Fitness and the mind-body connection

​Doctors and fitness experts often discuss the mind and body as independent entities. However, increasing evidence suggests that your ability to connect your thoughts to your physical body can actually have a huge impact on your mental and bodily wellness.

For example, you might feel the physical sensations of stress, like an increased heartbeat, resolve themselves when you focus your thoughts on a happy memory or a calming mantra. Likewise, you can use your mind-body connection to improve your workouts and boost physical fitness.

What is the Mind-Body Connection?

The mind-body connection refers to using your thoughts to influence a physical bodily outcome. How does it work? When you imagine an event, your body mentally and physically responds similarly to how it would if the event actually occurred. Think about this: have you ever felt nervous about giving a presentation or attending a job interview? You likely imagined all the things that could go wrong. As a result, your mind becomes even more frazzled, your hands sweat, and you feel nauseous. This is the result of the mind-body connection. Although you’re only imagining the poor outcomes, your body is physically reacting.

This connection works both ways. What you do to your body can also have an effect on your mind. For example, when you eat a big meal full of processed foods, you likely feel lethargic. This sense of discomfort doesn’t reside only in the body – it also impacts your mood, thoughts, and feelings. On the other hand, when you eat fresh foods, you experience a spike in energy, a clearer mind, and more positive thoughts.

What’s most exciting is that you can use this connection to your advantage. You can also use it for a variety of purposes. For example, you can use the mind-body connection to improve your mental wellness and decrease anxiety. You can also use this practice to improve your sleep, decrease pain, improve recovery time from injury, boost the immune system, and enhance your sense of control.

The same can be said for your fitness. You may have heard of the mind-body connection referred to as the mind-muscle connection in the context of the gym. This involves zeroing in on your muscles as you perform an exercise, which helps you move them more efficiently and with proper form. This, in turn, can bring you better results than if you were to be distracted throughout your workout by music or friends. Mental fitness equals physical fitness.

The mind-body connection is a simple and straightforward technique. To employ it in your own workouts, you need to focus on the muscle you’re working as you contract it. For some people, it’s helpful to watch the muscle itself as you do the exercise, like looking at your tricep in the mirror as you do tricep kickbacks. It can also be helpful to mentally picture the muscle.

No matter what your fitness goals are, the mind-body connection is a key factor in helping you reach them.
 

Sources: HHHealth