 | Sally Beckett
is a 25 year veteran in the fitness and health promotion field. Sally has a Bachelors degree from Wichita State University in Physical Education and has worked for Health Strategies at Wesley Hospital sinces 1985. She sits on the Kansas Council on Fitness and currently works with a new state wide coalition called LEAN 21 (Leadership that Encourages Activity and Nutrition for the 21st century). Both the Council and coaltion promotes and works to improve the health of all Kansas residents. You may contact Sally at (316) 733-8384. |
Fitness
2002-12-01 11:12:00
Mind and body?
ANSWER: Mind/body exercise is that connection between one's thoughts, emotion, attitudes, and behaviors that will in turn affect the body's ability to function. Mind/body exercise has also been characterized as a state associated with improved muscular strength, flexibility, balance and coordination. One can see that there are several similarities between the two. The main difference would be that mind/body exercise requires a nonjudgmental view of self and a self -focus that includes attention to breathing while creating a 'muscle sense.' Nearly any exercise method can mix mindfulness with physical activity, all anyone has to do is watch Tiger Woods putting for birdie in a major golf tournament or Michael Jordan shooting a free throw in a championship game. These two players are great because they connect their mindfulness and intense focus with their physical abilities. However, mind/body exercise incorporates a specific mindful or meditative mindset to generate a temporary self-state or inwardly focused contemplative state. One form of mind/body exercise is yoga. Yoga is an ancient form of physical and mental exercises designed to balance and unite mind, body, and spirit. By balancing your body, you'll learn to focus your mind, which in turn will improve your health and spiritual well being. In other words coordinating the breathing with the poses and strong concentration is in itself a form of meditation. These relaxed contemplative states have shown health improvements; however, a well balanced fitness program including aerobic training and muscular strength training and a mind/body program will improve one's health even more. Before beginning any new exercise program one should always check with their doctor and make sure a qualified instructor is teaching the class.
