Mind and body fitness

As I cover a lot of issues on health and wellbeing, I wanted to stress the importance of working out for the body and the benefits it holds, not only on the physical aspect, but how physical fitness works for the mind itself.
From a young age, I have used the power of various physical activities to help get me through some major hurdles in life. I used the expression of dance to help me go into a meditative state of mind and also take myself into a trance. Even when I work and perform for others professionally, it has become so natural, that I just zone out, switch off and enjoy the moment of it all. So whether I am out performing or enjoying myself, I am working on my physical and mental wellbeing, without it being an actual chore.
With my other interest and sport of martial arts, I can let off steam and allow any stresses to worked off through the skills acquired in kickboxing techniques. This sport, just like dance, works on stamina, balance, co-ordination skills, improves strength, and most definitely gets those natural feel good endorphins going, which are chemicals produced by the body to relieve stress and pain.
My other major long term sport was weight training. I started this at nineteen years old, and never looked back. It made me want to eat super healthy in order to gain stamina, strength, with improved muscle tone for power. This would aid both the dance and the kickboxing power.
When I work out in the gym with weights, I actually enjoying my own, as it allows me time to think clearly and out of the box, as it were, where ideas and or possible solutions would just flow. Some of my best and most important decisions have been made whilst weight training, so once again, I was improving physical power and mind power.
My aim here is to explain that one does not have to be or live in the gym to be physically and mentally fit. I use my kickboxing as a warm up followed by some weight training twice a week. Job done!
The dancing is just whenever I can, at home listening to music, out socialising, or whenever dancing and performing professionally.
All that is needed is to find a few varied physical activities that you enjoy and will drive you to want to do regularly a few times a week. You will then be exercising both mind and body naturally without force and duress.
Exercise can help provide a sharper memory and thinking. Those same endorphins that help you feel euphoric also help you concentrate and feel mentally sharp for any tasks. Physical activity also stimulates the growth of new brain cells and helps prevent age related decline. Exercise improves mental health by reducing anxiety, depression and negative mood. It can help improve self-esteem and social withdrawal.
Exercising for 45-60 minutes has been shown to work more effectively than shorter exercise periods. This is because endorphin release is linked to continuous exercise and endorphin release occurs after 30 minutes of exercise.
Working out regularly for 4-6 weeks starts to show radical improvement before the full anti-depressant effect of exercise kicks in. So it is essential to keep at it and don’t give up, no matter what combination of activities are chosen.
Endorphins, known as the body’s natural ‘feel good’ chemicals, stimulate feelings of pleasure, wellbeing and pain relief, a great balance to a happy life. Endorphins act on the opiate receptors in our brains, they reduce pain and can boost pleasure. They are released in response to pain or stress but they are also released during other activities like exercise, eating or sex. With high endorphin levels, you feel less effects of stress, this should also help one sleep better, thus feeling refreshed and energised physically and mentally.
Get active!
Love and Sparkles
Samsara x