I have an undergrad degree in psychology. Me and about a billion other people. I was so gung-ho about going to university and furthering my education. What I failed to consider when I started was that it would be good to figure out where I wanted to go in life. Unfortunately, I didn’t figure that out completely until long after I graduated. Truthfully, I’m still wondering what I want to be when I grow up…and I’m nearly 31 years old (I’m open to suggestions BTW). But that’s not to say my university experience was a complete waste because I did learn some valuable things in my studies that have greatly affected my life.

I took a class on the psychology of eating disorders which not only gave me an appreciation of what someone goes through mentally that affects their physical self but it also helped me diagnose my own eating issues and work toward fixing the mindsets that contributed to my disordered eating habits.

I also took a course on sport psychology that has helped me conquer the mental battles of exercise. I think there is a huge misconception about the importance of a healthy mindset when it comes to health and wellness. Whether it be weight loss, disordered eating, or starting a fitness plan, you must acknowledge your mental battles as part of your health investment because when push comes to shove, your mindset is what will make or break you, not the cheesecake or the running shoes that are hidden and decomposing somewhere in the back of your closet.

My role with Mamavation is to encourage strength training and I include your mental strength training to be an essential part of that. And here’s why: I think as women, we are especially prone to self-depricate, self-loathe and talk ourselves down. We are taught at a very early age that thin is healthy, deprivation is power and starvation is control. Society stigmatizes extra weight as unhealthy and labels it with negative terms like lazy, unhealthy and addict. I know there is more to us all than that. Way more. I need you to acknowledge that too.

Here’s something to consider. How many of you got started on a goal completely by yourself, without telling anyone and without support? Anyone? How about this: How many of you accomplished a goal by telling yourself repeatedly that it’s too hard, that you can’t do it, that you suck? No? And now the million dollar question: How many of you have made progress, even a single step because someone out there showed you love and support, even when you didn’t think you could do it? I can see those hands raising now.

So what does this come down to? Simply this: you need to tell yourself daily that you can do whatever it is you set your mind to. You need to tell yourself when you’re in the middle of a workout that you can run that last mile, do that last push-up, complete that final circuit. Tell yourself that you have overcome temptation before and you can do it again. In short…you need to flex your mental mamaguns.

Support is great, in fact it is essential but if you go through your days talking yourself down, a million hugs from a million supporters won’t help you. You have to first help yourself. Here are a few tips on how to train your brain:

1) Focus on the good. When the going gets tough, remind yourself of a time when you pulled through. Tell yourself you can do this. I can’t even begin tell you the number of times I’ve been on a run and sucking wind and all I wanted to do was stop. I have to tell myself “you’ve done this before and finished, you can finish this today”, “you’ve already run over half your distance, you’re on the homestretch now”, “you can do that last mile, you’ve already done 2″. Believe me when I say it has worked. Every. Single. Time. I may not walk away feeling like I had a great run, but I walk away knowing that I completed what I set out to do.

2) Stop the negative before it starts. When you feel that bad vibe coming into your mind, tell yourself to stop (you can say it out loud if you need to). Take a breath and again, remind yourself of something good that you’ve accomplished.

3) Have a go-to memory. Remember the feeling of finishing that first 5k? Or how about the day you lost your first 5 pounds? Or when you did that extra set of arm curls. Bottle those positive experiences and relive them mentally when you’re frustrated, when you’ve stumbled, when you want to give up. New to the journey and needing to create a go-to memory? When your mind tells you “I can’t”, ask yourself “Why not?”. Empower yourself physically by empowering yourself mentally.

4) Don’t be afraid to go to your support system when you need a boost. That’s why they’re there! They cheer you on when you succeed, pick you up when you fall and get you back on track when you stray.

Strength training (and healthy living in general) is about so much more than the weight on your bar, the number of sets and the size of your muscles. You need to exercise your mind on a daily basis as well. And just like any good workout, you need to give your mind time to rest.

Think about this as you work on these final weeks of the Buff’n'Tough challenge. I want more than strong bodies, I want strong minds too. You can’t have one without the other.