Physical Exercise and Nutrition
One cannot underestimate the importance of physical exercise and good nutrition and what that does to your brain/body. If your body is not physically functioning optimally then that will make it tougher to stay with an Optimistic mindset.
The reverse is also true that a negative mindset will not allow your body to stay healthy.
Physical Exercise
You do not need to spend hours at the gym or train for a marathon in order to keep your body healthy. You just need to move your body everyday.
There are 3 major reasons why exercise is a great technique to help you retrain your brain.
- Studies have shown that when you get your body moving it helps clear your mind by increasing blood flow to your brain, thus increasing clarity and alertness. When you are in a state of increased clarity and alertness, it will be easier for you to reprogram your brain to think Optimistically.
- Exercise also gets you into a state of relaxation and calm similar to Meditation. When you are focusing on a physical activity, your brain does NOT focus on your usual negative situations. Being in a neutral state allows retraining your brain to think Optimistically much easier.
- Physical exercise also uses up adrenaline and this is why many people feel more relaxed after exercising than before their exercise. With this reduction of adrenaline you can implant Optimistic thoughts much more easily.
When you complete any form of physical exercise, this is a great time for you to conduct reciting your Optimistic statements (Affirmations, Counter Points, and Gratitude statements). You are relaxed and focused, so at this point it is like having a white canvas upon which you can paint a new life picture for yourself—an Optimistic picture.
Eating Well
Eating fresh fruits and vegetables are an important part of keeping your body in a healthy state. Much is written already about the need for good nutrition and it is all valuable advice. You do not have to be a fanatical organic eater – just try to cook from scratch as much as you can and refrain from eating anything out of a can. It really does not take any more time cooking from scratch; you just need to get simple tasty recipes. The Internet is a great resource. If you do nothing else just make sure you drink 4 tall glasses of water each day. One in the morning, one at lunch, one when you get home from work and one about an hour before you go to bed. Water is for the body a natural necessity.