Mental attitude is hugely important in almost every aspect of life, including health. You cannot control the eternal world, so sometimes things happen to you that are entirely unmerited. For instance, if you are a fit and active young person who has always maintained a good diet and healthy lifestyle, being struck by a heart attack may seem entirely unfair. And it is true-in that situation, the person seemed to be doing everything possible to maintain good health. Yet attitude is important not only to prevent disease, but also during illness.
Positive Attitudes during Treatment
Some people who have been struck by illness cannot accept it. They spend valuable time and energy bemoaning their poor luck, instead of focusing on getting better. The law of attraction suggests that negative thoughts attract negative outcomes, so these people are dooming themselves to perpetuate their illness. Instead of focusing on negative ideas, try to visualize yourself becoming healthy again. Listen to your doctors and follow their recommendations. Be as positive as you can.
Recognize that prevention is infinitely easier than treatment. As important as a positive attitude is post-diagnosis, it is even more important for prevention. Maintaining a positive attitude in regards to health (and following the appropriate lifestyle choices that accompany that attitude) can play a huge role in your physical and mental health.
Positive Attitudes for Preventing Disease
First of all, you must make the choice to be healthy. Obesity, Type 2 diabetes, and other controllable diseases have been exponentially growing in this country over the past 50 years. Fast food is cheap and easy to obtain. Spending hours in front of a television (or parking your children in front of one) provides easy entertainment that requires little to no thinking on your part.
The fact that you’re here reading this article means that you care about your personal health, which is a huge first step. Give yourself a pat on the back for taking the initiative!
Next, you have to spend some time thinking about what ways you can improve your health. If you are worried about gaining weight, keep track of the quantity and quality of what you eat, and the frequency of your exercising. Many people actually lost weight after keeping a food journal for a few weeks because they were unaware of how frequently they’d been casually snacking. Try to find ways to increase the amount of exercise you get on a daily basis. Join a gym, go for a walk during your lunch break, or bike to work. Even small exercise additions to your daily routine can make a difference.
Try to get other people involved in your quest for health. Having the support of family and friends can make a big difference. Talk to your coworkers and see if any of them are interested in playing basketball after work one day a week. See if there are any community events involving sports, such as a local 5K run to benefit a cause, or pickup soccer games on the weekends. Once you have other people counting on you to show up, you will be doubly invested in maintaining your exercise regimen.
Fun Ways to Work Out
If you want to be healthy yet simply can’t stand the idea of going to the gym and running on a treadmill, don’t despair! There are plenty of ways to get exercise that are so enjoyable you’ll barely know that you’re working out!
Take a dance class at your local community center. Most centers (or gyms) offer tons of fun classes that many people do not take advantage of. Zumba is a dance workout that will leave you panting yet exhilarated for the rest of your day. Perhaps you’ve had a secret talent for kickboxing that you never knew about! Or ballet, or jazz, or any number of different classes. You never know until you try.
Laser tag and paintball are also fun ways to get some exercise in while having a blast with your friends. Invite some friends over, turn up the music, and have a spontaneous dance party! If you enjoy solitary pursuits, start a garden in your backyard. Digging holes and pulling up weeds is a good workout for your arms. Or go for a long walk while listening to music or a book on cd. You’ll be so caught up in the story you won’t realize how far you’ve walked. If you live near the ocean, consider learning how to surf. Or if you live by the mountains, go for hikes on the weekend.
There are plenty of exercise opportunities available for you to take advantage of. The hardest part is finding the time and energy. Yet once you adopt a positive attitude and embrace your pursuit of health, you’ll find that exercise can be a fun way to let off some steam. And once you get into a schedule, you’ll find that regular workouts leave you rejuvenated and energized instead of tired and lethargic.
Start using your mind and positive attitude for your own benefit today!
Thanks for reading.
This article is compliments of Dherbs.com
Vincent Stevens is the senior content writer at Dherbs. As a fitness and health and wellness enthusiast, he enjoys covering a variety of topics, including the latest health, fitness, beauty, and lifestyle trends. His goal is to inform people of different ways they can improve their overall health, which aligns with Dherbs’ core values. He received his bachelor’s degree in creative writing from the University of Redlands, graduating summa cum laude. He lives in Los Angeles, CA.
