Mentality is the most talked about thing when it comes down to making a real change in your lifestyle. But how many people actually work on improving their mental grit? – Well, about less than 10%.

The biggest downfall of the fitness and health industry is that people work so hard on a strict diet, training once or twice per day every day. But in the process of seeing great results at the end of a challenge and getting that “ultimate beach body”, they create something worse along the way. An illness not visible to the naked eye – a monster in the shadows. A mental illness.

Many are so strict on the basic meal plan of brown rice, broccoli, and plain chicken and trying to compare yourself to athlete professionals and Instagram models.  As a result, you make yourself vulnerable to being trapped by such mental challenges such as depression and anxiety.

People forget to focus on the little achievements they have made along the way to their transformation.

Mental health essentials

You should focus on a few things to keep a healthy mindset on the road to a real mind and body transformation:

1. Gratitude

Appreciate what you have achieved and what you have learned over the course of your health and fitness challenge.

2. Human Unity 

Have a support network of friends who acknowledge your motivation for change and compliment you on your progress. Active social events with friends can help to create a bond to release happy hormones perfect for mental health improvement.

3. Challenge Yourself

Challenging yourself can help break barriers along the way to a new you if you don’t challenge yourself you don’t grow. Go hiking up a mountain, sign up for an obstacle course race like a Spartan Race, do something you haven’t done before to build a more confident you.

4. Eat Right 

Don’t starve yourself with a salad and an apple for a whole day! A nutrition plan should always be made up of enough food to get you through each day happily. If you don’t fuel your body enough with the right nutrients you are only damaging your body. This will affect your daily mindset and emotions.

5. Humility

Be a leader and help people. There is no better feeling then helping someone, a stranger, friend or family member. This can be done in many ways but here are two examples:

6. Volunteering

Helping a charity organization with homeless people, raising money for beyond blue, run a marathon for the cancer council, go to another country and help build houses or teach English and so much more.

7. A Random Act of Kindness

You will not get a better feeling than helping a stranger out, I have done things many times when I would go up to a stranger and help someone with their groceries, pay for someone else’s coffee at a shop without them knowing, ask someone if they are ok if they look upset and much more anything benefits someone else.

Every time you help someone or do something good it not only improves your mood but helps strengthen your mind and seeing the pure shock in people when you do a random act of kindness is priceless, it’s a feeling and a moment you can’t just buy.