Any exercise worth doing is worth doing well. Making the most of your workout is the most productive use of your time. Clearly, it is in your best interest to get the most accomplished in the least amount of time. Increased focus and intensity will yield more returns than a lesser effort. In order to see and feel visible results in the most tangible way possible, there are several points to remember.

Focus During Exercise

Regardless of the type of workout you pursue, whether some form of cardiovascular exercise, such as running, weights, yoga, or some combination of these, it is important to stay focused on your body during the process of the workout, thereby honing your mind-body connection. Exercise is the one activity where it is a good thing to be self-absorbed, taking a reprieve from the demanding world in which we live to take care of yourself. This focus on the working muscles, how they feel, and your goals for the end result, helps your body to create the muscle and healthy benefits you desire. This is in part a visualization process, along with a means to center and calm your mind, keeping yourself in tune with your state of health.

When you attempt to multi-task by reading or accomplishing other tasks while working out, it lessens the potential for what you are trying to do.  Staying honed into what you are doing will also increase your drive and determination, particularly since you are essentially placing your workout into a place of importance by setting aside time specifically for it. This in turn will make for a more intense workout, resulting in greater coordination, muscle mass, self-awareness, or general well being.

Believe in What You Want

Involving the mind will elevate you from going through the motions to truly being a participant in your own fitness. Your attitude will also have a major impact on what you are able to accomplish. If you are thinking that you can't wait for it to be over, or that you simply cannot do what you need to do because it is too difficult, you will become a self-fulfilling prophecy and will not reap near the workout benefits that someone could who makes the effort to try to appreciate what they are doing.

Be your own personal coach, taking yourself and your fitness to a higher level by granting your workout importance in your mind! What you determine to do ahead of time will reflect on what you actually accomplish. Accept that you truly want the results you seek, and that they will take some focus to achieve. The mental effort you put into your physical health will circle back to give you increased mental fortitude and clarity.