Unless We Can Train the Brain, We Can’t Structure the Body

Here are 12 steps to achieve this intricate goal

The brain is the command center of the body, responsible for coordinating and controlling countless physiological processes. Holding a map of the entire body, the brain regulates motor function, hormone production, energy metabolism, and immune responses through complex neural networks.

The concept in this article emphasizes the crucial connection between the mind and body, demonstrating that our mental states, mindset, and cognitive processes are vital in shaping our fitness levels and physical structure.

Hosting the mind, the brain influences our thoughts, emotions, beliefs, and behaviors. Therefore, training the brain can reorganize and form new neural connections to shape our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors in ways that positively impact our physical shape, fitness, and health.

Developing a positive mindset, focusing on goals, and gaining healthy habits can improve self-discipline, motivation, and perseverance. I am confident about the process as I trained my brain to shape my body and improve my physical and mental health.

Training the brain can enhance the body’s response to exercise, optimizing performance, endurance, and recovery. The impact and implications of training our brain for physical fitness are extensive.

When we manage thoughts, beliefs, emotions, and moods, we can shift from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset, allowing us to shape our bodies effortlessly and efficiently.

Training the brain is about a holistic approach to health by encouraging self-awareness, stress management, and emotional regulation, which can positively impact our body structure, improve well-being, and prevent lifestyle-related diseases.

Theories like cognitive restructuring and self-efficacy support the idea that training our brains is vital for shaping our bodies.

Countless people have demonstrated the power of training the brain to shape their bodies. For instance, Olympic athletes visualize successful performances, set specific goals, and develop a solid mental game to achieve extraordinary physical accomplishments.

People in my circles who have transformed their bodies through fat loss and lean muscle gain attribute their success to developing mental resilience, discipline, and positive self-talk.

When our workouts no longer bring joy, melt belly fat, and build lean muscles, it is time to train our brains as I present under 12 sections distilling scientific and technical details.

1 — Develop a growth mindset.

Developing a growth mindset is about believing in our ability to learn and grow. By recognizing that effort and persistence lead to progress, we can approach physical activity positively.

This mindset training the brain can encourage neuroplasticity, enabling the brain to form new neural connections and adapt to challenges.

Our transition to a better physique can only start by having an open mind and choosing a growth mindset.

A growth mindset can enable us to accept our uniqueness and create a new improvement plan that suits our needs and goals.

The critical success factor is priming our minds to achieve anything we want within realistic boundaries. We must take personal responsibility and act boldly about experimenting safely and cautiously.

We must refrain from perfection. It can cause analysis paralysis affecting our creativity and productivity. We can choose imperfection, allowing us to achieve more with less effort.

The fundamental shift is moving from a fixed to a growth mindset. This allows us to focus on opportunities rather than obstacles. We accept situations, events, and people as they are and approach them with empathy and compassion.

2 — Set precise, achievable, and measurable goals.

Setting precise, achievable, relevant, time-bound, and measurable goals can help us stay motivated and focused on our fitness journey.

By setting such goals and diligently tracking our progress, we can train our brains to stay committed to our fitness regimen and achieve desired results for creating and maintaining better bodies.

By setting goals, we can activate the brain’s reward system, releasing potent neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins, which can reinforce positive behaviors.

Our motivation through goals can stimulate the brain to strategize and develop action plans to achieve those objectives effectively and effortlessly. With motivation, we engage the brain’s executive functions, like planning and decision-making.

Setting these types of goals can help us concentrate our attention and motivation for improvement. Goals prime the brain, direct physical training, and encourage us to develop strategies to achieve them.

3 — Visualize success decisively and assertively.

The brain cannot distinguish between real and imagined mental pictures. Visualization is a mental technique of imagining ourselves performing specific goals.

By visualizing ourselves executing the desired form and technique of a particular exercise, we can improve our motor skills and increase our confidence in performing them.

Visualization and mental imagery are essential to activate brain regions. These techniques, tailored to physical training executing precise movements or envisioning successful outcomes, can enhance neural activation in various brain regions.

Assertive mental imagery practice can strengthen the neural connections between the brain’s motor areas and muscles, improving coordination and performance during actual physical activity.

By vividly imagining ourselves accomplishing our fitness and health improvement goals, we can enhance neural pathways associated with motor skills. Positive mental imagery can reduce anxiety, increase confidence, and enhance performance.

4 — Practice mindfulness techniques for body-mind connection.

In addition to the invisible psychological process, the body and mind are connected through a network of nerves, neurotransmitters, hormones, enzymes, and signaling molecules.

These connections cover mental states (stress, anxiety, calmness, or joy), which can affect physical structure, fitness, and performance differently.

