Mind Over Matter: A Cliché?

Mind over matter may seem like a cliche’ that people throw around haphazardly. However, just like with most cliche’s and “old wive’s tales” there is some truth behind mind over matter.

You probably use “mind over matter” every day and you don’t even realize it, but when you start to intentionally use this method it will increase your overall fitness results. We all know that scientists have proven that our general mindset can affect our physical bodies in some very drastic ways. There has been proof of this in studies of depression. Most people who are clinically depressed actually have a chemical imbalance in their brain. Scientists believe that this can be caused by genetics. There have been many studies performed in which those individuals diagnosed with clinical depression suffered from other actual physical ailments until their depression was diagnosed and treated. Then the other ailments seemed to “disappear”.

That being said, I am a firm believer in the power of the mind. I say this because I have struggled with my weight my entire life. It wasn’t until I reached a top weight of 405 pounds and actually became disgusted with myself that I made a “decision”. I decided to stop gaining weight and to become a healthier and more physically fit person. Now, of course, this hasn’t been an easy road. I can look back on my journey thus far and I can recount the times when I have lost focus on my goal. It was during those “unfocused” times that I would gain some of the weight I had lost back. I have had to learn via trial and error, for the readers of this blog, you can learn from my trials and hopefully come out ahead of the game.

One of the most recent big success “fads” is “The Secret”. Behind all of the hype and the “make millions now” dogma; The Secret is actually true. Many cultures across the world have been using “The Secret” for thousands of years. In actuality there is no true secret. It is simply making a focused decision to succeed and reinforcing that focus every day. Now of course, this is just a simplified version, but true nevertheless.

Using the “Mind over Matter” you can help yourself to change your body composition. This is not a “magic fix all”. It is not an overnight cure for obesity, but like the other cliche goes “slow and steady wins the race”. First, you have to make the decision, not just to lose weight but to become a healthier and more physically fit person. This decision includes every system of your body. You don’t really want to just be thinner, you want to be completely healthy. You don’t just want your fat cells to shrink you want to build muscle. You start this process with a focused decision.