Make your workouts more mindful: the why and how of incorporating mindfulness into your fitness regimen.
Yogis don’t have to have all the fun.
Mindfulness is something that yoga prides itself on
…but guess what?
You can add mindfulness to ANY workout.
And trust me, it’s well worth it. Let me explain.
So what exactly is mindfulness?
“state of active open attention to the present moment”
“practice of maintaining a nonjudgmental state of awareness of one’s thoughts, emotions or experiences”
“basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where and what we’re doing”
Boiled down, it’s about awareness, being present, and remaining accepting and non-judgmental of what you’re observing in yourself.
It’s a PRACTICE.
Some people have more of a knack for it than others, but it’s something that can be LEARNED!
So no cop outs, my friend.
Why it’s worth the effort
Mindfulness practices can help you:
Decrease stress
Prevent or reduce depression and anxiety
Decrease pain
Regulate emotions
Cope with uncomfortable and complex emotions or events
Develop compassion and empathy
Improve self-awareness
Improve appreciation and gratitude
Break unhealthy habits
Improve relationships
Decrease feelings of loneliness or isolation
Improve quality of life
That’s a long list, and of course – every person is unique. So I’m not trying to make any guarantees here, but I will say that there is a lot of research around mindfulness and how bomb it is (my words, not the researchers)
but wait - there’s more!
Research in athletes has shown physical benefits of mindfulness, too!
Mindfulness is shown to:
Reduce risk of injury
Improve muscle readiness (decrease muscle soreness)
Improve readiness/motivation to workout
Increase overall energy levels
It makes sense, right? When we have an internal awareness and focus in our workouts (or simply our daily movements) we are way less likely to do something our body is going to be mad at us later for.
And an improvement in mood and energy lends itself to a more successful (and dare I say enjoyable) workout.
Alright, let’s get mindful!
Adding mindfulness into your workouts
Hopefully you’re convinced that adding mindfulness is totally worth your while – but how do we do that exactly?
5 ways to inject mindfulness into your workout:
Set an intention: decide why you’re here, what you want out of the activity, or dedicate your workout to a loved one that you want to stay healthy and happy for. This serves as your “anchor point” for your workout that you can return to throughout your sweat sesh.
Body awareness: this one’s huge for the whole injury prevention thing; focusing on how your body feels during your workout – what muscles are working, what are stretching, is something painful? Being aware of your body’s internal cues and adjusting your workout accordingly. (BTW- focusing your attention on the muscle groups you’re using helps you get MORE out of each move too!)
Practicing non-judgment: the fitness industry isn’t the best at this one…but I’m here to help you reframe this. You are enough. Showing up and doing what you can comfortably is enough. You don’t need to “crush it” and you don’t need to push yourself super hard. If your intention (circle back to #1) was to challenge yourself, then sure – do that. But don’t let yourself get caught up in not-doing-enough, not-strong-enough, not-skinny-enough B.S. Also – remember that you’re not doing your workout as punishment or to “improve” some specific body area’s appearance. Kapeesh?
Foster gratitude and appreciation: this goes so nicely after no-judgey-vibes of #3. Try to focus on how much your body does for you – how much it’s doing in your workout but also in your day. Be grateful and appreciative of the little and the big things that your body can do. We all have stuff we *wish* our bodies could do – but focusing on that is not helpful – instead build upon what you have already and love yourself! You used to do body weight and now you’ve got light weights, or you used to not do ANY workouts and now here you are showing up for yourself. Focus on the good, develop those gratitude muscles.
Breath awareness: yogis do this very well and it’s cued a lot in many styles of yoga – less so in the fitness world, though. But it can be so incredibly helpful to move with breath – it helps you be present and mindful of the exercise at hand, and it also helps you keep your nervous system regulated (so you’re not over-exerting or over-stimulating yourself). By moving with and being aware of the breath, you won’t get too carried away with a workout, causing you to be suffering after the fact. It also helps you properly engage the muscles you’re using when you exert on the exhale.
These are all things you can add within your workout, I’m not asking you to meditate beforehand or write in a gratitude journal (though you totally can and I totally encourage it!)
Simply put:
Set an intention during your warm up
Move with your breath when it’s natural/comfortable
Focus of your body and your breath as you move
Avoid judgement or comparison during your workout
Take a moment during the cool down to think of what your body was able to do that you appreciate, or how what you did will help you in your day to day life.
Boom. Your workout is mindful AF!
Now go forth and be mindful, my friend.
References
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/19417381241227447?journalCode=spha