By training the brain to regulate these mental states through various techniques (mindfulness, meditation, visualization, flow state, yoga), we can improve our physical shape and performance.

By using mindfulness practices, we can improve our mind-body connection and increase awareness of the body’s movements and sensations. This focus can lead to better form, improved focus, and increased enjoyment of exercise.

These body and mind connection exercises can enhance vestibular and proprioceptive systems, improving the balance and awareness of the body in space and strengthening our perceptions.

Slow, deep, and diaphragmatic breathing can stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, improving relaxation, reducing stress, and enhancing focus.

These activities require conscious movement, body alignment, and breath control, training the brain to coordinate better and control physical movements. This heightened mind-body connection can improve balance, flexibility, and movement quality.

5 — Challenge negative thoughts and maintain a positive inner dialogue.

Identifying and challenging negative thoughts timely can help us reframe them into positive and empowering ones.

Negative self-talk can damage our confidence and motivation, causing self-sabotage. It can hinder progress in physical training.

By replacing negative thoughts, cognitive rigidity, and cognitive distortions with supportive and encouraging ones, we can develop a mindset that supports our physical efforts.

By consciously replacing negative thoughts with empowering ones with an improved inner dialogue, we can rewire the brain’s neural connections, developing self-belief, self-assurance, and motivation to achieve our goals.

Positive self-talk involves encouraging and motivating ourselves with positive statements like “I am strong and capable,” “I am making progress every day even if I fail sometimes,” and “I can do this even if it looks hard.”

6 — Improve focus, attention, memory, and task switching.

Focus and attention can be developed and improved with intention and practice. Attention is an evolutionary process in developing our neocortex.

The purpose of attention is to strengthen our survival mechanisms to cope with excessive environmental information. The focus is considered an elevated version of attention at the highest level.

Focus refers to concentrating on a specific task while filtering out environmental distractions. Attention is about concentrating on a specific (chosen) aspect of the surroundings while suppressing other sensory inputs.

The brain resources only go to where we put our attention. So using attention is the most critical cognitive activity for employing mental resources like task switching, working memory, and problem-solving.

Working memory allows us to hold and manipulate information momentarily. Procedural memory is essential for developing motor skills and habits, allowing us to perform tasks quickly and accurately.

Multitasking can slow down the brain as it needs to work harder, causing more stress. Unitasking produces just the opposite results of multitasking.

The single-task approach can produce more accurate results increasing productivity. The brain can work more flexibly, optimizing energy, reducing unnecessary stress, leading to joy, happiness, and life satisfaction.

7 — Physically engage the brain.

The brain needs four types of workouts, as I documented the details in a previous article. The most important ones from the body-mind connection perspectives are aerobic and anaerobic workouts for vitality and sculpting the body.

Physical training requires motivation, which is a mental process. Motivation is influenced by our beliefs, attitudes, and emotions, which are products of the brain.

By training the brain and the mind to cultivate positive beliefs, emotions, and behaviors toward physical activity, we can increase our motivation to stick with a training program and achieve fitness goals.

Creating a balanced exercise routine is critical for health, strength, flexibility, and balance to maximize fitness and prevent imbalances.

Each type of exercise provides unique benefits to different aspects of our physical and mental health, also affecting the physique.

We need to integrate functional movements into our training routine. They can engage multiple muscle groups and improve coordination, stability, and mobility for better performance and reducing the risk of injury.

Engaging in cross-training and including variability in physical activities can challenge the brain to adapt to different stimuli and movement patterns.

By regularly switching between various exercises, sports, or fitness modalities, the brain is stimulated to create new neural connections, enhancing motor skills, coordination, and physical adaptability.

8 — Rest the brain adequately.

As I pointed out in a previous article, the brain needs three types of rest. They are restorative sleep, mental rest, and downtime.

Rest allows the brain and other organs to repair and regenerate, preventing overtraining and reducing the risk of injury. Restorative sleep, rest, and downtime can accelerate recovery, optimizing physical performance.

During sleep, the brain consolidates memories, repairs tissues, and regulates hormones. Quality sleep can enhance cognitive function, reaction time, and physical performance.

Chronic stress can negatively impact the brain. It can hinder progress. Engaging in stress management techniques (relaxation, hobbies, and socializing) can lower cortisol levels, enhance mood, and improve resilience.

Managing stress can create a conducive environment for physical training. A massive shift might happen when we enter and maintain a flow state which lowers chronic stress. We no longer feel stressed, annoyed, frustrated, and get anxious.

When working in a flow state, we can enjoy our work with less effort, time, and stress but with more joy and fun. Productivity is a bonus.

