Positive Visualization Could Change your Life

Our minds are very powerful and have an uncanny ability to accomplish things and even create positive effects without physically doing something. It sounds too good to be true but it's very true.* When we visualize things in our mind, we can make those things become a reality rather than just imagination. And this works for the positive and the negative. You've heard the expression "be careful what you wish for" right?

So why am I sharing this with you? I want you to spend time each day visualizing yourself succeeding with your health. I want you to visualize yourself eating good meals, making healthy choices, moving your body and being active. Just picturing these things in your mind can make a difference and help you be healthier. Obviously you want to go further and actually do those things too but picturing them in your mind will help you be more successful in the doing.

There was a study done at the Cleveland Clinic that compared people who did an actual workout at the gym with people who just visualized themselves doing a workout at the gym. Those who went to the gym and physcially did the workout had an increase of 30 percent in their muscle mass. But shockingly, the ones who just visiualized the workout also had an increase - a 13.5 percent increase! Obviously smaller but that's amazing that just thinking about working out actually improved their body. Our minds are so powerful and we have no idea!

So instead of telling yourself that living a different kind of lifestyle, like low-carb or keto, is hard, try telling yourself how great you're doing and how awesome you feel because of this change. Visualize yourself eating healthy and nutritious meals and enjoying great results because of those efforts. Not only will your positive mindset make it easier to stick with it, you'll also be helping yourself to reach your physical goals - all with your mind. Isn't that incredible?

Positive or negative, the more vivid the visualization, the more real it feels. And research shows that the more real it feels, the more likely it will impact our behavior. Only once we recognize this can we begin to move from a vicious cycle where our mental images feed our fear to a picture of the world that gives us power. - Shawn Achor in Big Potential

You have so much power over your life just by controlling your thought patterns. If you live in a negative space and tell yourself you can't do this or that you're a failure if you mess up, you're going to believe that and you're going to cause yourself to do worse. But if you give yourself grace, if you tell yourself you're doing a great job, if you focus on the positive, you will improve your chances of success so much.

You CAN do this.

You CAN succeed.

You CAN get healthy/lose weight/be more active - whatever it is you're looking for.

I believe in you and I hope you believe in yourself. You got this! <3

*Mathews, A. (2013). Feels like the real thing: Imagery is both more realistic and emotional than verbal thought. Cognition & Emotion 27: 217–229; Holmes E. A., & Mathews, A. (2010). Mental imagery in emotion and emotional disorders. Clinical Psychology Review 30: 349–362. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2010.01.001.