The Power of Positive Fitness Thinking

by Heather Long | More from this Blogger

26 Sep 2006 06:30 AM

If you exercise regularly and eat a healthy diet, but focus only on the negative aspects (such as negative self-talk) your brain is going to have problems too. There are exceptions to every 'average' endorsement. Right wrong or indifferent, the point of exercising, eating healthy and living a fit lifestyle are good for people no matter where they fall on the exception chain.

Holistic medicine invokes the use of positive and powerful thinking alongside physical treatment. Current research supports that exercise and nutrition keep our brains fit. The power of positive thinking is that you can improve your mood, strengthen your brain and maintain your health and fitness by exercising regularly and stimulating your brain.

Games and puzzles are excellent workouts for the brain. Crossword puzzles, Scrabble, Word Whomp and Sodoku all offer a mental challenge and stimulating exercise to get the brain going. Logic problems and puzzles are also ideal for generating mental exercise.

Other options for your overall fitness:

• Pop Quizzes - Play with your kids and grandkids. Research in the United Kingdom indicates that healthy adults can name anywhere from 20 to 25 animals in 60 seconds.
• Stop Smoking - Smoking includes a variety of unpleasant side effects and according to the Mayo Clinic Women's Healthsource; smokers are at twice the risk of non-smokers for Alzheimer's.
• Do the Math - As much as math is an annoying subject, performing quick mental math functions such as simple addition, subtraction, multiplication and division is a healthy exercise for brain function.
• Reading Aloud - All that reading you do for your children is an excellent mental activity, because the mental process for reading is faster than the translation to audible speech.
• Exercise Regularly - Yep, exercising regularly such as walking three to four times a week for 30 minutes at a time can reduce the chances for developing dementia.
• Relax - Stress is bad for the physical body because of the increased hormone levels, digestion suppression and elevated heart rate and blood pressure. It's also bad for the brain because the chemicals the brain produces in response to stress can kill brain cells.

Related Articles:

Burn Calories One Beat at a Time

Women & Strength Training

Hot Tips for Keeping Mental Track

Meditations on Life

Learn more about Heather Long

Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago.

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