If you could measure your thoughts, how much do you think they'd weigh?

Consider adding up all the school assignments and upcoming deadlines, the extra hours of work to pay for tuition or textbooks, your chances of securing a job after graduation and the list goes on.

Students in their final years of college or university tend to have more on their minds than students in junior years. They've reached a point in their studies where they're about to put years of acquired learning to the test and assess the value of their education.

The body and mind work symbiotically; you can't have one without the other. For instance, most people work out vigorously but don't see results. This is because they're putting their bodies to work but their minds are slowing down the process, because it's not getting equal attention.

What is stored in our minds is just as heavy and as important as our physical build.

People need to realize that changing the way we think and what we think about is a contributor to weight management success.

Negative thinking exhausts the mind and gives no room for the brain to generate productive messages through out the body.

To put it in simple terms, the body does what the mind tells it to. Hence, when we think positively, the message that the body receives will encourage greater physical productivity.

The number of thoughts that we carry into the workout reduces the amount of focus, productivity and motivation. Therefore, the first thing that needs to be done is to lose the mental weight.

The initial stage in reducing physical weight is to minimize mental weight gain. Once this is established, losing physical weight is more feasible.

Mental weight gain occurs when we add on to the multiple thoughts that are lingering in our minds; one can simply be thinking too much about certain issues or overloading the mind with stressful thoughts. Mental weight gain can interfere with a student's ability to reach his or her potential.

Therefore, focusing on the positive thoughts fosters greater probability of maintaining a healthy lifestyle toward and after graduation. Although it's a difficult task, it's the best way to approach any physical health changes.

The remedy students can use to prevent mental weight gain is to think positively. Think about the efforts and hard work you've put into assignments or large projects, the privilege of getting a quality education, number of friends you've made and the achievement of making it through years of commitment and sacrifice.

This feeling of accomplishment should be the attitude that students maintain as they transition into the next phase in their lives. Focusing on the positive rather than the negative can promote healthier career outcomes and physical health.

Therefore, leave your mental baggage at the door, work out with a lighter mindset and start to make room for positive health changes.