08/07/2016

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7 Easy Mindfulness Exercises to

Think Your Way to a Better Body

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BY: YURI ELKAIM

(https://yurielkaim.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/7-Mindfulness-Exercises-toThink-Your-Way-to-a-Better-Body.jpg)
Note: This is a guest post from Dr. Alison Chen, ND.
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What if you could think your way to a better body? Is it even possible?
It might be.
Theres no getting around the fact that muscles need to stretch, the heart needs to
pump, and the body has to move.
However, your mind is a powerful force when it comes to your physical body and can
help you achieve your personal health goals with proper training. So perhaps, with the
help of some healthy habits (https://yurielkaim.com/healthy-habits/) and mindfulness
training, you canthink yourself to atter abs!
Think about it this way: On a conscious level we tell our bodies to get to the gym, what
foods to eat, or to go to bed.
Our unconscious mind also inuences our actions and physiological makeup and can
be just as powerful when it comes to our health and performance.

The Power of Suggestion

Just the thought of sour pickles can make your mouth salivate.
Does your nose crinkle when talking about dirty diapers?
Did you know that holding a pen between your teeth horizontally will create a smile
expression that can actually make your mood more positive?
The mindset of an athlete, no matter what level, must be trained like thebody, both
consciously and unconsciously, in order to optimally achieve their tness and
performance goals.
Endurance trains the heart, resistance trains the skeletal muscles, and mindfulness
trains the mind.
It is possible to reframe your thoughts to hep power yourself to better help.
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Here are some habits tobuilda fullbodyand mind workout that will have you thinking
your way to tness.

7 Mindfulness Exercises to Think Your Way Thin

1. Meditating

(https://yurielkaim.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Mind-Full-or-Mindful.jpg)
When it comes to training the mind, few activities have as much inuence as
meditation (https://yurielkaim.com/benets-of-meditating/).
Clearing our minds and regulating our breathing works not only to produce a sense of
calm and relaxation, but also has potent physiological eects such as promoting
muscle repair and increasing lung capacity (1
(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19254938)).

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Changing the way in which we breathe during meditation, such as with diaphragmatic
breathing, helps to activate our parasympathetic nervous system, without which our
adrenals wouldnt recuperate from daily stressors (2
(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2614656)).
Meditating is a simple way to help train your mind to inuence your body and is not
strictly for the yogi master. There are any number of ways to meditate; the when and
how to is up to you. You can meditate before bed, after a workout
(https://yurielkaim.com/post-workout-meditation/), or before an important
competition.
Remembering to take the time to breathe and center yourself will only foster better
physiological health.

2. Touching Others

(https://yurielkaim.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Hugging-Others-Can-ImproveYour-Health.jpg)

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Perhaps you dont want to hug the person next to you on the treadmill after a sweaty
run, but contact with others can improve your physiological health by altering brain
cell signaling, improving stress, and boosting your overall well-being (3
(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25628581)).
The hormone oxytocin is released in response to low-intensity stimulation of the skin,
such as with gentle touch, and it has been shown to produce feelings of well-being and
have anti-stress eects (3 (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25628581)).
These eects are due to the modulation of dopamine and serotonin, your reward and
feel-good neurotransmitters. Oxytocin can also reduce sensitivity to pain as well as
decrease anxiety.
So start hugging and kissing one another more often, although maybe shower rst.

3. Questioning Your Perceptions

How we see our world inuences how we think, feel, and act towards ourselves,
situations, and other people.
Are you the type of person who gravitates
towards gossip? Do you feel past events limit
your personal goals? Do you feel like you
have bad luck?
If so, you might be preselecting to
acknowledge and remember events in your
life more negatively, opposed to a more
accurate representation of reality.
Instead, choosing to see your world in a positive light helps train the mind and body to
accomplish goals that might have once seemed out of reach.

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Recent studies show self-induced changes in mood can increase serotonin production,
positively aecting cell signaling in the body (4
(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18043762)).
Keeping a gratitude journal is a one way to promote positive thinking, as it
helpsreinforce positive memories and experiences. Likewise, thinking about things
you are thankful for rst thing in the morning can train your mind and body to have a
positive perspective.

