Accomplishing fitness goals requires hard work and dedication, but one of the most crucial components of living a healthy lifestyle is attitude. Believing you can do something is the first step toward actually doing it.
September 13th is National Positive Thinking Day, and although that date is a bit far away, it's never too early to celebrate or recognize the importance of an optimistic outlook.
Here are just a few of the many benefits of thinking positively and what it can do for you and your fitness journey.
How Positive Thinking Improves Your Health
Increased Motivation to Stay Healthy
Having an optimistic approach transforms eating healthy and maintaining physical fitness into a more enjoyable task. Practice the art of being confident in your willpower and abilities, and be proud of every milestone you 
attain. If you start treating your healthy life as something to be celebrated rather than dreaded, you will be surprised at how much easier it becomes.
Better Resilience to Stress
Everyone has a certain amount of stress in their lives – there’s no way around it. What you can control, however, is your reaction to it. Researchers have found that positive self-talk is a largely valuable coping mechanism in getting through difficult situations. On the contrary, wallowing in negative thoughts can make a bad scenario feel even worse, thus leading to anxiety and depression. Want to learn about ways in which regular exercise reduces stress? Check out the link below:
4 Ways Regular Exercise Reduces Stress
Although vaccinations have started, COVID-19 is still ever-present. With this pandemic, there is still a mountain of stress that the whole world is under. Here are a few articles on how to reduce your stress during these “new normal” times:
Ways to Reduce Stress and Cope with Coronavirus (COVID - 19)
More Ways to Relieve Anxiety During a Pandemic
Helps You Fall Asleep Faster
Let's face it; you're much happier when you've had a good night's sleep. You think more clearly, and you're more in tune with yourself and your well-being. The amount of sleep needed varies from person to person. One person may be happy with four hours of sleep each night, while another person may easily sleep ten hours. No matter how long you sleep, quality sleep is essential for quality wellness AND happiness.
Needing ways to fall asleep faster? Learn how to get the best sleep of your life through the blog below:
How to Get Better Sleep
Decreased Risk of Heart Disease
Along with improving mental health, developing a pattern of positive thinking can even improve cardiovascular health. A study conducted by the University of Illinois found that optimistic people were twice as likely to have healthy hearts. It also noted that positive thinkers displayed good blood sugar and cholesterol rates.
Increased Immune System
With the pandemic we’re in, most of us will do whatever it takes to avoid getting sick. Fortunately, positive thinking has been linked to improving the immune system, according to a study performed by the Association for Psychological Science. During the study, law school students were asked questions about their levels of optimism, and those who had a positive outlook on school and life, in general, had a better immune response.
Use Positive Thinking to Improve Your Health and Wellbeing!
When it comes down to it, thinking positively uses less energy than drowning in negativity. Commit to self-encouragement and finding the silver lining, and you’ll be surprised at how quickly your mental and physical health will fall into place.
