Mindful Exercise…
A lot has been said about what it means to be present in everything, including in every task you undertake and every fun activity you do. Surprisingly, the simple act of being in the moment can mean a big thing in all tasks… including exercise!
Being in the moment means focusing entirely on the present and emptying your mind with nothing but the tasks you have at hand. And this can be very hard in today’s fast-paced world, where mobile devices have integrated themselves into people’s lives.
Today, everywhere you go, you have your smartphone always at hand to remain connected, whether through the social media platforms or so that people can contact you wherever you are. This is a big hurdle on your journey towards mindfulness.
Mindfulness is considered particularly beneficial to workouts. Being attentive in accomplishing exercises is said to do wonderful results compared to being distracted. It is usually regarded to some spiritual presence that offers controlled attentiveness, which has become an excellent meditation technique today.
How Mindfulness and Workout Are Related
Motivation is hard to come by and support these days. And this is why working out can be stressful and feel forced sometimes. You just don’t have enough factors that will convince you to get up and do the exercises you need to do. According to a study though, one of the ways to reinforce motivation is by paying more attention to the task at hand. This is said to help you to enjoy it more.
A lot of reasons have been given simply as excuses not to workout, including:
- Work Schedules
- Body Pain
- Boredom
- Genetics
- Convenience
People can provide as many excuses as possible just to avoid something they don’t want to do. But if they somewhat enjoy the activity, they are more inclined to do it. This is why the key to reinforcing motivation to workout is to enjoy it. And one of the most effective ways to do this is to be mindful and present while doing it. The real question is what makes the workout satisfying?
Based on a study in The Journal of Health Psychology, mindfulness plays an important role in exercise and weight gain in general. In fact, mindfulness during eating meals is said to help people gain weightless. More than that, mindfulness in exercise is also said to help people in be more satisfied with the result of the workout and in the end, lead to exercising more often.
Benefits of Mindfulness You Can Take Advantage Of
Mindfulness provides lots of benefits to people who can practice them. Some of the most noticeable ones are the following:
1) Inclined to Exercise More: According to a study, people who use mindfulness meditation techniques are more inclined to be more satisfied with the results of their exercise and be more motivated to do more. Some of these techniques include:
- Sitting Meditation
- Walking Meditation
- Mindful Yoga
2) Serve as Alternative to Painkillers: Meditation is one of the most effective natural painkillers that people can use to reduce their chronic pain.
3) Noted to Relieve Stress: Sometimes a simple deep breathing can relieve the stress you have, and this is the basic foundation of the usefulness achieved by mindfulness meditation with stress. More than that, according to a study, people who undergo meditation are said to be more resilient even when in distress or under pressure.
4) Helps to Improve Sleep: Meditation is considered one of the techniques you can also use to be able to sleep better. Instead of turning towards pills, this is an entirely healthy and natural solution for fatigue and insomnia.
5) Helps to Avoid Getting Sick: Meditation is positively related to being healthy, the same way that exercises do with health. Studies show that there is a lower risk of getting sick for people who practice mindfulness meditation techniques.
6) Lowers Risk of Diseases: People who meditate regularly are said to lower risk of some diseases. This is what is known to be TM or Transcendental Meditation, which is a mantra-based form of meditation technique. It lowers risk of the following:
- Anger
- Blood Pressure
- Heart Attack
- Stress
- Stroke
- Death
7) Helps Fight Depression: Mindful meditation is a guaranteed way to help fight meditation, especially when done together with regular exercise. People who accomplish this routine are less likely to spend less time to worry about negative topics and be more resilient in dealing with problems. It is also known to make people feel less lonely.
Simple Tips to Follow to Be More Mindful and Aware
Practicing mindfulness meditation can be accomplished if you follow these simple tips that will motivate you to do so. One of the ways you can do is to make it an enjoyable experience.
While this form of education is enjoyable in itself, one way to practice mindfulness is to start with the things you enjoy to do. And in the process, while enjoying these activities, what you need to do is to be immersed in the activity.
Conclusion
To help you in your workout routines, visualizing yourself as an active person can also help. Laziness will hit you at some point in your journey to mindfulness. When you view yourself as an active person, you are more likely to continue doing it despite feeling lazy about it.
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