How mind exercises can boost your physical health

Most people are aware of the benefits of physical exercise, such as increased energy and improved wellbeing. But, not all are aware of the benefits of mind exercises. However, it's much more interesting to think about how mind exercises can boost your physical health. Just like there are physical exercises to keep the body in shape, mind exercises keep both the mind and the body in shape, and even guarantee excellent physical health.

Read on to find out the different types of mind exercises you can engage in and how these can boost your physical health:

Types Of Mind Exercises

• Meditation 

Meditation is a mind exercise that’s effective in increasing your awareness and focus. It’s also therapeutic for both the body and mind. It’s often encouraged for people facing anxiety and stress to take some time off to meditate. 

During meditation, you’re asked to be in a sitting position, close your eyes, and open your palms up, like you’re receiving a message. 

• Self-Hypnosis

This is another form of mental exercise that can increase your self-awareness. If you engage in self-hypnosis often, you’ll be training your brain and improving your neural pathways. You can even engage in hypnosis for quantum healing of your mind. Some ways you can self-hypnotize are to either engage with nature or listen to types of music that can relax you. 

If you’re engaging nature, all you have to do is to practice the act of breathing in and out while you focus on just one beautiful nature's gift. It could be a butterfly, a waterfall, a flower, or a mountain. Keep your mind and attention on it while you actively breathe in and out.

• Socialization

This is, perhaps, the most common type of mental exercise. Engaging your mind in active and intelligent conversations with friends and colleagues has a way of developing your mind, relaxing you, and increasing your mental energy. 

• Learn A New Skill

Staying in your comfort zone is safe, but unchallenging. One of the things you can do to challenge your mind and exercise it differently is to expose your mind to a new skill. A new skill will actively increase your mind power, build your doggedness, increase your alertness, and, of course, your achievement makes you happier.

 A new skill you can learn to exercise your mind is to train your non-dominant hand to be effective. This will take some time, but, with it, you could successfully stretch your mind.

• Dancing

Dancing is one of the best mind and physical exercises you can engage in. Not only does it leave you all sweaty, but it also clears your mind and activates your energy. You can simply play your favorite music and dance to the tune.

• Yoga

Yoga is an active mind exercise that helps both your body and mind to stretch. The only difference is while your body can only stretch to its limits, you can stretch your mind limitlessly, although the perfection to this comes with frequent exercise. 

Through exercises like yoga, you can get your mind in a very relaxed place where it can boost your mind and body at the same time. Yoga has been known to help with physical healing, so it makes sense that it would have an effect on your physical health as well.

These are some of the yoga exercises you can engage in, especially if you’re a beginner: the tadasana pose, also known as the mountain pose, stand backbend, and the child's pose, among many others.

How Mind Exercises Can Boost Your Physical Health

1. Reduce Anxiety

Mind exercises, like the ones mentioned above, have been proven to reduce anxiety. How does mind exercise reduces anxiety?  It distracts your mind and body from the object of your anxiety. Practicing stretching exercises, like yoga, reduces the body muscle tension and help the body to relax. And, of course, regular exercise helps your body become resilient when faced with strong emotional situations.

2. Improve Memory and Faster Comprehension

It's no longer news that a healthy mind is a sharp, retentive mind. Engaging in mind exercises, like dancing or learning a new skill, will engage your mind actively. Being consistent in actively using your mind will help your brain cells retain information faster and better. The release of serotonin in the brain helps the mind to stay clear, as well as improves memory retention. With meditation or self-hypnosis, you can train your mind to focus on a thing and even note the details of such a thing effortlessly. 

3. Resilience

Nothing builds resilience and resolve more than continuity in mind activating exercises. The result of continuously engaging your mind in exercise is that you exercise your will into resilience. You can tell your mind you’re achieving this, and then go for it till you achieve it. Constant mind exercise will give you the strength and willpower.

4. Better Sleep

Sleep is sweet when the day's work is over. But, that’s for those whose minds are clear and free, without unnecessary clutters. Mind exercises help you de-clutter your mind and calm chaotic thoughts so you can have better sleep, not just at night, but anytime you choose to rest.

5. Improve Energy Level

Actively engaging in mind exercise restores your energy level instead of decreasing it. When doing mind exercises, you get to preserve your physical energy while increasing or refueling your mind energy.  

Your mental clarity and focus will increase the supply of mitochondria to your brain, increasing your energy level. The more energy you have, the more you can smash your daily goals and feel more fulfilled.

How Mind Health Directly Affects Your Physical Health

The mind-body connection works such that when your mind is healthy, your body will be healthy. When your body is devoid of anxiety, you worry less; also, your blood pressure is healthy and maintained. Socialization makes you laugh more and keeps you looking physically younger. Dancing won’t only improve your mood, but will also tone your leg muscles, and help you maintain or achieve mental clarity. 

Likewise, yoga, meditation, and self-hypnosis keep your mind focused, clear, and retentive. This means you become more mentally alert to your surroundings, engage in deep, rich, and meaningful conversations, and, of course, you’ll generally be a more productive person. 

Conclusion

Without a doubt, everyone needs to have an active and healthy mind for overall health. Mind exercises are a sure way to keep your mind active. Practicing mind exercises, like meditation, self-hypnosis, yoga, or even dancing, will do a lot to improve your mental health, which will positively impact your physical health. It'll also reduce anxiety, improve your energy level, improve your memory, increase your resilience, and, of course, it guarantees better sleep.