How Mindfulness can help with your Health and Fitness Goals
Over the past few years I have had many people ask me “what is mindfulness?” Almost every time they ask I still get stumped as to what to say to them. What is mindfulness and how can it help with me achieving success in my own fitness and health? Hopefully by the end of this, I’ll be able to explain what mindfulness is and how you can get the most out of it by implementing into your health goals. But first, let’s try to get your mind in an open space where it will be able to comprehend what it feels like to be completely still in heart and mind. Please read through first and then practice before reading on.
Close your eyes and take a deep breath, holding for a second and picturing the air filling you with positivity.
Now with this constant breathing, listen to the sounds around you; not getting attached to these sounds by judging what is going on, but by just listening.
Experience taste and smell.
And finally sight by understanding the shapes and colours that the backs of your eyelids have to offer.
Now just sit in this open awareness for a few moments.
Hopefully by now you got a glimpse of what it is like to be completely aware of your surroundings whilst not becoming attached to them. This is the basis of mindfulness; being aware of the open world as it is.
Mindfulness and fitness can go hand-in-hand with each other, but only if you are aware of how they work synergistically.
Mindfulness allows the individual to be able to connect with the body through the mind. In my opinion mindfulness can teach the individual how to connect with their body more successfully. By thinking about our muscles we are able to manipulate and control them better and make them grow.
Mindfulness and meditation can help with anything to do with the body. In fact, while reading an article in T Nation, I came upon these mindfulness benefits:
- Lowered risk of overtraining
- Reduced stress hormone concentrations like cortisol and aldosterone
- Higher DHEA-Sulfate as well as increased Testosterone and growth hormone response to stress
- Improved kidney function, lower sodium-potassium ratio and reduced urinary loss of calcium and zinc
- Remarkable success getting off drugs, even after being dependent
- Enhanced immune function
- A shift toward fat oxidation ("fat burning")
- Improved focus and sports performance
- Enhanced reaction time
- Improved carbohydrate metabolism (data is mixed, however)
- Reduced evening-time overeating and better chance for long term weight loss
- Slowed biological aging (according to biomarkers) up to 5-12 years
- Improved antioxidant effects indicated by 15% lower lipid peroxides
- Ability to levitate and snatch flies with chopsticks
Whilst it may not always be possible to put oneself in a mindful state or meditate, the benefits of practicing the above steps can help to alleviate stress and help the body perform better. So, next time you have a minute, follow these steps and see how you feel. You may find that you feel a whole lot better….
Have a great day,
Trent Baynes
MPT Transformation