You must have heard the phrase, “be positive”, a thousand times in your life maybe even more. Most people advocate the importance of positive mental attitude (PMA) because of their own experiences. But there are many scientific studies to prove it as well. Being in good health is of utmost importance if you want to live your life to the fullest. And the most profound effect of PMA is on health.
Our world is full of examples where people recovered from severe medical conditions just because of PMA. And many of them are the cases where doctors saw no hope, but still they got better. Several types of research have indicated the beneficial effects of PMA on the human body. Below are a few:
- Women's Health Initiative study shows that PMA improves total mortality in postmenopausal women.
- A Harvard School of Public Health research indicates that optimistic attitude reduces the risk of heart disease.
- According to a study published in Psychology Science Journal, the mind-set alone can cause a decrease in weight, fat, waist to hip ratio, body mass index and thus results in improved overall health.
So you can trust that a positive mind-set can improve your health. But on the flipside, if you possess a negative mental attitude, it can harm your health. There is plenty of research in this area as well.
How Positive Mental Attitude Improves Health
Several scientific studies have proven that PMA improves health. When you hold a certain image of your health in mind, changes start happening in your body on a cellular level. When you hold it for a prolonged time, you can see a considerable change in your well being.
Various hormones like endorphin are released when you are in a positive mood. They improve your health and immunity.
But due to negative mind-set, you feel stressful. And the effect of stress on the body is well known.
How to Use PMA for Weight Loss - Step by Step Process
Many of us are overweight these days. And losing weight is not only important for our health but also can make you look and feel better. You know that positive mental attitude can help you in that, but how?
Here is the step by step process you need to follow:
Accept your current physical state
The first step is to accept that you are overweight. Many people misunderstand PMA to be the denial of reality. It is not so. When you acknowledge your current physical state, only then you can start taking steps in the right direction. And don't be negative about it. Just accept the truth.
Decide what you want to achieve
The next step is to decide how much weight you want to lose. You don't have to come up with an exact number. Just a rough idea will help.
Suppose your ideal weight should be 150 pounds, but are now 220 pounds. So roughly you need to lose 70 pounds. Numbers are not very important, but they will help you track your progress. Even a small measurable change can motivate you and keep your spirits high.
Create a mental image
This is the most important part. You need to create a mental image of your ideal body. The more vivid and clear the image the better. Imagine yourself looking into the mirror. You see a good looking body in a great shape. If the image you see in your mind puts a smile on your face, then you are on the right track. Imagine every possible detail about how would you look.
Feelings and emotions
Images and thoughts alone won't do all the work. But when they are backed by feelings and emotions, they become powerful.
How would you feel when you are in the ideal shape? How would you behave? How will our overall life improve?
When you imagine yourself in the ideal state, you can feel the respective emotions. At this point, the real changes in your body start to happen.
Change your habits
Many people want to lose weight but don't want to change their habits. If your habits are that of a fat person, how can you expect to lose weight? But the good news is - changing habits is not much difficult if you possess the right mind-set.
When you imagine yourself in your ideal physical condition, think about your habits. What would be your routine? Or just look at someone's routine who is already fit.
You will see that you would eat healthy foods and workout regularly to maintain your health. When you realize that these habits will become an inseparable part of your life very soon, you won't resist them. Of course, you can't change everything in one day. Start small. Keep the vision. Take one step at a time towards changing your habits.
How to hold the image and keep PMA?
Everything goes great initially. But after a while, the same old thoughts return. Also, you may fall into a negative mind-set and poor self-image. Many people lose hope when they don't see the results. It is human nature. And it is normal.
If you want to lose weight, you have to hold onto the right self-image continuously. You have to keep a positive mental attitude. For this purpose, set aside a time every day when you close your eyes and imagine your ideal body and feel the emotions. You can write it down and read it every day.
There must be someone you admire, who is already in the shape you want to achieve. Spend time with them. They can inspire you. The company you keep also affects your mind-set.
Positive Affirmations
Apart from this, positive affirmations are the tried and tested method of maintaining a positive mind-set. Below are a few positive affirmations that you can remind yourself throughout your day.
- I believe in myself and my ability to succeed. I have hope that I will achieve my goal.
- Everything I eat contributes towards improving my health. I don't feel the temptation to eat unhealthy foods.
- I don't aim for perfection but I always strive to improve myself. I accept the mistakes I make and learn from them.
- I have the strength to endure the difficulties that I may face while losing weight. I won't give up and will finally achieve the ideal shape I desire so much.
Try these suggestions of positive affirmations to help with weight loss. If you consistently practice PMA and positive affirmations, you can keep the image of your ideal body in mind most of the time. After some time, when you have fully accepted the right self-image, your body will start to create changes to come in alignment with the image you have in mind. And you will start to see the results. They will be slow at first, but celebrate them and be grateful for them. Once you get the ball rolling, it is not very difficult after that.
Author Bio:
Alex Morgan – Currently studying in Dublin, Alex is a career writer, by choice! Versed in a number of subjects he mainly specializes in Beauty, health and fitness and occasional marketing/business articles. He posts on a number of blogs and websites and harbours desires to begin a great novel, but struggles creating character names - Look for the epic fantasy "Tom the Barbarian" on shelves soon.
He can often be found on twitter under the handle @Al_Exical. He finds it comforting to talk about himself in the third person.