Many people set goals to improve their fitness and overall well-being with the new year. If you are looking for ways to not only get moving but also give your mental health a boost, a new study may have just unlocked the secret.
The study conducted by the University of Bath in the United Kingdom revealed that combining physical activity with practicing mindfulness can keep you committed to reaching your fitness goals and improve your mental health. The researchers analyzed the findings of 35 different published studies. The studies collectively showed a greater improvement in psychological health when mindfulness and physical activity were combined. Possible benefits include reduced symptoms of depression, stress, PTSD, and improved general quality of life.
Mindfulness can be practiced in a variety of ways and can be practiced anytime, anywhere.
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Furthermore, these studies suggest that this combination can maintain motivation you motivated in reaching your goals. Practicing mindfulness can encourage engagement in physical activity in the first place. By getting active, you promote your sense of achievement and, in turn, feel even more motivated to continue engaging in the activity. Therefore, implementing practices promoting mindfulness into your exercise schedule enables a positive cycle between mindfulness and physical activity. The team at the University of Bath has been looking at performing a larger trial to understand better the benefits of combining mindfulness and physical activity and the conditions under which this combination is most effective.
There is no doubt that physical activity can tremendously improve health and well-being. At the same time, mindfulness has been discovered as another powerful tool to improve not only mental health but physical health as well. The next time you find yourself dreading that workout, try practicing some mindfulness. It might just give you the boost you are looking for!
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