Connecting The Mind And Body Through Exercise

Over the years, I have come to understand that there is a connection the mind has with the body. This is why when the body is healthy, the mind also follows suit, and vice versa. This brings to memory the words inscribed on the doorpost of one of the gyms I attended a while back, it read:

"achieving a sound mind through a sound body."

Engaging in exercise has a lot of benefits, not only to keep the body fit but also to help the mind stay fit.

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I remember some years back, I had a little emotional breakdown and it was already started to affect me negatively, then I had to share it with a friend of mine who is a therapist. Among the solutions he proffered, he asked me to take a meditation and yoga exercise, then engage in other forms of exercises too. I registered in a nearby gym and started my workout. Adorably, in less than one month of engaging in the exercise, I was able to overcome the emotional breakdown and got back myself. This was when I understood the power in exercises. More so, during my routine exercises at the gym, I met and made friends with people and it also helped me - which I would not have achieved if I just stayed indoors behind my system.

It is worthy to note that engaging in physical exercise is not only about moving parts of your body, but it also requires you to incorporate your mind into it so as to get the desired positive results. Of course, what you do without putting your mind into will deliver little or no result. By connecting your mind to it, it will help you to stay focused and concentrated with the exercise routines. More so, whenever you put positive mindset into your exercises, it will tend to increase the motivation, zeal, endurance and strength required to follow after the routine. One of the reasons why people are not motivated to exercise is because they have not connected their mind to it.

One of the exercises that connect the body and mind is the mindfulness exercises which include; yoga, breathing exercises, etc. This helps to calm the mind and helps you to focus on the present moment, while also increasing your self-awareness. I remember sometimes back, I was introduced to the Wim Hof breathing exercise and when I undertook the exercise for a while, it impacted my health positively and I felt the effect. This exercise deals with controlling your breathing, while meditating and then it can also be followed up by yoga practices. I discovered that after engaging in it, my mind became calmer, stress was reduced, I became more self-aware, and my health was also improved. This shows the power of exercise to connect the mind and the body.

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Engaging in exercise can also boost one's confidence and their acumen for skill execution. When you constantly engage in physical and mental exercises, you will become more confident in yourself because your mind will be freer and focused to create a mental image of your success. You will agree with me that when you want to do something under stress, the result may not be as good as when you are doing it with a calmer mind. Of course, one of the ways to achieve a calm mind and also reduce stress is by engaging in physical and mental exercises. In addition, this can also help to prevent a state of depression and other psychological challenges.

More so, engaging your mind in exercises also makes the exercise routines to be more enjoyable instead of seeing them as punishment or as burdens. When you attach joy to what you are doing, it will bring more benefits than just doing it because you are forced to do it. There are numerous benefits attached to exercising and this should be among the motivations that will make you to do the needful. At first, it make look tasking but if you put your mind into it, with time, it will become part of you and will ultimately become your lifestyle.

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