Mind Power

 You can have pretty much anything you desire if you set your mind to it. There are many aspects of mind-power, and it's worth devoting time and effort to them. I advise all my personal training clients to give priority to their mind-power as well as their physical fitness. London is a tough city to thrive in, and if you are to thrive, you need to put mind-power at the centre of your fitness plan. That's why my London clients appreciate a personal trainer who focuses not only on the body but the mind too.

Visualisation

Visualisation conditions your mind to focus on what you desire in life (so that it becomes a priority to act on), and to believe it's possible (because you've seen yourself having achieved it in your mind's eye). This is a simple and effective strategy - try it and see for yourself. The hypnotist Paul McKenna is an expert at this technique, and his advice to make your visualisation vivid and detailed and colourful is worth heeding.

Goal-Setting

See the page on goal-setting for a closer look at this crucial skill. If you don't have a goal, you're like a ship without a sail - you simply drift. Goal-setting stops drift and puts you in control. Do you have vague dreams of things you've desired for years, but never achieved? That's because you've not set goals effectively.

Self-Belief

Without self-belief, it's so much harder to achieve your goals. The act of goal-setting is a necessary step, but to follow through on your goals takes a degree of self-belief. If you don't believe you can achieve your goals, you've sabotaged yourself from the outset.

The most effective ways to build self-belief are to take action towards your goals. The more action you take, the more you believe you can take control and make things happen. But not all your actions have the desired effects, which is why you need regular visualisation (see above) to boost your subconscious belief that your goals can become reality.

Boost your Mental Energy

Unless you re-charge your mental batteries regularly, you'll burn out and never achieve your goals. The two most important energy boosters are good nutrition and good sleep. Neglect either of these at your peril. Another key element of re-charging your batteries is to build some planned relaxation time into every day.

Empowering Self-Talk

Often, the only thing stopping you achieving what you want is yourself. And the way your sabotage yourself is by negative and disempowering self-talk. The things you say to yourself are far more significant than anything anyone else will ever say to you. When it comes to getting fit, eating healthily, and achieving the body you want, there are dozens of ways people sabotage themselves.

Click here for examples of negative self-talk and Empowering Self-Talk, and see if you're falling into any of these mental traps.