Hey, all. It’s Nelson, your friendly neighborhood MaleMatter man. I have been on and off about the merits of fitness. But I have noticed that it has mostly been about the actual physical fitness. While that is all well and good, I have been remiss about the other half that’s necessary for success. And that is the mind (or your mental fitness). Building both the mind and the muscle go together in accomplishing your fitness goals.
The Mind is a Muscle
You’ve heard it said somewhere before, but it needs to be said. The mind is a muscle. And no, it’s not in the literal sense of muscle fibers and cells. I am talking about exercising it. It needs the same care and attention as your biceps, traps, or thighs, for instance. And we are not simply talking about the academic form of exercise. Nor are we talking about the brain itself.
The mind is a powerful thing. It’s your consciousness. And it has most everything that makes you who you are. It makes your decisions and acts what you consciously or unconsciously need. But it also becomes stagnant if you don’t give it the proper attention. A mind that has limited activity is just going to go through the day by the numbers. Eventually, it just loses the drive and the motivation.
That’s why you have to exercise it as much as you would your body, too.
Why is This Important for Physical Fitness?
From personal experience, I can tell you mental fitness is critical for your goal achievement. I have found myself at times losing gains, and I couldn’t figure out why. It wasn’t until I noticed that it happens whenever I felt like a drone or a zombie. It’s when my mental fitness wasn’t at optimum level.
Picture this: you are working out in the gym. But you aren’t completely there. Your mind is off wandering. Maybe it’s about the bills. Or perhaps about being bored stiff when you’re at home. Whatever the thought is, it is the equivalent of zoning out. So you just mechanically go about your routine.
And yet at the end, you don’t feel you gained anything. In fact, you feel less motivated.
Don’t fret. I have been in that situation.
Mental focus and fitness is a necessary component to your physical exercises. Without it, you are not “all there”. In time, you hit a brick wall of lethargy. The worst outcome will be losing all you’ve worked hard to attain.
What Can You Do to Build Mental Fitness?
You have access to the internet? Well, you’re reading this, so I’m sure you do. And that’s already one of the finest tools available to work out your mind muscle. Use it to stimulate your thoughts. You have access to a fountain of knowledge and entertainment.
And no, just “Netflix and chill” isn’t enough.
Music is said to be a great mental stimulator. Don’t just listen to the usual pop, rock, or metal choices. Beethoven’s “Für Elise” has been noted as a powerful brain stimulant. Just try listening to it when you need to focus. You’ll be amazed at the results.
Playing games is another mental fitness resource. Video games get a bad rap, but they are actually great for keeping your mind sharp. Sure, there’s a bad trope of unhealthy couch potatoes playing games all day. But that’s far from the truth. FPS (First Person Shooters) and action games are all the rage, but that’s just mostly for the adrenaline junkie. Strategy and world-building games like Civilization, SimCity, and Minecraft are more effective because they stimulate lateral thinking.
And don’t forget. READ and LEARN. Just like what you are doing right now.
Mental Fintess + Muscle Fitness = Winning
You cannot fully achieve your muscle goals if your mind is neglected. By making both of these work in unison, you become more than just a man. You are an engine of pure motivation, ready to get what he wants and when he wants it.
I learned the base principles, thanks to Tom Venuto’s Burn The Fat, Feed the Muscle system. Check the full review right here. But that was just the start of the journey for me. In the future, we will continue to expand on the holistic development of become the “man’s man” together here on MaleMatter.com! Please do join me!
