Enhancing Your Body Begins With The Mind

I have a confession to make. I’ve been wrong. Dead wrong. I thought I had it right but I didn’t.

Just what am I talking about? I’m referring to my approach to health, which is defined as the optimal interplay of organs within the organism.

You see, I've been focusing a lot on enhancing the body. Train smart, eat smart…that kind of stuff. Yes it\’s solid advice and yes, it provides results. But I’ve been ignoring an underlying element, the Mind.

“Eat Well, Think Well, Move Well”

I first heard the above words uttered by a very knowledgeable and smart chiropractor back in the old fitness club I used to work at.

I right away thought, “This guy's a genius. He has simplified health, fitness and lifestyle success to six words!”

I adopted and practiced this philosophy and saw great results. But something was missing. I ate well. I trained well. But was I truly THINKING well? Up until recently the answer was a resounding no. Hence, I have been wrong.

Okay, And Your Point Is?

My point is that it all begins with the mind. If you want to achieve happiness and fulfillment in life, you must FIRST STRENGTHEN YOUR MIND.

Alright now this may sound like common sense, but we\’ve all seen that common sense isn\’t so common these days. So how do you go about strengthening your mind? Let me first clarify the difference between mind and body.

Mind & Body: Understanding The Roles of Each

Think of the mind as the command center or central processing unit. It\’s the General, the King, the CEO.

Think of the body as the physical organism. If this organism is the puppet, the mind is the puppeteer. Hopefully you are starting to understand the roles.

You should begin to realize that the stronger the mind is, the more powerful the body can be. The better the leader is, the better the company can and will be.

Strengthening Your Mind: The Unlimited Power of Thoughts

Remember that part about “thinking well”? Now we have arrived to it. Strengthening the mind involves thinking POWERFUL and POSITIVE thoughts.

It is well-documented that our thoughts and beliefs actually affect our genes and how they are expressed within the organism. The genes are like blueprints for the body.

Now this gets into the field of Epigenetics and Energy Medicine and is somewhat outside the scope of this article. For more information I highly recommend Bruce Lipton\’s The Biology of Belief.

If you are constantly thinking about your strengths and looking at the positive in any situation, you will be feeding that side of you. There will be no room for negative thoughts and therefore the positive thoughts which are dominant will begin to manifest themselves to yield higher energy, better mood and greater motivation.

Feeding The Mind & Body: A Reward System for Success

Just like the body requires nutrients to survive and thrive, the mind also needs “food” to grow and function at its peak. It starts to make sense when you find yourself with more cravings during very stressful or frustrating times. This is the mind telling you that it\’s starving and needs to be fed and rewarded.

Once you understand that both entities require daily nourishment, you can give yourself the proper rewards to live a healthy lifestyle and achieve the body you want, without going insane in the process.

Below I\’ve listed some examples of \”food\” for the mind and body.

Mind Food
• positive thoughts/empowering beliefs
• favorite foods (chocolate, pizza, etc.)
• social occasions (getting together with friends, partying)
• watching movies
• reading books
• listening to music

Body Food
• exercise (sports, weight-training, cardiovascular training)
• nutrient-dense foods
• certain supplements (fish oil, multivitamin, protein powder)

Best of Both Worlds
• relaxation techniques (breathing, meditation, etc.)
• yoga & other recovery exercise
• massage
• acupuncture
• deep sleep
• power naps

Wrap-up

➢ The mind leads the body and therefore should be strengthened in order to achieve a better and healthier body.
➢ Strengthening the mind should be of the highest priority
➢ The Mind needs to be fed just as equally as the body. Powerful and positive thoughts along with mind-nourishing activities help to set you up for success with regards to health, fitness and life.
➢ Have a good balance of mind and body-nourishing activities on a daily basis. An example is waking up from a deep sleep, reading a book and exercising during the day.
➢ Understanding the roles of the mind and body and how to properly reward each leads to the successful and stress-free pursuit of a healthier lifestyle.