Is a simple shift in mindset the key to the healthy body we Americans are willing to pay billions of dollars for? CNBC recently reported that the diet industry in the United States has become a $71 BILLION dollar industry. From Atkins to Keto to Weight Watchers and now Optivia, each year 45 million Americans start some kind of weight loss program. Most of us have tried and failed many times leaving us frustrated and discouraged.
What if an alternative to all this money being spent on short-term results can be as simple as just shifting our mindset?
Our health is an inside job and there is more and more evidence about how important it is for our bodies and our minds to be working together on the same team.
What if we were able to harness the power of our mind to reach our health and fitness goals?
Imagine being able to use your thoughts to overcome obstacles and achieve optimum health. With the power of your mind, you can stay motivated, focused, and on track toward reaching your desired outcomes. By harnessing the power of positive thinking, mindfulness, and visualization, you can create a more positive and successful path toward your health and fitness goals.
Let's explore how we can integrate these powerful techniques into our daily routines to transform our bodies and minds.
Promoting Healthy Habits: A Mindful Approach
Encouraging loved ones to adopt healthy habits can be a challenging task, particularly when it comes to implementing consistent practices that involve the mind and body. With so many Americans leading busy lives, it can be difficult to stay connected to our bodies. However, I've discovered that combining mindfulness with science-based education can be a powerful combination to help keep you on track. When you cognitively understand the benefits of your efforts, you are more likely to keep the promises you make to yourself. Sharing scientific evidence about the proven benefits of healthy habits can help you make better choices in all areas of your life from food to sleep.
Upon listening to the Huberman Lab podcast #56 featuring Dr. Alia Crum from Stanford,
where they delve into the Science of Mindsets for Health and Performance, I found myself filled with enthusiasm. This was a moment of realization that I had acquired fresh tools in my arsenal for aiding clients in comprehending the enduring advantages of the habits they're adopting. The insightful conversation between Dr. Huberman and Dr. Crum illuminated actionable techniques for teaching and adopting mindsets that amplify both health and performance.
Discoveries from Dr. Crum's Peer-Reviewed Study Revealed on Huberman Lab Podcast #56
In a peer-reviewed study conducted by Dr. Crum's scientific laboratory at Stanford University, an exploration was undertaken into the interconnection among mindfulness, the health-enhancing outcomes of physical exercise, and overall success in health-related endeavors.
The outcomes of this study are particularly thrilling, based in rigorous scientific analysis, and they demonstrate that through the incorporation of mindfulness and heightened awareness, individuals can attain more pronounced health advantages. Most notable was a reduction in body fat through the same level of physical activity and motion with hightened mindfulness. Basically, the mindfullness helps to make the physical activity more effective.
The conviction that the physical activity you're participating in holds value translates into tangible results.
For instance, approaching a yoga class with an optimistic mindset that anticipates enhanced muscle strength, improved balance, and greater flexibility tends to align the outcomes more closely with that positive mindset.
In consideration of the evidence presented above, how can you implement these science backed tools into our lives to live healthier every day?
Initiating this journey involves unearthing profound significance within our endeavors towards physical well-being. Often, our pursuit of fitness objectives centers on the external physical advantages we reap from these activities. But what if we were to pivot our perspective, focusing on embracing the positive outcomes that achieving these goals will bring us?
Bringing mindfulness to our nutritional habits.
We can also apply these principles to helping us to reinforce healthy eating habits by understanding the nutritional benefits of cauliflower or broccoli which can help us to reset our mindset around these types of foods.
We learned from the Stanford studies that mindsets change our biological response to food so implementing these strategies can help you to love the foods that love you back.
Using the same theory proven by Dr. Crum, the more we understand about the benefits of the foods we eat, the more our bodies can utilize these benefits to create more health. Education seems to be the key so continuing to learn about the nutrients your body needs on a daily basis and what foods are healthier for your lifestyle will help to reinforce your healthy habits.
Taking this mindfulness approach into the rest our lives may look like the following…
Personalizing our diets + truly and consciously eating the foods, at the times that make us feel best has a massive impact on our health, well being and energy levels.
We find ways of adding more high quality nutritious food to your plate and minimizing the not so healthy choices. Beliefs about our food matter. Learning about the foods that love you back (organic, minimally processed, plant based) can help us to use the power of mindset to create new healthy habits.
Implementing positive mindset concepts into our daily lives also includes building some mindful movement such as pilates, yoga, and walking into your daily habits.
Combining movement and mindfulness can increase the effectiveness of the movement in measurable ways.
Next Steps
Build on your successes by starting small and being consistent. As soon as you have implemented a new habit, move on to the next goal. Baby steps to create the healthy vibrant life you deserve.
For more information on the power of Mindset, check out Dr. Huberman’s podcast.
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