Mind/Body Connection and the Whole Self

More and more Americans are realizing that there is an inseparable link between body and mind. We only feel healthy if we think we're healthy. We don't feel fit if we don't think we're fit. Our perceptions can create our realities. This being so, it makes no sense for trainers and coaches to treat exercise as a standalone component of health. Our minds (and in many growing circles, our spirits) are just as important as our bodies. The sooner we start treating the mind and body as two integral components of a single unit, the sooner we can start making progress toward whole health.
   
In the Coaching Psychology Manual, Margaret Moore and Bob Tschannen-Moran state that "specialists who work in only one area, such as exercise, nutrition, or mental health, without knowledge of or reference to the others are destined to have limited effectiveness or even to cause harm. These areas are intrinsically intertwined amd are most successfully dealth with all together."
   
Now, I personally don't believe trainers who specialize and stick to specific areas cause harm to their clients. It's no different than asking a brain surgeon about the body's energy systems. He'll tell you he did learn about it in school, but he'll also most likely tell you he can't remember any of it. Does it make him a bad brain surgeon? No. Would he be a more well-rounded doctor if he knew more areas? Maybe. The point is, a trainer isn't a bad one just because he or she knows only exercise and program creation. What makes a bad trainers is when they refuse to learn more. When they believe that their current knowledge is enough.

We all continue learning. I view life itself as one big lesson. As long as we continue learning, we continue gro
wing. This is especially important for the trainer who wants to continue to get better in his or her chosen path. That means expanding beyond specialty. Learning about the mind/body connection and how it effects our health will help a trainer to be more effective and will help anyone to imporve their health.
   
But I digress...
   
Our emotions are directly related to our health. Have you ever noticed that when you feel depressed you also feel sluggish and weak? Or when you're happy and excited you feel energized? Or when you feel confident you feel like you could take on the world? Happiness is healthy!
   
We must think of ourselves as whole beings, and treat ourselve as such. Many know that I'm not a fan of bodybuilding because the parts of the body are not meant to be trained in isolation (among other reasons). The same is true with our health. We can't just lift weights or run (you know how I feel about that one, anyway) or eat smaller portions and automatically be and feel healthier (not saying it won't help, just saying it may not solve the entire problem). We have to look at everything as though it's interrelated. That includes our emotions.
   
If you're stressed or upset, if you're experiencing anxiety, or if something in your life is out of balance, you are probably experiencing at least one of these symptoms:
    -Back pain
    -High blood pressure
    -Headaches
    -Insomnia
    -Changes in appetite
    -Lack of energy
    -Aches and pains
    -Lightheadedness
    -Shortness of breath
    -Stiff neck
    -Sexual problems
   
These symptoms are very real, though their causes may, in fact, be coming from our minds. Stress can even cause ulcers and a myriad of other problems. Nowadays, in our overly-stressed-out world, we need to find ways to manage our emotions more than ever. Here are a few ways of doing so:
   
     -First and foremost, try to find the reasons why you are feeling these emotions. The more you understand your emotions, the more likely you are to find a method of coping or erasing the negativity.
   
     -Find appropriate outlets to express your emotions. Painting may help some (even those who aren't artistic), while going a few rounds on a heavy bag or with a sparring partner can help others. Listen to uplifting music, or listen to angry music. Go for a walk or hike and commune with nature. Find what works for you.
   
     -Bring balance to your life. Have you been eating poorly? Not working out? Working too much and not spending enough time with the family? Any of these could be causing you stress or negative emotions.
   
     -Calm your mind. Though meditation research is still minimal, it has been proven to work for thousands of years. Sit in a quiet place, away from clutter or reminders of things that cause you stress. Play some quiet music if it suits you. Clear your mind. This can be difficult to do, especially if you've never done it before. Zen instructors tell new students to count their breaths up to ten, then start over again. Even if you lose count, acknowledge it and gently return your attention to your breaths. You can just feel the stress melt away.
   
     -Take good care of yourself. Find time to relax. Go get a massage or treat yourself to a day at the spa (yes, even men). Eat clean and exercise at least 30 minutes 3 days a week. Make sure you get enough sleep. Take a daily multivitamin and an Omega-3 supplement. Drink a cup of tea. Your health, both mental and physical, is in your hands!
   
Train Smart!

Grow Up and Play!

"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing."
- George Bernard Shaw (Irish playwright)

There couldn't be a more fitting line. There is much controversy right now regarding adults and play. For generations play has been considered the child's domain. Adults don't have time to play. We're too busy trying to complete our never-ending to-do list. We don't even have time to stop and smell the roses (which is actually quite the pleasant experience)Imagination is supposed to be taken over by maturity, and when it isn't, its possessors are considered infirm or delusional. Everything has rules, and competition is the only valid form of play. While competitive play (read: sports) has its merits, it is a little beyond the scope of this article. I'll have to dedicate an article to it in the future. For now, we will focus on free-form play.

What is free-form play? It's anything, really. It's chasing your dog or little one around the yard. It's a game of leapfrog. It's seeing who can climb that huge tree the fastest. It's anything spontaneous and active. It's simple (because we have to make everything complicated nowadays). It's also a huge stress reliever. Most importantly, it's FUN.

What is it not? Free-form play is not bound by rules. It isn't bound to certain age groups. It isn't time-bound. And it most certainly is not bound to a video game system. This may also be called "play" but is not. There is no imagination involved (the game designers did the imagining for you), and there is no activity beyond that of the thumbs. (Not saying occasional video game playing is a bad thing...it's just not healthy to play for hours upon hours every week)

What are the benefits? Play is not only a great physical activity, but it can also have incredible mental benefits as well. It can stir up some creativity. As already mentioned, it can relieve stress. It can rekindle a connection with the outdoors (I recently experienced this on a long bike ride to clear my head. I was incredibly stressed from work and school). Being in the sun provides a vitamin D boost (more on vitamin D in a future article). It improves mood, not only from stress relief and extra vitamin D, but also from connecting with play partners and completely freeing the mind of stress and other thoughts that clutter our conscious and subconscious all day long.

How does one play? Free-form play is called such because there are no rules, there is no structure, no boundaries. Get outside, find something you like doing (for me, it's biking, hiking, and climbing), and do it! And most importantly: HAVE FUN! It really couldn't get any simpler.