Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
You don’t need anyone to tell you that working out is hard. That’s the whole point. But for many of us, the hardest part isn’t physically lifting the weights or running the laps. It’s getting to the gym in the first place. It’s knowing that we can do hard things. It’s staying motivated to keep working at it, even when day-to-day progress feels hard to measure.
So how do we work on our mental fitness with the same dedication we bring to our physical fitness?
This episode, we’re joined by Jonathan Jenkins, Psy.D, CPMC, a clinical and sport psychologist at Massachusetts General Hospital. He’s also the Team Clinical and Performance Psychologist for the New England Patriots and Behavioral Sport Psychologist for the Boston Red Sox. And he’s the author of the book “Mentality Wins: The Athlete’s Playbook for Thriving in Sport and Life”.
The three big questions we discuss with Dr. Jenkins are:
1. What is the "mental game" of fitness, and why is it just as important as physical training?
2. Why do so many people struggle with the psychological friction of staying physically fit?
3. How can we actively train our minds to overcome these blocks and elevate our physical fitness?
Learn more about On Human Optimization and access Pod-Club questions at https://ce.mayo.edu/content/mayo-clinic-human-optimization
Instagram: @MayoHumanOptimization
YouTube: On Human Optimization - YouTube
Email: optimize@mayo.edu
Sign up to receive Mayo Clinic Press emails: links.e.response.mayoclinic.org/MCPressAFSignup
Find us online for more health and wellness articles, podcasts and books: mcpress.mayoclinic.org/podcasts/?utm_campaign=agingforward&utm_medium=link&utm_source=podcast
Do you have feedback, questions or topic suggestions? Email us at mcppodcasts@mayo.edu.
00:00 Introduction
00:56 Why mental fitness matters
02:14 What is mental fitness?
04:27 The mind-body connection
05:55 How your brain affects physical performance
08:31 Why mental fitness matters for everyone
12:08 Measuring mental fitness
13:45 Mental barriers to staying active
18:13 Why motivation isn't enough
20:08 The problem with instant gratification
22:09 Common fitness goal mistakes
27:33 Why boring habits lead to better results
31:40 How to build lasting fitness habits
35:16 Staying motivated over time
37:23 How to celebrate progress
40:48 Key takeaways for mental fitness
43:11 Final advice for lasting fitness
44:50 Outro
You don’t need anyone to tell you that working out is hard. That’s the whole point. But for many of us, the hardest part isn’t physically lifting the weights or running the laps. It’s getting to the gym in the first place. It’s knowing that we can do hard things. It’s staying motivated to keep working at it, even when day-to-day progress feels hard to measure.
So how do we work on our mental fitness with the same dedication we bring to our physical fitness?
This episode, we’re joined by Jonathan Jenkins, Psy.D, CPMC, a clinical and sport psychologist at Massachusetts General Hospital. He’s also the Team Clinical and Performance Psychologist for the New England Patriots and Behavioral Sport Psychologist for the Boston Red Sox. And he’s the author of the book “Mentality Wins: The Athlete’s Playbook for Thriving in Sport and Life”.
The three big questions we discuss with Dr. Jenkins are:
1. What is the "mental game" of fitness, and why is it just as important as physical training?
2. Why do so many people struggle with the psychological friction of staying physically fit?
3. How can we actively train our minds to overcome these blocks and elevate our physical fitness?
Learn more about On Human Optimization and access Pod-Club questions at https://ce.mayo.edu/content/mayo-clinic-human-optimization
Instagram: @MayoHumanOptimization
YouTube: On Human Optimization - YouTube
Email: optimize@mayo.edu
Sign up to receive Mayo Clinic Press emails: links.e.response.mayoclinic.org/MCPressAFSignup
Find us online for more health and wellness articles, podcasts and books: mcpress.mayoclinic.org/podcasts/?utm_campaign=agingforward&utm_medium=link&utm_source=podcast
Do you have feedback, questions or topic suggestions? Email us at mcppodcasts@mayo.edu.
00:00 Introduction
00:56 Why mental fitness matters
02:14 What is mental fitness?
04:27 The mind-body connection
05:55 How your brain affects physical performance
08:31 Why mental fitness matters for everyone
12:08 Measuring mental fitness
13:45 Mental barriers to staying active
18:13 Why motivation isn't enough
20:08 The problem with instant gratification
22:09 Common fitness goal mistakes
27:33 Why boring habits lead to better results
31:40 How to build lasting fitness habits
35:16 Staying motivated over time
37:23 How to celebrate progress
40:48 Key takeaways for mental fitness
43:11 Final advice for lasting fitness
44:50 Outro
