Physical fitness involves a lot more than just using your body to maintain good health. Your emotional health also plays a significant role, and it’s important that you take active steps to make sure your mind and body are being treated equally.
The Fit Mind Connection
No matter where you are on your weight management journey, you’ve likely experienced a few times where you wanted to rush the process. Maybe some of your goals were health-based, such as seeking relief from pain or reducing your dependence on certain medications. But in all likelihood, you’ve probably tried to make goals that were based on your outer appearance and/or how others perceived you as well.
While you can do a lot with your body physically to achieve those goals, you probably won’t get very far if you aren’t mentally fit, too. The fitness of your mind helps transform your behaviors from short-term fixes into long-term solutions. It drives your determination, perceptions and ultimately your successes. You can achieve so much more if you’re in a great spot mentally!
Your Basic Human Needs
Yes – you need food and water to survive, but you need other things in your life to help you thrive. Take a glance at what some of those things are:
Physical Needs
- A healthy amount of stress
- A healthy and functioning metabolism
- Immune system strength
- General strength
- Flexibility and balance
- Cognitive function
- Organ health
Emotional Needs
- Friendship
- Attention
- Community
- Goals to work towards
- Challenge and creativity
- Status
- Control
- Mind-body connection
Finding the Perfect Balance
We often try to separate the body and mind when viewing our progress with weight management. If separated, we may notice that we ultimately sabotage our goals. That’s why it’s important to maintain a healthy fit-mind connection. Consider these helpful tips:
- Pay attention to how you’re feeling when you eat. If you eat past the point of being full, you may need to address an emotional concern.
- Tune-in to your environment while eating and exercising. How are you feeling? What are you thinking? What are the circumstances?
- Be kind to yourself at all times. Understand your body’s limitations and work around them.
- Reduce stress by going for a walk, run or bicycle ride.
- Find support systems to help you achieve your weight management goals.
- Look to the future, not your past. Your journey doesn’t move backwards, only forwards.
Want More Information about the Fit Mind Connection?
To read the full article from Your Weight Matters Magazine, please CLICK HERE.