Defeating work stress can make us look and feel younger. We no longer see our jobs as work but as a hobby or challenge. Since we spend most of our day at work, our reactions to work and dealing with people cause physical and mental stress.

With attention, intention, and intuition in a flow state with less physical and mental pressure, we can create more AHA moments allowing us to tap into our subconscious mind via the practical use of the Reticular Activating System.

9 — Give the required energy and nutrients to the brain.

One of the effective ways of training the brain is to give adequate energy and the required nutrients. The brain is the most energy-hungry organ. It requires energy even when sleeping.

In addition to healthy fats like omega-3 fatty acids and essential amino acids for protein synthesis, it also requires various micronutrients like minerals and vitamins.

Thus, eating a balanced diet of whole foods considering nutritional biochemistry, is necessary to provide the necessary fuel for the brain and other organs.

Time-restricted eating can energize the brain by creating an alternative energy source called ketone bodies. Fasting can also contribute to neurogenesis by increasing the brain-derived neurotrophic factor.

10 — Develop meaningful social connections.

The brain loves social connections. The limbic system (emotional part) is an open system that craves connections. Thus our social connections can train the brain.

Building a supportive network of like-minded people with similar health and fitness goals can provide motivation, accountability, and camaraderie.

Social support can positively influence motivation, adherence to exercise programs, and stimulating the body. Meaningful social connections can contribute to a sense of belonging and enjoyment in physical activities.

11 — Practice self-care, self-love and self-compassion.

To improve our brain function and health, we must focus on self-care, self-compassion, forgiveness, self-love, and self-confidence to stimulate the brain, the mind, and the overall body.

As bodily progresses take time and effort, it is okay to make mistakes and fail sometimes and learn from failures. Our growth mindset can allow us to get back to normal after setbacks.

Self-compassion encourages us to have self-care, can reduce self-criticism, and enables a positive relationship with self. This caring approach can create sustainable motivation for physical activities and progress.

Self-compassion and self-love can stimulate neurogenesis, optimal neurotransmitter release, better hormonal regulation, and enhanced cognitive functions, which I will cover in the next section.

12 — Improve neuroplasticity via cognitive and physical training.

I left this to the end, as the previous points can contribute to neuroplasticity (the brain’s ability to reorganize and form new neural connections) which is a game changer for physical and mental health.

Engaging in physical and mental activities that promote neuroplasticity can enhance the brain’s adaptability and improve physical performance.

Learning new physical skills using anaerobic training, aerobic workouts, dance, yoga, martial arts, and calisthenics can challenge the brain to create new neural pathways and strengthens neural networks involved in motor control and coordination.

The brain can change and adapt in response to physical and mental experiences. This means physical training can enhance the brain’s ability to control and coordinate the body’s movements, leading to improved physical and mental performance.

Participating in cognitive training exercises, like puzzles, memory games, or brain-training apps, might enhance cognitive functions. This type of training can improve the brain’s efficiency and mental clarity during physical training, leading to improved performance.

Using brain-training technologies, like neurofeedback or brain stimulation techniques like transcranial magnetic stimulation, can stimulate specific brain regions related to physical performance. These interventions can optimize brain function, improving focus, motor control, and athletic performance.

Another way to train the brain is to leverage the power of music, rhythm, and dance. Listening to music with an appropriate tempo, dancing, and rhythm-based exercises can have a positive impact on brain function during physical training.

As I documented in a previous article, music can activate the brain’s reward and motor centers, enhancing motivation, focus, and coordination.

Adopting movements to the rhythm of music can optimize timing and motor synchronization, improving physical and mental performance.

Conclusions and Takeaways

Each of these 12 steps has specific mechanisms, impacts, and implications for training the brain, which can positively influence physical health, fitness, and body composition.

These steps aim to engage specific neurological and cognitive mechanisms (neuroplasticity, motor control, rhythm synchronization), body awareness, and mind-body integration, enhancing performance, resilience, and well-being.

By consciously training our brains through these practices, we can create new neural pathways, strengthen cognitive processes, enhance mental resilience, and optimize our approach to physical training.

This holistic approach aligns the mind and body, encouraging a positive mindset, motivation, focus, and well-being to improve physical health and achieve fitness goals.

The key takeaway of this story is training the brain, which hosts the mind, to initiate (stimulating and relaxing) biochemicals like neurotransmitters and endorphins for better health, happiness, physique, and longevity (graceful aging). We can’t hack the mind without hacking the body.

Thank you for reading my perspectives. I wish you a healthy and happy life.

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I also wrote about valuable nutrients. Here are the links for easy access:

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