Meditation is an incredibly powerful tool for goal achievement. Studies have proven that as little as 5 minutes of meditation or “mindfulness” per day can induce massive changes inside the brain in a span of just 8 weeks! Including measurable size increases in the Amygdala, Hippocampus, and Anterior Cingulate Cortex – three of the most pivotal structures for motivation and goal orientation (see Research Article 1 below). Other studies have found meditation-induced changes in the brain after a mere 5 days! (see Research Article 2)
But luckily, you don’t need to understand any of the complex underlying neuroscience, or research the best meditation techniques, because I’ve done all of that for you, and simplified it into a super quick and easy 5-minute daily ritual that will give you an almost superhuman boost towards achieving your 2023 fitness goals!!
APPLICATION:
Set aside 5 minutes of your time (for best results, either right after you wake up every morning or right before you go to sleep each night – when ALPHA brain waives predominate), get into a comfortable position with your eyes closed (no need to cross your legs or anything like that), and go over the following 5 things in your mind:
1. Tell yourself that the goal is not just something you want to DO… it’s a part of who you ARE (this will activate the Identity-Influenced Motivation principle to subconsciously promote goal-oriented behavior).
2. Review how or why the goal is connected to your CORE VALUES (this will subconsciously activate the Self-Affirmation principle).
3. Remind yourself why you NO LONGER VALUE YOUR OLD BEHAVIOR or status (this will subconsciously activate the Negative Reappraisal principle).
4. Think of how great you feel after a good workout, with the endorphins flooding your body, and CONNECT IT TO THE WORKOUT ITSELF in your mind (this will subconsciously activate the Positive Reappraisal principle).
5. Finally, envision yourself already in possession of your goal, in as much detail as possible. How do you look? Feel? Act? Not as mere wishful thinking, but actually try to convince yourself that you’ve already achieved your goal (this will subconsciously activate the Endowment Effect).
If you meditate on the 5 items above for just 5 minutes a day (that’s 5 minutes TOTAL – or approximately 1 minute per item), you will quite literally hack your brain and rewire it to create the neural pathways, feelings, motivations, and even the circumstances necessary for you to achieve your goal(s), and the best part is that it will all be subconscious – not requiring any additional “willpower” or conscious effort on your part! The various principles I cited at the end of each item are all incredibly powerful, and have been proven in study after study to successfully alter the brain in favor of subconsious goal pursuit and achievement.
Now, if you want to learn ALL the best techniques for both setting and achieving fitness goals, I HIGHLY recommend watching my 2-part YouTube video series, “13 Neuroscience-Based “Brain Hacks” for Setting & Achieving Your Fitness Goals!“, where the meditation technique I described above is just one of THIRTEEN mind-blowingly powerful tools and techniques for tapping into your own brain and forcing it to work for you to achieve your goals, all without requiring any additional willpower or conscious effort. FAIR WARNING, the videos are very long and can be pretty slow and dry for those who aren’t fascinated by the underlying neuroscience behind these “brain hacks”, but push through it anyway! Or use the Key Timestamps provided in the video description to skip to the next technique. I promise you it will be worth it! These videos are veritable gold-mines packed with actionable techniques that, for the most part, are very easy to implement. They represent the most powerful principles I gleaned from a 4-year undergraduate neuroscience degree and med school neuroscience block, combined with more than a decade of researching and testing how to apply those principles to optimize personal fitness in my own life and the lives of those I’ve coached.
So watch the videos (links provided below), decide which brain hacks you like the most, and START USING THEM IMMEDIATELY!! Or, apply for my Total Body Transformation Experience, where we’ll work together to decide the best techniques for you, and I’ll personally make sure that you successfully implement them! (More on the Total Body Transformation Experience coming in an email tomorrow)
Please share this email with your family, friends, gym buddies, or anyone else you know who has goals for 2023! 🙏
Related Dr. Gains YouTube Videos:
1) 13 Neuroscience-Based Brain Hacks for Setting & ACHIEVING Your New Year’s Fitness Goals! (Part 1)
2) (Part 2) 13 Neuroscience-Based “Brain Hacks” for Setting & Achieving Your Fitness Goals!
Relevant Research Articles:
1) Mindfulness practice leads to increases in regional brain gray matter density
2) Short-term meditation increases blood flow in anterior cingulate cortex and insula
Dr. Gains 
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