Exercise Your Attitude

Exercise is such a powerful activity. Anyone who runs, does yoga, pilates or strength training knows the benefit of physical exercise. The Mayo Clinic notes that there are 7 benefits of regular physical exercise:
1) Improves your mood
2) Combats chronic disease
3) Helps manage your weight
4) Strengthens the heart and lungs
5) Promotes better sleep
6) Can put a spark back in your sex life
7) Can be fun and encourage family interaction

Ironically, the Mayo Clinic also sites 7 benefits of a positive thought life which are:
1) Increased life span
2) Lower rates of depression
3) Lower levels of distress
4) Greater resistance to the common cold
5) Better psychological and physical well-being
6) Reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease
7) Better coping skills during hardships and times of stress

We can watch the TV show the Biggest Loser and see how physical exercise benefits people. It is tougher to see how exercising the attitude through positive self talk can improve ones life. Noone will argue that it takes consistent focus to create physical health but when it comes to mental health, we are much more lacks in our approach.

It is estimated that we have in the neighborhood of 60,000 thoughts per day. Thinking is an involuntary action. Much like breathing, we have thoughts. Unfortunately, the majority of our thoughts are negative. So, we can't control whether or not we think and the majority of our thoughts are negative. That's the bad news.

The good news is we do have control over how we direct our thoughts. This is where the exercise for our minds comes in. We must become more aware of the thoughts we have. As a negative thought enters our mind, it is up to us whether we accept it or reject it. The key to exercising your attitude is rejecting the negative thought and redirecting your thoughts in a more positive way. This takes practice as does any kind of physical routine for health.

The more you take inventory of your thoughts and focus to redirect negative thoughts in a more positive direction, the better you will be at keeping your mind on a positive track. This type of thinking tends to keep you focused on solutions versus problems.

The great example here is how we handle worry thoughts. If you have worry thoughts, remember that over 60% of what you worry about never comes to pass. As Wayne Dyer has said, "Why worry? If you can do something about it then don't worry, do something and if you can't do anything about it, it is out of your control, then why worry."

Now the preceding had to do with how we react to the thoughts we have. Let's think about how we can create the conditions for our minds to create more positive thoughts from the get go. In many ways our thought life is the result of the stimulus we take in through our senses. If you tend to watch alot of news, read gossip publications, listen to music with negative lyrics, spend time gossipping on social media sites or spend hours in front of the TV, you are exposing yourself to a tremendous amount of negative stimulus. This can only lead to negative thinking which will negatively impact you and those around you.

One great way to help ensure that you have more positive thoughts is to spend more time reading positive material, listening to positive music and communicating in positive and productive ways through social media. You will still have to be aware of the negative that creeps in and redirect it in a more positive way, but the odds are in your favor to keep a positive outlook and attitude.

You can't run once a month and hope to stay in good physical condition. In the same way, you can't read positive material once a month or attend church once a week and hope to stay in good mental condition. Exercise your attitude regularly and enjoy the benefits of a positive thought life!