We all have times when we are not present in our own mind and body, times of “disassociation”. Disassociating can cause us to miss out on some of the really good things, or possibly ignore something of real importance about our life, relationships, or our health.
The way we react to stressors in our life can become such a habit that the reaction occurs out of awareness, until the stressor causes a physical, emotional, or psychological dysfunction that we can no longer ignore. This is typically called “tuning-out,” or focusing on something other than the problem. The way to stop the “tuning-out” process is to practice mindfulness. Mindfulness means paying careful attention to an experience in the present without letting your mind wander to other thoughts. Mindfulness means knowing what is going on outside, and also inside, your own body. There is more and more evidence showing that mindfulness can improve enjoyment, ability to cope with illness, and physical and emotional health.
Mind-body fitness is characterized as a state associated with improved muscular strength, flexibility, balance and coordination. More importantly, from a health promotion standpoint, it improves mental-development and self-efficacy. The best way to achieve mind-body fitness is by engaging in daily “mindful exercise”.
Mindful exercise focuses on the present moment and is process-oriented. Mindful exercise relies on self-monitoring of your perceived effort, breathing, and non-judgmental self-awareness rather than cues. There are typically 2 types of people when it comes to exercising - “associators” and “disassociators”. The associators are in the moment; they are in touch with their body, their breathing, and their form. The disassociators are totally unaware of their movements, breathing, and surroundings, and will try anything to be distracted from the task at hand. One of my goals is to teach all of my clients to be mindful in order to improve their quality of life.
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Mindful Exercise & Therapy
