How simple daily meditation can help you reach your fitness goals

 

During the summer I started practicing daily meditation and have been amazed at the powerful transformative results it has had in my life.

 

I’ll admit that the results weren’t immediate. When I first started meditating I was gung ho and ready to receive all the answers to the questions floating in my head. However, I quickly realized that it was a big challenge for me to sit still and focus. However, starting small and adding tiny increments of time to my meditation practice finally allowed me to be present without so many passing thoughts. My true “A-ha moment” came one day when I reacted differently to a situation and felt more Zen-like. 

Mediation has also played a huge role in progressing my yoga practice. I am now able to complete more challenging poses without distraction.

 

Making Meditation Work for You

Just a few minutes of daily mindfulness can reprogram your mind and play an essential role in helping you to cultivate healthier nutrition and fitness habits.

Meditation helps you to be fully present, and live in the moment without judgement. This heightened awareness of where we are and what we are doing helps us not to over react to what’s going on around us and take things in stride.

If you have ever meditated, or even attempted to, and found you couldn’t focus or lacked the patience to stay still, take heart. Think of mediation as training for the mind, in the same way you think of fitness as training for your body.

When you first started weight training, you didn’t start with heavy weights. If you started a dance class you likely lacked coordination. Mediation is also a practice. Consistent practice will lead to results but you don’t start off great.

 

The best part is that the benefits of meditation will help in every other aspect of your life – including training and nutrition.

 

If you’ve ever struggled with sticking to a healthy regime, lack of willpower, or had difficulty adhering to the commitment it takes to stick with weekly workouts, retraining your mind is worth a try.

 

Breaking Bad Habits

 

Consistent practice of meditation enables you to tap into your subconscious – this is where the magic happens. Regular meditation allows you to retrain your mind so you can transform your wellness potential and reach health and fitness goals that have otherwise alluded you.

 

Mediation helps you gain a better understanding of who you are by tapping into your subconscious mind, which stores all of your memories, habits and deep-seated emotions. Through mediation you can dive in, navigate, and effectively use this vast memory storage to your maximum advantage.

 

When you tap into your subconsciousness, you can more clearly see your motivations, desires, strengths and weaknesses. This helps you to project more positive energies and assist in the breaking of bad habits and the developing of good ones.

 

Meditation Gets Results

 

Meditation combined with healthy eating and exercise is a powerhouse of change that encompasses a holistic approach mentally, spiritually and physically.

 

Let’s say you’ve had a tough day. To deal with your stress you reach for a bag of chips. You will feel instant gratification, soon followed by guilt and a loss of energy.

 

Meditation can help you reprogram your mind so that, instead of reaching for junk food by force of habit and impulse, you connect to what your body really wants.

 

Meditation can also help get results in the gym. Maybe you’ve skipped the gym this week or you have a tendency to put your body on autopilot as soon as you walk in the gym doors and do the same workout over and over even though you’re not getting the results you desire. Mediation can help you to become more present in your workouts, build confidence to try new things, connect your mind to your body, and avoid distractions and mental road blocks that prevent you from taking your fitness to the next level.

 

Getting Started

 

Ready to bridge the gap between your conscious and subconscious minds and stay focused in the present moment? Follow these insider tips and start reaping the benefits of meditation:

 

  1. Make a Commitment

Set time aside in your daily schedule to meditate – even if it’s just for five minutes. Set a goal to challenge yourself to at least 21 days. Try Oprah and Deepak Chopra’s 21-day challenge. 

  1. Build your Practice Slowly

Mind wandering, twitching eyes and low attention spans are normal when you are just starting your meditation practice. Be patient and build up increments of five minutes over time until you reach 20 minutes a day.

  1. Let Judgments Roll By

When you notice judgements arise during your practice, make a mental note and then let them pass by.

  1. Practiced anywhere, anytime

Mediation can be practiced even if there is chaos around you, like when you are waiting for the train or in a stressful situation. I have learned to apply my meditation practice and breathing even when in the most chaotic situations. I simply focus on breathing and soothing my mind.

  1. Be Patient

Don’t expect answers to come to you through meditation. Instead focus on being present. Overtime you will discover how this will transcend into your daily life and your “A-ha moment!”