The Overlooked Benefits
Clarity of the mind is a state we all look for, earnestly strive for and sometimes find difficult to achieve. You might be wondering, how does mental clarity link to fitness. It in fact plays a significant part, with a sound body comes a sound mind. The body and mind connection is something that is commonly overlooked by most people and not due to a fault of their own. The mind-body synchronicity isn’t spoken about to the degree that it should be, for reasons I don’t know. Maybe it’s because it’s not something that can be put on display like a six-pack, who knows.
Many aspects of fitness affect a person mentally, in a good way of course. What we discover with performing exercises that force us past our limits is a general sense of mental wellness. We feel good about ourselves and that seeps into our daily lives and changes the way we would normally deal with certain situations. There is a reason why breathing is such a simple but complex function. It not only acts as a primal instinct for us to live but also acts as a mental balancer. Breathing allows you to gather your thoughts, soothe your nerves and ground you to a neutral place. Within that place is clarity.
One thing assured with any physical activity is an increased heart rate and increased heart rate means more breathing. See where I’m going with this. We naturally breathe more during exercise, we breathe deeper and quicker. It’s as if we instinctively bring equilibrium to ourselves with realising, It’s quite fascinating how something like the breath can bring forth such a massive shift. A study done out by Harvard professor Emily E. Bernstein shows that people who run regularly, find themselves in a more jovial mood than those who don’t. They could think more clearly and productivity time increased during the day. Her study also indicated those who run overcame some of their emotional dips quicker.
It is primarily through aerobic exercises that we recognise the consistent link between exercise and mental well-being. Those who frequently perform aerobic exercise typically possess a firmer grasp on their complex emotions and come back to grounding from better-balanced hormones. I find through my own personal experience, that a person can obtain a similar level of clarity from anaerobic exercise. Deadlifts being a prime example, the action of lifting a considerable piece of weight and going against nature that is gravity is a metaphor in itself. Those who perform these types of exercises establish an exceptional kind of strength, the strength to mentally overcome any obstacle because the body already has.
“The mind always fails first, not the body. The secret is to make your mind work for you, not against you.” - Arnold Schwarzenegger
The topic of the mind-body connection is still relatively recent. We find ongoing research to support these theories on the effects of how exercise can ultimately change an individuals perspective on themselves and life. How they approach their day to day activities and how they act or react to certain encounters. Running enables a person to breathe in any given circumstance. Think about running for a moment, your heart rate increases, your blood circulates faster and you inhale more oxygen to accommodate your muscles. Every part of you has accelerated but your breath remains deep and slow, calm and gentle. Your breath produces a clear vision, clears your head and clears your body.
Whether you are conscious of these things or not, running or any exercise will develop a more inviting mental space for you to dwell in