The Mind-Body Connection Is Real

Your body is your temple, and you only get one in this lifetime. You should wake up each day knowing that you are going to take care it through exercise and proper fuel (most of the time). When you do, you will also realize that your mind is clear, creative, and positive and that you are happy. This medical phenomenon is the mind + body connection. Your feelings, emotions, stress-levels, and events in your daily life do impact your health.

A Parent’s Typical Day:

5:30 am – alarm goes off, eat, shower, get dressed

6:30 am– get the kids up, get them fed and dressed

7:30 am– out the door, drop the kids off at school

8:30 am– you get to the office bombarded with questions, phone calls, e-mail

You work your butt off all day and eat lunch at your desk.

4:40 pm– leave work and maybe squeeze in that workout

5:30 pm– pick the kids up

6:30 pm – dinner is cooked and served, or you are at some type of kids sports practice

Next 2 hours: Do the dishes, bathe and prepare kids for bed, break up kid fights, get kids to bed

10:30 pm – Rush yourself to bed because you only get 7 hours of sleep if you fall asleep RIGHT NOW!!

It was only Monday…You will do this all over again every day for the rest of the week, and it’s exhausting and stressful.

Does this sound all too familiar? It does to me too.

Stressful daily routines coupled with not taking care of your body can lead to serious health consequences.

The Mind + Body Connection

There is a profound connection between your emotional health and your physical health. When your emotions are running on high, your body feels the stress and reacts.

For example, think of a particularly stressful day on the job. You may have sat in your chair all day dealing with issues and problems, but when you left work you felt physically drained, almost as if you had run a marathon. This is your body’s reaction to stress.

READ 5 Anti Stress Relaxation Techniques

This can also happen when other situations arise such as:

• Job loss
• Starting a new job
• Birth of a child
• Death in the family
• Divorce
• Caring for an elderly parent
• Boredom
• Financial strain
• And the list goes on…

History of Mind + Body Connection

NIH Medicine Plus states that until the 1800s doctors believed that emotions were linked to disease. They would prescribe “vacations” to sea-side resorts and other relaxing places. 

Don’t you wish those were still prescribed today?

The theory was that by controlling the emotions and keeping them in a sound state that the body would follow in health.  As medicine became more advanced and scientific discoveries were unfolding at a rapid pace, the mind- body connection was abandon, until recently.

Within the past two decades or so the mind-body connection has been revisited. Studies have shown connections between emotional and physical health.  The Center for Mind Body Medicine states that up to 80% of all illnesses are related to chronic stress.

How Mind-Body Medicine Can Improve Your Life

Mind-body medicine, usually referred to as complementary and alternative medicine, or CAM, has been put into place to alleviate stress and chronic illness. What are some of the forms of mind-body medicine? According to The US Department of Health and Human Resources, the most common forms of mind-body medicine are:

• Yoga
• Meditation
• Tai chi
• Hypnosis

Finding Your Exercise Outlet

I firmly believe that we can use other forms of exercise as mind-body medicine. For instance, some people love running. It is therapeutic for them. It helps some people to clear their minds after a busy day and alleviate stress which is what other forms of alternative medicine do for you.

What’s important is that you find a form of exercise that you enjoy whether it’s Zumba, lifting weights, running, or martial arts. When you find an activity you love, you are more likely to make it routine. Your new routine will have a healthy impact on your body and your mind. It may be hard at first, but I have never met anyone who finished a workout and said, "Wow, I wish I had not worked out today!"

Current Body-State of Americans

America is really losing the battle of the bulge. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that approximately 35% of American adults are obese.  Obesity can lead to depression, high blood pressure, diabetes, some cancers and other chronic illnesses. People immediately resort to prescription medications to “fix” their illnesses instead of changing their mind + body connections.

What do I mean by changing their mind + body connection?

What I’m talking about is a lifestyle change. First, take care of your body. The “fix” should not have to be prescription medications. A true fix would be to start exercising again; walk every evening with you children or pets or both.

Why?

Endorphins

The American Psychological Association states that exercise has both short and long term benefits. They quoted Michael Otto, PhD, a professor of psychology at Boston University, who stated, “The link between exercise and mood is pretty strong. Usually within five minutes after moderate exercise you get a mood-enhancement effect."

READ Strenuous Running and Endorphins

This is because when we exercise, our brains release endorphins that enhance our mood. WebMD states that endorphins interact with receptors in your brain and actually reduce your perception of pain. Endorphins also trigger a happy feeling similar to the feeling caused by the use of morphine. As you can see, our bodies and minds have an integral and powerful connection with one another.

When you are feeling stressed, depressed, and the problems of life are piling up on you, remember that your stress will have a negative impact on your body, it’s functioning, and its health.  Turn to daily relief in the form of exercise. Find and form of exercise that you love and look forward to. Not only will you soothe your mind, but you will soothe your body and restore your health. Your mind + body connection is the strongest connection that you have complete control over.