Healthy body – Healthy mind – As the saying goes.
But what is the science behind this idea?
While it is true that a healthy body enables us to navigate our day and partake in activities that would otherwise leave us out of breath and exhausted, is the true route to happiness a healthy body?
And is happiness the state that we all should be aiming towards?
While a happy state of mind can be obtained from working out at the gym, and as anyone who seriously seeks to reach a state of mental equilibrium realizes – a sense of meaning and well-being is just as important as the strength of our body or the sharpness of our minds.
Studies have shown that a physically healthy body supports an active and healthy mind – and studies have also proven that regular exercise is one of the best remedies for anxiety and depression.
We are social beings who have for millennia hunted and established ourselves in roles of daily physical routines. We were once nomads hiking miles upon miles through the wilderness to find new more agreeable settlements.
One pivotal study published by the “Preventive Medicine” journal in 2017 proved this theory. People with chronic physical illness are two to three times more likely to suffer from mental illness. In programs like the gym in Concord West approaches are designed to heal both mind and body.
However, physical well-being is only one part of the wellness puzzle. Contentment is a multi-dimensional complex phenomenon that differs from individual to individual.
We must have the mind of a Buddha and the body of an Adonis.
But seriously, one step at a time.
Some people find calmness and meditation and mindfulness while others need to hit the treadmill daily to find their optimum state of being. A combination of both physical exercise and mind training, activities such as yoga and other forms of controlled exercise can spell a state of emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being.
A holistic approach to a healthy body and mind is the best way forward to achieve a state of meaning and mindfulness. The advantages of a physical workout routine include the lower risk of cancers and the prevention of unhealthy weight gain. Long periods of sitting down or lying down decrease the feel-good chemicals such as dopamine in our brains that stimulate a happier state of life. It is not just the exercise itself that makes us feel good it is the neurology behind the pursuit of exercise. Working out can become a healthy addiction, and once we crave to exercise both our bodies, and relax minds each day we will find ourselves organically reaching a preferred state of consciousness.
So work towards both in tandem – a healthy body and a calm, relaxed mind are both difficult and simple to achieve but the first step is the willingness to give it a go.