So you have been diligent with your fitness and exercise for a while now and everyone including yourself is starting to notice. “Wow you look great! You obviously ‘work-out’ ”… but this is really only one side of the health and wellness package. What if we placed just as much value into ‘working-in’ as we did ‘working-out’? Yes we talk about healthy body equals a healthy mind but it also works in reverse a healthy mind also equals to assisting with a healthy body including reducing stress, tension and aiding in sleep. [1]
Don’t get me wrong, we’re not reinventing the wheel here and in this day and age we are more aware the benefits of mental health and de-stressing than we’ve ever been. But there still is a bit of a stigma behind working on your mental health and stress management on a daily basis with people perceiving that you either have to be a yogi master to do so or have greater underlying issues.
So my question to you is “Do you even work-in Bro?”
The Spiel
Working-in consists of any act where you are letting yourself switch off from the stresses of the world and purposely investing back in yourself in a rejuvenating way whether this be mentally or physically.
The positives from practicing regular working in sessions are endless with effects of reducing stress and anxiety, relieving causes of neuromuscular tension, aiding in sleep patterns, rebalancing your stress hormones like Adrenaline, Cortisol and Norepinephrine, therefore having positive effects on conditions like Anxiety, Depression, Digestive Problems, Headaches, Heart disease, Sleep problems, Weight gain, Memory and concentration impairment by reducing your over exposure of Cortisol. [2 ,3]
Not to mention the effects what working- in has for your mental endurance.
So, in this video I invite you to join me on a short mindfulness session to reset your body. Find a quiet place whether it be inside or outside and play the video and follow along.
Enjoy
The Facts
90% of people need to stress less, 74% of those people reporting being overstressed from work
– Lifeline Australia
Stress whether it is physical or mental is a hormonal response from the body. Therefore, can affect multiple systems in the body and disrupt homeostasis.
Mindfulness and distressing exercises can be performed in as quickly as 5 – 10 Minutes. That’s just over .5% of your day.
The Tips
Find your Zen Man
Expose yourself to something that helps you switch off for the external distractions of the world. If meditation is not your kind of thing, try a relaxing massage, pick up a musical instrument, go to a yoga or Pilates class or even doing a float tank session.
Tune in
Add mindfulness sessions to your week. This can be in the form of body scan exercises like in my video above, or even just taking notice of how your food tastes – and I mean really break it down here… sit down and eat a meal with no distractions like TV or the radio and really dive into how good your food tastes. What are the different flavours and textures that come through.
LMAO
Laugh! It’s that simple! Go to a comedy gig, hang out with those funny people in your life and most importantly have a relationship with your sense of humour.
Hug a tree
Get out in nature. The Earths surface has a negative electric charge. When it comes in contact with human tissue it equalizes the electric charge in our body…. Think static electricity. Go and have a walk on the grass or on the beach and take your shoes off, this will help removed that wired feeling that you get. Doesn’t sound so hippy now does it.
*Please note these exercises and tips are general in nature if you are experiencing pain or any adverse symptoms please consult a medical or allied health professional
I hope you have enjoyed the information that I have shared with you in this blog and that you can use this to start taking back your physicality and wellbeing bit by bit, and not giving it all to the demands of modern society.
If you would like more information in regard to your wellbeing or would like to check out Aligned for Life Pilates Melbourne in regard to sessions, classes or workplace wellness programs click below.
Benjamin Rashleigh 