Yes, your workouts matter. What you do in the gym has a huge impact on fat loss, muscle gain,
and definition. If you are going to get ripped, you will need to know the latest workout trends,
and not only what exercises to do, but what order to do them in, how much to lift, and how
often.

The science of physical fitness is always changing but there are a few constants. The first is that
20% of fitness is what you do in the gym, 80% is what you eat. The other constant is that your
fitness journey is 100% mental. Without the right mental attitude and good mental toughness,
when the going gets tough it will be really hard for you go get going.

This means you need to take care of your Brain. Mental toughness matters when it comes to a
healthier you. Here are some of the many reasons why.

Calm Your Mind

If your mind is bouncing all over the place, you won’t be able to focus, and things like stress,
anxiety, depression, pressure at work and at home can be truly distracting. This means that
calming your mind is vital to your physical health.

How do you calm your mind? There are a number of ways:

● Meditation: Even if you meditate once or twice a week it helps, and there are guided
meditation apps on your phone and other methods that will help you make this a
reality.

● Self-hypnosis: A little tougher than meditation, and something that takes a little
practice, self-hypnosis can be a quick way to calm your mind and prepare you for your
next task.

● Music: Sometimes listening to the right kind of music can help you clear your mind
(probably not heavy metal), and even a few minutes can soothe your mind in amazing
ways.

● Image therapy: Almost a form of meditation and self-hypnosis, image therapy helps
through visual rather than the sounds of music, and can significantly calm your mind.
Whatever method you choose, it is vital that you calm your mind and focus to make you a much
healthier person.

Exercise Your Brain

There are a ton of brain exercises too. They range from things as simple as reading to creating
and writing a blog, solving puzzles, playing certain types of games, and even some sports and
side activities.

How do you know what is right for you? That is for you to determine. Many people get a lot out
of purchasing a domain name and setting up a website to blog about something they are passionate about, maybe even nutrition and working out. Others find writing to be really difficult and have other outlets that challenge their minds.

Games like chess, puzzles like the crossword or Sudoku, and even playing pool are good mental
exercises that keep your mind limber and working well. A smooth working brain also has the
advantage of giving you more willpower to accomplish more at the gym and resist the bad
dietary choices that surround us every day.

Feed Your Brain the Right Foods

Speaking of dietary choices, you need to provide your brain with the right fuel so that it can
operate properly. Just like you need to fuel your body, your brain needs the right nutrients to
function well. This means avoiding processed foods and getting enough of other nutrients.

Foods like eggs, avocados, blueberries, nuts, veggies, salmon, coffee, the right whole grains,
and coffee are all essentials. Each lets your brain stay more alert, nimble, and responsive. Of
course, too much of any one of these things can be bad for you, just like other foods, so balance
here is the key.

For example, walnuts and almonds are great brain food, but they also contain high amounts of
fat, and too many almonds can be really bad for you, so somewhere around 20 a day is a good
number to work with. Anything beyond that puts the benefits you gain at risk by introducing
harmful side effects as well.

With the right food, just like with your body, your brain and your mental toughness will be at
their best.

Break Your Bad Habits

One of the areas where you will need the most mental toughness is to break bad habits. Maybe
that is staying up to late, eating too much sugar, or drinking too much on Friday nights. Maybe
you have too much coffee or wine (even justifying that they are good for your brain). Whatever
your bad habit, breaking it will require a healthy brain.

Willpower is in the front of our brains, and it helps us with decision making and choosing the
right things over the wrong ones. We have a limited amount of willpower in any given day, but
we can strengthen this amount by taking care of our minds, exercising them, and feeding them.
One of the best things you can do for yourself is give up harmful habits, and that always makes
for a healthier you.

Create Some New Ones

Once your old habits are broken, you will need to replace them with new ones, like eating
regularly and well, going to the gym at the same time every day, or going for a run or walk on
your work breaks instead of smoking.

These all require willpower and mental strength. It has been said that it takes 21 days to
develop a new habit, but with some tougher habits it takes 60 days or more. You will need to
stick with it to set new patterns in your day and new benchmarks in your mind. It can be
exhausting, and you’ll need a healthy, tough mind to do it.

Want to be a healthier person? It is about more than just your body. It is also about your mind.
Care for your brain, and your brain will care for you.

The post Mind over Matter: Mental Toughness for a Healthier You appeared first on Workout Trends.