately, YES, the more stressed or negative you are the more your body holds onto food. My workouts used to be less energized and impactful. My body was too drained from combatting negativity all day. I dragged myself to the gym in baggy clothes. The moment I made the simple change of bringing a list of things I want to conquer with me to the gym rather than a list of things I wanted to change about myself at the gym is the moment I actually experienced body positive changes!

Mental Strength and Fitness Collide

I preach about self-love, your #bodygoal is #bodypositivity. When I started my fitness journey I was not exactly positive. Truthfully, hateful is a more appropriate word. I refused to look in the mirror and love myself. I would convince myself I had no results from all my hard work at the gym and it was hopeless. WRONG! The scale said I lost weight and so did my clothes but, I chose to believe my negative mind. I learned a negative mind is not trustworthy. Ever since I took control of my mind and my thoughts and made it a trustworthy narrator I have truly seen my results in the gym amplify. The less I stress and the more I stay positive the less I binge eat bad food and hold onto it.

Your mind needs to be used in the gym.

Not only should your mind be positive but, in the gym it needs to be worked endlessly. When you are performing any move you need to focus your mind on the muscle your targeting. For example, if you are performing bicep curls you need to focus on your bicep and imagine the muscle being worked. This mental tactic amplifies your results and helps maintain proper form. Controlling your mind controls your muscles, I promise. I am sharing with you the best tool I have ever used in the gym. Keep aiming to be positive and self-loving and watch the results roll in.

Final thoughts

It takes time and dedication to control your mind. Be patient with yourself and do not give up. It’s important to be consistent with whatever tactic you choose to help get control of your mind and thoughts. If you choose to say out loud what you want before you go to sleep, commit to it every night. Controlling your mind helps with all aspects of life. I cannot wait to see you guys on the positive side with amazing results all around. Lots of love and positivity sent your way from me!