Nurture Your Body And Mind
Are you a lunchtime gymgoer? While most of us wish to zone out during our workouts, you can use at least a portion of that time to practice mindfulness. Studies have found that being more mindful during exercise may actually affect our likelihood of sticking with a regular routine. The uptick in adherence researchers observe may have to do with the satisfaction we experience as a result of our awareness: awareness that reminds us why we’re taking care of our bodies, and how it makes us feel.
“If you’re exercising, don’t try to multitask,” said Chaskalson. “Don’t try to sit in the gym reading your emails or go for a run listening to an audiobook. When you’re running, run. When you’re on a treadmill, experience yourself running on a treadmill ? at least for some of the time.”
If meditation is more your speed, you can look forward to exercise of a different kind ? by improving the way your brain functions.
Judson Brewer, director of research at the Center for Mindfulness and an associate professor in the departments of medicine and psychiatry at the University of Massachusetts, is an expert in mindfulness training for addictions, and has studied how mindfulness and meditation affects the brain.
“When we look at brains of both novice and experienced meditators, their entire brain during meditation is less active than during baseline,” said Brewer. “There’s a certain part of the brain that gets activated when we get caught up in our experience ? [for example] when we’re stressed out, angry, ruminating or craving. This region is also the one that is deactivated during meditation and mindfulness. And when you’re deactivating that, it seems that the brain in general works more efficiently.”
To explain this concept, he uses an analogy: “[Imagine] we’re driving the car with one foot on the brake and one on the gas. When we pull our foot off the brake, we don’t have to apply any more gas ? the car drives faster and more efficiently. In the same way, if we get out of our own way, then our brains are freed up to function more efficiently and do their jobs better.”
Even if you don’t have the flexibility to take long breaks, you can still incorporate this important practice into your daily life ? and add some much-needed relief and replenishment to your regular routine.
This material is for general informational purposes only. It is not meant to replace the advice, diagnosis, or treatment by a physician or other health care professional. Aetna is not the author of this content.
Aetna believes that mindfulness – the act of being present ? starts with simply experiencing what is here and now. So step back, #takeamoment, and appreciate the little things. You’ll be surprised at what you notice. Learn more: aetnamindfulness.com