Mind and Body
Many people who want to get in shape don't realise that there is more to fitness than well-toned muscles. Scientific evidence has shown that the mind can also have a powerful effect on the body. Until recently the benefits of meditation were merely products of speculation, but now the worlds top athletes are singing its praises. From stress relief to weight loss, increased energy and enhanced sleep, focusing your mind can massively increase your fitness and chances of success.
"THE BODY ACHIEVES,
WHAT THE MIND BELIEVES"
WHAT THE MIND BELIEVES"
The benefits of meditation
1. It helps you focus.
No matter what sport you are playing, meditation has been proved to increase focus, when taking that vital shot it can be the difference between winning and losing the game.
2. You are better able to cope with pain
This is particularly true of high endurance sports when the body is being pushed to the extreme, but when others start failing meditation helps you dig in and find that extra something to help you over the line and to win the race.
3. It helps you deal with fear.
When people focus on fear it can hijack the mind at that crucial moment and can lead to many sporting errors. Meditation can help calm the fear centre of the brain known as the amygdala. This information is worth millions to the worlds top athletes but it can be just as effective to all of us no matter what level you play.
4. Your immune system will be strengthened.
No athlete can afford to be sick, if they are sick then they cannot play so athletes are always looking for different ways to avoid becoming sick. Meditation has been shown to improve and strengthen the human immune system which can help you avoid sickness.
5. It stops us from ruminating.
If you have ever lost a game then you will know how you can spend hours going over the game in your mind and this can lead to negative thought taking over the brain, this is called ruminating. Mediation is known to help re-focus the mind and to stop these negative thought from taking over and instead turns them into positive energy so that you are ready for the next game.
6. It makes you resilient.
In sport we all have to fail in order to improve and become more resilient but it goes without saying that the greatest athletes in the world are the most resilient. The reason for this is that a great many of them turn to meditation as it has been shown to help detach them from negative thoughts which are often what prevent us from reaching our goals.
7. It is great for reducing stress.
Athletes live in a high stress environment, they place themselves under a great deal of stress because they pride themselves on being the best and any failure could potentially ruin their careers. Having said that, we all live in a fast paced world these days and many of us have to deal with stress in our day to day lives at work or in the car or even having to deal with the kids. Taking a few minutes out of your day to practice meditation has been shown to greatly reduce the buildup of stress and help us deal with things in a much more calm and rational way.
8. It helps with sleep.
We all have the occasional bad nights sleep but as an athlete this could prove extremely costly and may prove the difference between winning and losing the championship. A quality night of sleep is one of the most valuable things every athlete and individual can have, meditation is a great way to unwind and to help calm the mind so aiding a better nights sleep.
Do I have the time?
Mental fitness does not have to take up a great deal of your time either, just spending a few minutes every day is more than enough to make a real difference. Simply find a quiet place to sit and then close your eyes, focus on your breathing taking deep slow rhythmical breaths while visualizing and affirming how amazing you are.
Simply follow the link to download meditation apps.
See yourself in your minds eye looking fit and healthy and achieving the goals you have set for yourself. By doing this every single day you will begin to change the way you think and before long you will develop a positive 'can-do' attitude towards everything that you do which will ultimately deliver the results you are looking for.
