What part does the mind play in physical fitness?

Have you been trying to lose weight using exercise without much success? The problem could be solved by simply getting your mind to cooperate. This is known as cognitive fitness.

What is cognitive fitness?
It is more of mental fitness but it most definitely plays a huge role in one’s physical fitness, shaping their ability to remember movements for example and to get into the flow. 

Being in shape and having the right mindset to do so usually have a correlation. As much as some of these correlations might not be tangible, they do exist.

Rosette did not like working out for any reason, neither did she want to shade off any weight. She was lured into working out with a group of friends. She did not want to let them do it on their own. After a few weeks, they would gather and weigh their weight. While others lost 5kgs, 4kgs, 3kgs, Rosette stayed the same even after following the same routine and same exercise plan. She could not shade off any weight because her mind was not in it.

According to Innocent Ntabazi, a psychiatric nurse, for a workout to be effective, one has to programme their mind to respond accordingly. 

How your mind affects physical fitness
Cognitive wellness can also affect physical wellness and vice versa. If the mind has issues, you may find it difficult to focus on your goals. When your body is not well (for example if you are sick), it can also affect the brain.

For instance, a person with psychosis, a condition that affects the way your brain processes information, mainly a symptom of a mental or physical illness, extreme stress or trauma, they may not be able to do things right.

Most people suffering from this illness tend to have poor judgment and rarely care about their personal appearance, according to Ntabazi.

How the rest of the body is affected 
Puerperal psychosis (a condition that happens days or weeks after child birth) can alter a person’s ability to think straight or focus on personal goals.

Ntabazi says depression and anxiety can also alter one’s thought of their physical fitness routine. Because the body is mainly guided by the brain, any disruption stunts the body.
However, it has also been shown that working out decreases overall levels of tension, elevates and stabilises mood, improves sleep, and self-esteem.

Solutions
There are many ways of managing the mental processes involved in gaining knowledge and comprehension which includes thinking, knowing, remembering, judging, and problem-solving.

Ntabazi says feeding on a balanced diet feeds the neurons in the brain that help in keeping it refreshed.

According to Harvard Health, like an expensive car, your brain functions best when it gets premium fuel. Eating high-quality foods that contain a lot of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants nourishes the brain and protects it from oxidative stress, the “waste” (free radicals) produced when the body uses oxygen, which can damage cells.
Enough rest and physical fitness, have a way of refreshing the mind and making it feel at ease.

Proper stress management (while some may share their problems, others may want to keep their issues to themselves. While the former helps relieve stress, the latter increases it).

According to Solomon Kirinya, a fitness trainer, it is a bit hard for one to motivate themselves on their own without external forces. 

This is called intrinsic motivation (when you engage in a behaviour because you find it rewarding or satisfying). You are performing an activity because you like doing it and not because you want to get something in return or avoid something unpleasant. The behaviour itself is its own reward.

There are some people who can always get the motivation by themselves but there are those who when conforming to something need external forces to achieve their set goals.
“It is just like learning how to drive. You start with an instructor and later you start driving alone,” Kirinya says

Getting examples of people who have succeeded in something of the same interest with a person helps you realise you can also do it. Through external motivation, you end up liking an activity and enjoying it without being told.
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