Mental Workouts to Help You Stay Physically Fit

• Tweet
• Pin It

Fitness is not just a physical thing. It has a lot to do with your mental and spiritual fitness. The principle comes from the truth that humans are three-fold beings. We have a body, mind and spirit, and it is essential that we feed all three parts of ourselves every single day.

This can be done in a number of ways, and often the feeding of one part of us results in the feeding and nourishment of the other. It is said that physical fitness is 80% diet and only 20% what you do in the gym, but it is 100% mental. It has a lot to do with your willpower and decision making, all things controlled by your brain.

How do you engage in mental workouts that also help you stay physically fit? Here are some examples for you.

Diet

More of a practice than an exercise, feeding your brain what is good for it is essential to your physical fitness. Fortunately, much of the food that is good for your brain is also good for your body.

• Beets: Filled with iron, these are good for blood production and flow, which helps both your muscles and your brain.
• Spinach and Kale: Popeye was right about these, and they are good for both your brain function and your forearms (and the rest of your muscles) too.
• Nuts: Things like almonds and cashews in moderation are good for you. Just be cautious. They also contain fat and too much of a good thing can be counterproductive.
• Caffeine: In moderate amounts, caffeine, even in chocolate, can be good for you, increase alertness and energy levels.
• Red Wine: Again in moderation, red wine is actually very good for you, and helps your mind relax as well.

Feed your brain and your body at the same time, and staying physically fit will follow.

Meditation

Meditation is not just some odd religious practice, it is practiced by many people around the world. It helps to reduce stress, calm your mind, and increase your ability to focus. It is this ability that helps a great deal with physical fitness. It is well known that your willpower tank in your brain is limited in capacity. Meditation helps strengthen and grow that capacity.

Meditation also helps hone your focus. Just a few minutes of guided meditation before you work out will help leave the world you have just left outside the gym or before your run behind, whether that is work, home stress, or family issues, and lets you hone in on what you need to do in that moment. This makes your workouts more effective and increases your endurance.

Add meditation to your mental and physical fitness toolbox and you will be happy with the results.

Yoga (or Broga)

One of the things people tend to neglect most when it comes to physical fitness is flexibility, one of the keys to avoiding injury. The practice of yoga not only helps with this aspect of fitness along with balance and other physical benefits, but it has been shown to have mental benefits as well.

While often thought of as a practice for women (due in large part to the marketing done by typical yoga studios) yoga is taught for all ability levels and sexes. The key is to find a class that works for you. Guys who are not as flexible are often embarrassed in classes, and there is a move toward Broga—yoga classes just designed for men, to introduce them into the practice.

Whatever your ability or inability level, yoga can be a good option for you. It is likely that a local studio will have some way for you to connect with a group that works well for you. This aspect of both mental and physical fitness will help keep you on the right track.

Riddle Me This

Want to keep your brain really fresh? Do research. Do puzzles. Play games, from online adventure and puzzle games to things like chess and even poker. Solve riddles. Do Sudoku when you have a chance. Play Words with Friends.

Here is the thing: your brain needs exercise too, and if you have a job you have had for a while, it is easy to fall into a mental routine that doesn’t require a lot of stretching and effort. Just like your body, those parts of your brain muscle can atrophy and get weaker. Working them out makes them stronger.

Deliberately do mental exercises that will keep your mind sharp, and change up your routines on purpose, and your brain will be more active and limber when it comes to understanding your physical fitness also.

The Teaching Principle

Want to really learn something? Teach others. This not only challenges your brain but makes you better at your own physical fitness routine. You will become better at certain exercises, perfect your techniques, and feel good about passing on knowledge to others.

This is something you can do in a number of ways. Sharing knowledge and teaching is much easier than it used to be.

• Teach a Class at Your Gym: Gyms are often looking for qualified instructors in a number of areas. Reach out and see if they are looking for the type of things you can teach.
• Start a Blog: You can teach others through photos, video, and your words by starting a blog, and then the platform you have is yours. You will need to purchase a domain name and set things up, but if you share on social media and establish a following, teaching via a blog can work really well
• Set up a YouTube Channel: More of a video guy? Then start a YouTube channel, and share your knowledge online that way. You might even make some money on the side if you get a big enough audience.

Teaching is a great mental workout, and teaching others about physical fitness will enhance yours as well.

Mental health is vital to your physical fitness. Workout your brain and your body, and you will be a healthier person in every way.

• Tweet
• Pin It