Many scientific studies have established the mind’s ability to affect the body. So what does this mind-body connection look like in the context of health and fitness? Can thinking thin help you lose fat?

Where’s Your Head At? The Emergence of Sports Psychology

With the emergence of sports psychology in recent years, a large emphasis has been placed on the mental aspect of competition. In fact, scientific reviews of the discipline have noted how coaches and athletes alike have begun to realize that superior physical performance alone is no longer enough to win at the highest levels.

Furthermore—as pressure-packed in-game situations and players’ reactions to them can attest to—optimal performance is contingent upon mental preparation and the strength of an athlete’s psyche.

Remember, as a health and fitness enthusiast, you too are an athlete. Only, when it comes to weight loss, you’re competing entirely against yourself. So why not give yourself a winning edge? Here’s scientific evidence that having the right mindset can help you win the weight-loss game.

Connecting the Dots: Positive Thinking and Weight Loss

Many observers have noted the difficulty that people in the midst of a weight-loss journey often face when it comes to dropping pounds.

A scientific-research article, “Positive psychological correlates of successful weight maintenance in Australia,” addressed key components of the issue. Unsurprisingly, it corroborated the fact that the mental aspect played a significant role in dieters’ ability to lose fat. More specifically, researchers note that a substantial amount of research and subsequent treatments regarding weight loss had been based on behavioral and medical interventions and that—many times—these had been met with limited success. As a result, they aimed to look at reliable psychological predictors of successful weight maintenance.

The study was conducted on 250 Australian residents, 18-65 years old, who had attempted to lose weight over the last 12 months. Online surveys gauged their mentality by measuring their amounts of satisfaction with life, positive and negative affect, gratitude, flourishing, strengths, and hope.

Results of the study suggest that there are significant differences in some positive psychological variables (e.g., being a hopeful person, being a positive person and the like) between successful weight-loss maintainers and non‐maintainers in this population. Moreover, the former displayed more of the positive variables. Also, that—by adding specific positive psychological variables to their existing weight-loss treatments—the mood and motivation of those attempting to lose weight may improve. This, in turn, may lead to more effective overall weight-maintenance behavior.

To summarize, what it all means is simple: by being a more positive and hopeful person, it’s likely that you’ll be in a better mindset to manifest the fitness goals you’re hoping to achieve—like that new thin and toned figure. Here’s how you can think thin to lose fat.

Tips for Thinking Thin

• Start displaying confident, upbeat body language throughout your daily grind to get the feeling of success ingrained in your body and mind (and making others believers too).
• Visualize yourself tearing up the trail, track, or gym session and how the weight is going to start melting off your body thanks to your tenacious efforts.
• Start incorporating positive, energetic language into your daily speech (especially the inner kind) in order to manifest a winning frame of mind.
• Set small goals—and then proceed to obliterate them. We’re referring to things like switching out the ranch dressing for olive oil, adding 100 extra steps to your daily total, and saying no to that extra glass of wine or beer. By familiarizing yourself with your own willpower, you’ll begin to crave larger goals to crush.
• REFUSE TO GET DISCOURAGED. REFUSE TO GET DISCOURAGED. AND REFUSE TO GET DISCOURAGED!

Mind-Body Optimization with Essential Amino Acids

The mind is a significant influencer of weight loss, but mind-body synergy can be optimized to accelerate your fat-burning efforts by supplementing with essential amino acids.

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