Because weight loss is 50 percent attitude, staying positive, motivated and focused is an integral part of success. One tool that you should start utilizing is the mantra. A mantra is a powerful, inspirational, calming or motivating phrase used in repetition. When you're feeling frustrated, powerless or defeated, repeating a mantra--either in your head or out loud--can give you that extra momentum you need to stick to your health goals. Write down your mantra on brightly-colored Post-It notes and place them in areas you'll be most likely to see them often: on your refrigerator, on the corner of your computer screen, on the dashboard of your car or on your bathroom mirror. These little positive reminders can help you stay the course.

Why Mantras Work

Developing and utilizing a mantra can assist you with your weight-loss or other health-related goals by reinforcing positive behaviors and helping you maintain a positive attitude, which is central to success. More specifically, a mantra can help you shift the focus from the actual number on the scale to the more permanent idea of adopting a lifestyle change, establishing a healthier relationship with food and developing confidence.

Mantras also help quiet negative self-talk ideas, which are those negative inner thoughts you tell yourself, such as, "I can't do it," "I'm not strong enough," "It's too hard," or "I'll never reach my goal." You can overcome even the toughest obstacles if you engage in positive self-talk. Establishing a mantra will help give you that extra little boost of confidence you need to make it through the toughest workouts and stick to a healthy diet.

How Do I Choose a Mantra?

You can do a little searching online to find a powerful phrase or inspirational quote that really hits home for you. You'll want to post your newly-discovered healthy lifestyle mantra in a handful of highly-visible areas.

Mantras should be short, simple and personal to you. They don't have to be complicated nor do they have to make sense to others. Establishing your mantra should come from within you. Do a little soul-searching and think about words that speak to you and what you want to achieve, both in the short-term and in the long-term.

Some Famous Health and Fitness Quotes

If you're having trouble coming up with your own personal mantra, feel free to borrow inspiration from others and use some of these well-known quotes to provide motivation and encourage positive thinking:

"No matter how slow you go, you are still lapping everybody on the couch." - Unknown

"Energy and persistence conquer all things." - Benjamin Franklin

"Don't wait. The time will never be just right." - Napoleon Hill

"Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going." - Jim Ryan

"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream." - C.S. Lewis

"If it doesn't challenge you, it doesn't change you." - Fred DeVito

"Every journey begins with a single step." - Maya Angelou

"If you want what you've never had, you have to do what you've never done." -- Thomas Jefferson