Is Mental Fitness As Important As Physical Fitness?

Did you know that mental fitness is just as important as physical fitness?

It encompasses your emotional, psychological, and social well-being.

Taking care of your mental health can help reduce stress, improve mood, and increase resilience.

Researchers found that on average, a person has 3.4 mental health days per month, but among those that exercise, the number of mental health days dropped by 40%.

So, how do mental and physical health work hand in hand you ask?

Research shows, exercise increases levels of dopamine and serotonin. Exercise improves and regulates the neurotransmitter levels, which ultimately help us feel better.

Dopamine is responsible for allowing you to feel pleasure, satisfaction and motivation. When you feel good that you have achieved something, it’s because you have a surge of dopamine in the brain.

Seretonin controls your mood and is responsible for happiness. It helps regulate when you sleep and wake, helps you think, maintains your mood, and controls your sexual desire. Boosting serotonin levels can help with the likes of depression and anxiety.

The mind is a magnificent, yet strange thing. The mind is stronger than your body and where permitted, will convince you you’re right, when you say “I can’t do that“, and the mind will find evidence to prove you are right.

A bit like when you get a new car and then you suddenly see that same car everywhere you go. You have brought it into your awareness and therefore you see it everywhere. So when you say you can’t do something, your mind will find the evidence to support that thought.

Ways to improve your mental fitness include exercise, mindfulness practices such as grounding, Meditation, Yoga and spending time in nature, being IN the moment.

Reducing screen time, switch off the TV, unplug from social media for a day or 2, unfollow people or groups on social media that aren’t aligned with your values and seek professional help when needed.

Turn your phone off (or at least to silent) when you are with friends/colleagues.

Reconnect with people. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs includes “love and belonging needs”. Not surprisingly, these needs aren’t being met as much today, due to a bigger connection with technology. So, reconnect with family, friends or connect with a new group of people.

Make time for people. We all know that no matter how time poor we are, we always find time for things we really want. Make time for human connection.

Just like your body reacts to too many bad foods, the mind reacts to too much negativity and toxic input. An example of this is, I had someone in the family home that found the evening news very distressing to the point it affected their wellbeing. We haven’t had the evening news on in our home for over 7 years now. The constant negative reporting made a huge impact on their mental health. By removing that particular trigger, the effects it had were removed.

Remember to prioritise your mental health and make it a part of your daily routine.

Take a step towards mental wellness today!