A mind-body approach to fitness

I've been reading a book by Jillian Michaels (of "Biggest Loser" fame) called "Making the Cut". If you're interested in losing those last few pesky pounds, or really going for that six pack, this book is written for you. I'm not following the program as laid out in the book, but it's filled with great advice that is helping to enhance my workout program. Since I've been slipping a bit over the past week, I pulled the book off the shelf to find some motivation.

I'm particularly interested in her focus on the mind-body connection and its impact on fitness results. In addition to the importance of a positive state of mind, she talks about focusing your full attention on your body during workouts - visualizing our muscles working, getting stronger and performing the actions that we demand of them. By centering your mind within yourself and focusing on performance (rather than how tired you feel!), you can fully experience the workout and achieve greater results.

I've realized that all of the workout programs I've done in recent months - especially T25 and Chalean Extreme - achieve their results by demanding that you focus on technique, maintain a full range of motion through each move, and flex the muscles through every exercise to create better resistance. When I first started working out, I was pushing hard and achieving results, but I was primarily surviving the workouts, not fully experiencing them. My technique was sloppy at best, and although I burned off plenty of fat, I did not achieve optimal muscle definition. My best results came later, during T25, when I fully concentrated on doing each move correctly, carefully, contracting my muscles through the entire move. Once I made that mind-body connection, I saw the results that I'd been hoping to achieve.

So when you work out, regardless of whether you're doing a fitness program, running or lifting weights at the gym, don't let your mind drift away. Focus on how you're moving your body, check your form, and engage that core at all times. Keep your head in the game, and the results will follow.