When people think about getting physically fit they focus solely on the body, which is only natural. But the key to getting, and staying, physically fit lies in the mind. There's an old saying that goes, "Whatever you think, so shall it be." That basically means that if you think you're going to make it, you will.

You might think that if you could only lose 15 pounds then you'd be totally happy. Maybe that's true, but maybe there's an underlying self-image issue that caused you to gain weight in the first place. If you don't deal with what's going on in your head, you'll likely fall back into the patterns that caused you to put on weight again.

So, if you're starting a regimen to get your body back into shape, why not work on getting your mind in shape as well?

How do you give your mind a workout?

The key is to re-train your thinking to get rid of negative thought patterns and replace them with positive thoughts. Now, before you balk at this idea just keep in mind that no one would laugh at replacing high-fat meals with low-fat meals when you're trying to reshape your body, so why wouldn't you want to replace bad thoughts with good ones when you're reshaping your mind?

The first step is to write down the negative things you currently think about yourself. Then, once you have a list, go through it and replace each negative with a positive. Don't worry if you don't believe it at first, that's natural. Your body isn't going to get thin in one day, so your mind won't get reprogrammed in one day either.

Once you have your positive thoughts, repeat them everyday. You can do this when you wake up, after you take your shower, before you go to bed, or whenever it's convenient for you. Tell yourself, "I'm going to be healthy, beautiful and strong", or whatever statement you choose.

The great thing about exercising your mind is that you can do it anytime, anywhere, without any fancy equipment. You can do it on the way to work, while you're at work, while you're working out, etc.

The thing to remember is to keep a regular schedule for exercising your body as well as your mind. If you do this at the same time, you'll have a positive mental image to match your healthy physical image in no time.