Keep your mind on your body

It's more than mind over matter. In your mind, you matter. That's the basics of the mind-muscle connection, really. You and your health is important, so focusing your mind on the efforts being made to keep you healthy will actually have a physical affect.

In a 2007 study conducted at Harvard, participants who believed they were getting a good workout had a greater reduction in body fat than those who engaged in the same exercises but didn't believe that they were getting much out of it.

If you're convinced that your melting away fat and building lean, toned muscle, your body will respond to your mind's directives and make these very things happen much faster than they would if you thought your efforts were useless. A little mental toughness and push goes a long way.