Did you know that exercising has a “secret ingredient” that increases its fitness effectiveness? There is, according to recent research, and it all comes from your mind (1).
Researching the effects of mindfulness on exercise
To review the literature on mindfulness and physical activity, researchers identified 35 trials that included control groups, exercise and mindfulness therapies, and the ensuing outcomes.
And according to their investigation, the dynamic combination of mindfulness and physical activity improves general health and well-being, including mood, among other things.
Exercise and mindfulness both have many advantages when done alone, so it should come as no surprise that their combined advantages are increased.
Particularly, the researchers observe that in addition to being beneficial in lowering stress, anxiety, and depression, exercise coupled with mindfulness “shows promise for improving rumination, emotion regulation, and self-worth over and above mindfulness training itself.”
And you’ll realize how crucial emotional control is when working out if you’ve ever had a depressing or uncomfortable gym session. The authors of the study indicate that mindfulness appears to help people stay active by enhancing motivation, managing discomfort, and enhancing self-worth.
What action should I take?
The researchers’ findings were unmistakable: combining physical activity and mindfulness may have more advantages than practicing either one alone. However, they still wish to investigate the precise amount of mindfulness and exercise required to get the greatest effects.
So, you might want to start a mindfulness practice if you need a little extra help reaching your fitness goals for the new year.
Mindfulness is a technique that can make exercise more engaging and help us realize its advantages. It can also help us “train up” the psychological strengths we need to exercise and be more in tune with our bodies.
This could be the case because developing mindfulness causes us to reevaluate how we live and increases our acceptance and decreases our judgment of our own flaws, all of which can contribute to the development of healthy habits.
Related Post: Mindfulness Meditation’s Role in Reducing Avoidance
Not sure where to begin? In addition to the obvious fitness practices like yoga and meditation, mindfulness can also be practiced while journaling, eating, drinking tea, or going on a walk.
To Wrap Things Up
Maintaining an active lifestyle is one of the finest things you can do for your health, and our findings suggest that include mindfulness interventions in your exercise regimen can increase its effectiveness. Utilizing mindfulness to access the health benefits that exercise may provide is incredibly promising.
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