4.Setting Positive Intentions

(https://yurielkaim.com/wpcontent/uploads/2016/06/Setting-PositiveIntentions-Improves-Your-Health.jpg)
While I might have the intention of getting up
before the sun rises to head out for a run, if I
dont actually do it no amount of thinking will
equal the eect of my foot on pavement.
We all know that thoughts do not always lead
to action; however, setting daily positive intentions can increase productivity,
happiness, mindfulness, and overall optimism, getting you closer to your specic
health goals.
A study found that dispositionaloptimismimproved recovery from surgery and
improved coping eorts (5 (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2614656)).
Optimism was also associated with a faster rate of physical recovery during
hospitalization and rate of return to normal activities.
Finally, there is a strong positive association between level of optimism and postsurgical quality of life. Having a positive outlook can inuence our ability to bounce
back after injury or upset, helping us get back into the game.

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Both experiencing and expressing gratitude (http://www.dralisonchen.com/gratitude)

can lead to increased perceived happiness, life satisfaction, and overall well-being (6
(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23991613)).
Being able to see the positive in situations isnot only important in stressful times but
can also lower blood pressure, improve immune function, promote happiness, and
spur acts of helpfulness, generosity, and cooperation (7
(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23775470)). In addition, gratitude reduces
lifetime risk for depression, anxiety, and substance abuse disorders.

5.Accomplishing Goals
(https://yurielkaim.com/wpcontent/uploads/2016/06/Small-Wins-Lead-toSuccess-Over-Time.jpg)
Humans have a natural desire for immediate
reward, whether conscious or not. Most of us
feel good when we accomplish or complete
something and this can activate our brain
dopamine pathways, which play a role in
feelings of reward, pleasure, and motivation.
For example, while you might want to lose some weight, achieving this goal can be a
tedious journey, without immediate payo.
By breaking up large tasks (lose 20 pounds in months) into smaller, more manageable
steps (lose 2 to 5 pounds a week) we can manipulate the dopamine reward pathways,
helping to increase motivation, success and positive associations, to turn your tness
goals into reality. (7 (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18043762))(8
(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20201850)).

6. Eating Good Foods for Good Moods

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(https://yurielkaim.com/wpcontent/uploads/2016/06/Eat-Brain-BoostingFoods.jpg)
We know that our physiological body is
inuenced by the quality of food we eat, and
this is no dierent for the health of our
minds. Eating plenty of healthy, organic
produce, meats, and healthy fatsis crucial to total body health and tness.
Of specic interest is L-tyrosine (https://yurielkaim.com/n-acetyl-l-tyrosine/), an amino
acid precursor to dopamine that is involved in cognitive control and creativity (9
(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25257259)). The body also uses this amino acid
to form epinephrine and norepinephrine, important adrenal hormones.
Try including other mood-altering and cognitively supportive foods
(https://yurielkaim.com/brain-boosting-foods/), supplements, and herbs into your diet
including sh and coconut oil, magnesium, phosphatidylcholine, and Gotu kola.

7. Laughing
Even if youre not doubled over in a sincere deep, face-cramping belly laugh you can
still get a lot of positive chemical release with a chuckle.
Laughter improves immune function, increases pain tolerance, decreases stress
response (aka cortisol release), and lowers longer-term anxiety based on the Prole of
Mood States, Beck Anxiety Inventory, and Beck Depression Inventory-II (10
(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22894892)) (11
(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15068163)).
Even smiling more can have a positive benet on the body. Try this simple exercise, I
do it all the time:
Hold a chopstick or pen in the mouths horizontally to produced a Duchenne smile
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(https://yurielkaim.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Duchenne-Smile.jpg)

Mindful Exercises That Matter

Just thinking about being healthier wont make you healthier, but the power of your
mind cannot be understated as motivation and intention are what fuels any great
athlete.
When you learn to team your mind and body together to enhance your personal
tness, health, and performance, youll be surprised at what youll be able to
accomplish.

Dr. Alison Chen, ND

Dr. Alison Chen ND is the author of What Your Poo Says About You (http://www.dralisonchen.com/health-bookseducational-and-fun/), co-creator of the Naturopathic Doctor Development Center (http://www.thenddc.com/), and
winner of the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicines Humanitarian award. Her background in competitive
gymnastics, volunteer work in Africa, and honors degree in biology give her a well-rounded view to living well.
Originally from Toronto, Dr. Chen travels the world with her partner. You can learn more at
www.dralisonchen.com/insider (http://www.dralisonchen.com/insider/).

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