The Missing Link in Your Workout Routine: Mental Fitness

Unlock the true power of your workout by focusing on mental fitness—discover your “Why,” stay positive, log progress, and enjoy the ride!

If you have ever wondered if weight lifting is for you or have been confused on what to do to get in the best shape of your life, Body Fit is for you. Greg Marshall, who has helped thousands of fitness beginners achieve their fitness goals, cuts through the overhyped exercise advice and provides a simple step-by-step path to better health, more endurance, a stronger body, and a happier you. Read along to find out what’s missing from your workout routine.

The Missing Link: Mental Fitness

Your fitness journey should be every bit spiritual and mental as it is physical.

—G.M.

In this chapter we will talk about what I believe is missing from most workout programs and other fitness advice books: the mental aspect of your fitness goals. Weights, cardio, and nutrition will only get you so far if there are emotions, habits, or feelings holding you back from your true potential.

The tools to reach all of your fitness goals are out there. So why is it that so many people are having a hard time reaching their goals? Let’s discover the missing link and take a leap forward toward changing your life forever.

What Is Mental Training?

Mental training is a core function of success in your fitness journey and in your life. It can be one of the most important tools you have. Mental training requires you to dig deep into yourself to understand why you have certain behaviors. Look at what core emotional issues may be holding you back, focus on improving those mental obstacles, and consciously work to replace negative behaviors with those that help you reach your goals.

If you do the work required—although I know that it can be quite difficult to sift through the basis of negative emotions—you can become not only more fit but see your life change for the better permanently. 

Set your mind to support your goals. Change what you tell yourself about behaviors or desires that sabotage your efforts to be healthy. For example, replace the thought of, “I love candy” with “I love feeling healthy and invigorated.” 

Start to become very conscious of your inner monologue, the way you talk to yourself and the things you say. Find positive mantras that support your goals to replace negative self-talk.

Strive to bring your best self each and every day. Understand that there will be setbacks, failures, and mental challenges, but you will persevere and come out on top.

Some of the best athletes, actors, moms and most successful people in the world are successful because they have discovered this missing link. They have trained themselves to believe in their goals and to work as hard as they can and dedicate their life to being the best at what they do. 

Like these people, strive to bring your best self each and every day. Understand that there will be setbacks, failures, and mental challenges, but you will persevere and come out on top. 

It could be, though, that you have some serious issues to grapple with or that you are in such a mental rut with negativity that you need to seek out a counselor, psychologist, or psychiatrist to help you work through the process. Don’t be afraid to do so. If you really want to become healthy, the mental aspect is crucial.

Discovering Your “Why”

In order to truly reach your potential and stay motivated for a sustainable amount of time, you must understand your “Why.” Why do you want to better yourself? What motivates you? It’s hard to stay motivated just by telling yourself that you should do better or be better—sometimes that can even be harmful. Instead, strike to your core and  feel  the reasons why you are doing what you are doing. And then take the time to figure out your “Why”: why you want to better yourself.

It can be hard, but allow your emotions to get involved in this process to get the maximum results. We are driven to do things by emotion. First, understand the emotion that has kept you from attaining your goals or the emotions that support negative behaviors. Then you need to give yourself a strong emotional connection as to why you want to change your behaviors. 

Ask Yourself:

• Who was your role model growing up? And why?
• Who is your role model currently? And why?
• What makes you feel the most positive about yourself?
• What makes you feel negative and unmotivated?
• What kind of legacy do you want to leave?
• With what kind of people do you associate yourself?
• With whom do you want to associate yourself?
• Why are you going to make a permanent change in your life?

Your Fitness Journal

 You can’t improve what you don’t consciously and consistently measure and analyze. To improve yourself, you must know your self at your core. You must understand what drives you to feel happy, sad, angry, or fulfilled. This will require some serious self-reflection on your part.

A daily fitness journal can help you discover trends in your behavior so that you can make changes and eliminate self-sabotage. This fitness journal will include three sections: a food journal (more on that in the nutrition chapter), a workout journal (tracking both your activities and your weight/measurements), and a personal journal. In the personal journal section I want you to look back into your childhood and write about the events that have helped shape who you are today. 

Think about and write down the events that made you happy and loved and cared for. Also write down the events that have caused you to feel sad or insecure. I want you to write these events down in as much detail as possible including who was there, why you felt the way you did, what you liked or disliked about the event, and what environment you were in. 

Consistently write through these events all the way up to your life today. Put some serious thought and effort into understanding how these various events have shaped your personal daily habits in life: exercise, parenting, work habits, and relationships. You may be surprised what you learn about yourself.

Being conscious of your activities and what motivates you to make your choices will keep you away from autopilot living. That’s when you can start to make the necessary adjustments to create the exact environment you need to succeed. 

Greg’s Tips

• Discover and define your “Why.”
• Study positive attitude and thinking every day.
• Keep a detailed fitness journal to log your workouts, nutrition, and feelings.
• Define what makes you happy and what makes you unhappy.
• Write a detailed page on what you want your life to be.
• Have fun with your journey and keep things light.
• When you feel like you can’t do it, just remember your “Why.”
• This is more than just fitness, this is your life.

Discover More Fitness Tips from Greg Marshall

^{Excerpt from Body Fit by Greg Marshall.}