Physical Vs Mental Fitness
There is but one way to live life to its fullest- being fit. Understanding the benefits of all-round fitness and knowing how active you should make it easier to improve the overall quality of your life. To help you live better, here’s how you can benefit from mental and physical exercise regardless of your age, sex or physical ability.
When talking about fitness, both mental and physical fitness come into play. More often than not, physical fitness gets plenty of attention, and for a good reason. A healthy body can counter conditions such as heart disease and diabetes, and help you maintain confidence as you age.
However, mental fitness is just as important as physical fitness, and should not be neglected in your self-betterment plans.
Mental fitness means having a brain and emotional health in tip-top shape. It may not necessarily mean training to ace an IQ test, but a series of exercise that helps slow down, decompress and boost a flagging memory.
Aerobics (cardio)
Aerobics involves maintaining an increased heart rate for an extended period of time. Types of cardio exercises include running, swimming, biking, rowing, dancing, and jumping rope.
Strength
Also called Resistance Training. It’s a physical activity with the purpose of increasing muscle strength and mass. Examples include weightlifting, dumbbell and bodyweight exercises.
Balance
This is where you activate your abdominal muscles for stability and control of your body. Balance exercises can include yoga, tai chi and stability ball exercises.
Flexibility
Bragging about how much you can bench is no fun if you have trouble tying your shoes. Flexibility saves you from tight hips, hamstrings, hip flexors and makes you as strong as you can be.
Why you need to be fit and importance of physical fitness
Weight control leads you towards fitness
Along with diet, exercise plays an essential role in managing your weight and preventing obesity. To maintain your weight, the calories you are taking must equal the energy you burn. To lose weight, you must utilize more calories than you eat and drink.
Manage your sugar and insulin levels
Exercise can reduce your blood sugar level and help your insulin work effectively. This can lower your risk for metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. And if you already have one of those diseases, exercise can help you to maintain it.
Feel Happier through fitness
Exercise has been shown to improve your mood and reduce feelings of depression, anxiety, and stress. It produces variations in the parts of the brain that control stress and anxiety. It can also boost brain sensitivity for the hormones serotonin and norepinephrine, which relieve feelings of depression.
Better Mental Health and fitness
Regular exercise can have an extremely positive influence on depression, anxiety, ADHD, and more. It also relieves stress, increases memory, helps you sleep better, and boosts your overall mood. You don’t have to be a fitness fanatic to reap the benefits – browse through our site and discover how to reap these benefits.
How to Achieve Mental Fitness
Be positive with yourself and improve your fitness
Affirmation, or positively talking to yourself, involves strengthening neural pathways to bring your self-confidence, well-being, and satisfaction to a higher level. To start, make a list of your good qualities. Remind yourself that you don’t have to be perfect. Set goals for what you want to make better and start small to avoid becoming confused.
Stop Multitasking
Many think that multitasking enables you to get more things done at once, but it creates more problems than it solves. Focusing on one task at a time will improve your concentration and help you to be more productive.
Try Something Different
New practices can also set you on the way to mental fitness. You can fit new approaches into your daily life by trying new foods, new ways to accomplish routine tasks, traveling to new places or trying a new route to the grocery store.
Read More
Reading is great for your brain. Your brain processes every word you read, including this one. Beyond the mechanics, reading helps you visualize the subject matter on the pages before you, and imagine what voices sound like in the written dialogue.
This can also be a great relaxation technique
Top Fitness Tips for Mental and Physical Exercise.
General physical fitness and targeted exercises to improve stability can prevent falls. But so can staying mentally ready to maintain brain health. A sharp mind helps you to think — and stay — on your feet. Join us and learn to strike a balance.
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150 Exercises You Can Do
As a bonus, we are giving a free fitness exercise ebook to start your healthy lifestyle
Butterfly Stretch
The butterfly stretch is great in improving the flexibility in the inner thigh adductor muscles – the muscles making sure that your legs are able to draw together and aid in maintaining balance and stability. This exercise is also a great way of opening the hips. And this is most especially beneficial for pregnant women.
Time
3-5 Minutes
2-4 times per week
Muscle Group
Hips, Inner Thighs, Groin, Lower Back
Difficulty
Easy to Moderate
Fitness Type
Stretch
Safety Tips
Feeling a stretch in your muscles is normal, but you should not be feeling any pain. Slight discomfort is acceptable but not pain. If you feel pain, then release the stretch. This exercise is not applicable for those who have knee or groin injury. Consult your doctor if you want to try and do this stretch.
Number of Reps and/or Length of Time
Beginners
1-2 minutes
10 secs hold
Repeat 3 times
Intermediate
2-5 minutes
20-50 secs hold
Repeat 3-4 times
Advanced
3-6 minutes
40-60 secs hold
Repeat 4-5 times
Instructions
Focus Point: Resist the urge to twist and keep your back and shoulders as flat as possible.
Step 1
Sit on the mat with both your legs in front of you.
Start in the usual plank position, your weight resting on your forearms and your legs fully stretched. Hold for a few seconds.
Step 2
Gently pull your right foot up towards your groin and bending it until it is at a comfortable spot, and the sole of your foot is facing your left thigh.
Step 3
Go to plank position and hold.
Step 4
Gently bend your left knee to bring your left foot closer toward your groin so that it’s sole touches the sole of your right foot.
Step 5
Hold your feet together with your hands, and make sure to rest your elbows on your knees
Step 6
.With no slouching and keeping your back straight, let your knees fall towards the ground. You may wish to apply a little pressure on the inner thigh by pressing on your knees slightly using your elbows. You should be feeling a gentle pull and tension on the groin..
Step 7
Rest for 30 seconds and repeat from 2.
Fitness Tip
Choose a fitness regime that fits into your lifestyle. Though do try to make it at least 4 vigorous sessions of a minimum of 30 minutes each.
Other Exercises you may like
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