Mental fitness and strength - introduction text
How strong we are physically is easy to determine. A simple way is to take some weights and see how much we can lift. And often enough one gets an impression at first sight whether someone has a fit and powerful body, or not.
But what does one answer when asked how much mental strength one has? What is mental fitness and strength, and what are its effects in our lives?

Mental fitness is less visible than physical fitness, and as a result it is often neglected. And yet anything we are and achieve starts within our heads - which makes our mental condition actually way more important than the fitness of our body.
When mental training is mentioned, most people mainly think of training ciphering skills, or memory training. But these skills are nothing but a small part of our mental potential. Other, more essential attributes, have farther-reaching effects on our quality of life.

It turns out that our mental condition has a direct influence on all aspects of our lives. More important than knowledge or experience is it our mental strength that determines how successful we are in life and in our career.
Scientific research has shown that the performance of top sports people is influenced moment tot moment by their mental state. Which actually makes sense, because when a sportsperson performs better today than yesterday, it is not because the body has acquired extra muscle in that short period of time.
But mental influences on the body go way further than this. For example it has been shown that the state of mind strongly influences the chance that one receives injuries during sports, and even the time it takes these injuries to heal.
In neurology direct connections have been found between the nervous system and the immune system, offering an explanation for the fact that the mind seems to have the ability to influence healing processes.

Our mental fitness is decisive in how many of our goals in life we attain, but also for how much effort it takes us to do so. We all know at least some examples of people who can effortlessly loose weight or quit smoking, while others need to go through extensive trouble, if they manage at all. It is not the body that makes the difference.
One especially remarkable fact is that our mental state even determines whether other people regard us as being attractive or not. One of the most interesting examples of this aspect is Cleopatra. Historians from her time have recorded her having average looks, not very special or attractive. She did have a remarkable personality though, which made an enormous impression on people. An impression that left her with the reputation of being one of the most beautiful women in history.

Mental fitness is often described in terms of self-confidence, perseverance, inner peace and convincing power. These qualities are mostly regarded as part of someone’s personality, something one just ‘does or does not have’.
We know now that our mental capabilities are rooted in the structure of our nervous system, a structure that can be developed by training using new techniques and technology.
Each and every one of us is taught how to use one’s body as an infant. First we learn how to crawl, then to walk, swim and dance. We learn to use our hands to write, open doors and use computer keyboards. Wouldn’t it be logical if we were taught how to use our minds as well; to develop those mental qualities from which we will benefit most during our lives?

How can mental fitness and mental strength be trained?
With regards to our body we tend to be aware of nothing but the surface - how we look, and how our arms and legs move. Our physical fitness and strength however is determined by the structures that lie underneath. Like our heart, lungs and muscles. Modern day training techniques are specifically designed to strengthen these.
How mental fitness works is comparable. Like with the body, we are aware of merely the surface of our minds - our thoughts and emotions. But underneath those are the components that determine the qualities of our mind and personalities. Components that take root in the structure of our nervous system itself.
New techniques, called neurotraining, now make it possible to train the nervous system directly.
Herein several different methods of training are being used, among which the use of neurotraining equipment.

A practice situation in mental training:
A trainee sits looking at a computer screen, on which an image of a golf court can be seen. A white golf ball slowly moves towards the hole. The trainee is controlling the ball with her mind; a sensor connected to one of her fingers registers the activity in her nervous system, and she moves the golf ball by changing her mental ‘phase’. She steers the ball towards the hole, then makes it move away again, and finally allows the ball to disappear under the flag. Within mere weeks she has gained control over mental capabilities of which’ existence she had been completely unaware until then. It is actually as if she has learned to use a limb that has been hers all her life but that she has only recently become aware of. This makes it possible to develop her mental qualities as she wants to.

The scene as described here is part of an extensive exercise program designed to acquire elementary control over the most important mental capacities. By developing these skills increased control over one’s life becomes possible.

The Mental Fitness Project
The Mental Fitness Project is created to make the possibilities and importance of mental training more widely known, and to enable more people to benefit from these techniques.

Those who are interested can contact us to apply for more information.

Are you interested in becoming a mental fitness trainer? Let us know.