Attitude Determines Altitude

The saying "attitude determines altitude" is an apt way to summarize a sentiment shared by many people: having a positive attitude about something can elevate the outcome. If you have a good attitude, you'll probably have better performance on any given task, be more satisfied with the results, and enjoy the experience more than someone with a negative attitude.

Luckily for us, this truism holds true in just about every area of life — including fitness! Having positive thoughts while doing exercise can make it much more enjoyable and lead to better results. It may seem like common sense (and it should!), but if we don't remind ourselves constantly that our attitude matters, it's easy to slip up and start thinking negatively again.

The exercise that we choose to do, our attitude toward it, and even the music we listen to in the gym all play a role in determining how much progress we make toward our fitness goals.

I love this quote by Swami Sivananda on cultivating a positive attitude: "A yogi's natural tendency is to get rid of negativity and to develop a positive attitude. This works wonders with every situation." – Gita Upanishad 6.18" (source)

Here are three main reasons why you should cultivate a positive mental outlook when working out:

1. You'll enjoy the experience more!

If you think exercise is hard and boring, you'll probably end up quitting before long. If you enjoy it, however, you'll probably stick with it and make more progress. Even if you don't become a fitness fanatic, at least you'll be in better shape and feel better about yourself (both lasting benefits!).

2. You can push harder on the equipment.

Ever notice how difficult it is to run on a treadmill compared to running outside? It's because humans are naturally inclined to move in a certain way (e.g., we walk and run like human legs with muscles), whereas modern exercise equipment isn't made for natural movement — it's designed for us to move in a certain way while exercising.

When we're moving in a way that the equipment wasn't meant for, we'll expend more energy and make less progress. This is because the equipment's limitations are forcing us to work harder than we'd like to. But when you're working out on real jogging trails outside, you don't have to work as hard, and your time will go by much faster — which means that even if you aren't progressing as well as you would on a treadmill or other exercise equipment, you'll still enjoy yourself more.

3. Your body will thank you!

Research has shown that exercise can lower blood pressure and improve cardiovascular health (among other things). If our bodies aren't feeling relaxed and healthy, we'll have a harder time doing our best at work and may not enjoy as many aspects of life. Plus, you'll be healthier overall, which means lower risk of heart disease, cancer, and other health problems that can make your life unpleasant.

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References:

Swami Sivananda (1988). The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali – A Textbook for Students and Teachers. Divine Life Society, Rishikesh, India. Pg. 82. http://www.yogaforkids.com/blog/swami-sivananda-quotes/ http://www.spiritualgourmet.com/food/gita_upanishad.htm

Image Credit: © konradbak – stock.adobe.com

Additional Resources:

6 Ways to Find Motivation While Working Out – If you have trouble motivating yourself to exercise, this post will help!

This entry was posted in Fitness Motivation and tagged attitude exercises on March 7, 2016 by Dr. Derrick Rancourt. ← Previous Post Next Post → 3 Reasons Why Your Child Shouldn't Dabble in Martial Arts → You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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