Could mindfulness boost the benefits of your workout?

Research suggests we need to focus more on the moment while we exercise, discovers Kim Jones

Who doesn’t want to feel healthier and happier this year? So we should pay attention to the findings of a study from the University of Bath, which suggests combining mindfulness with exercise could be the key to success.

It’s well known that exercise can bring significant psychological benefits, such as reduced anxiety and worry.

And studies have shown that mindfulness – the practice of being intentionally present in the moment and staying connected to your body and surroundings – can boost mental health in similar ways.

But this latest research, published in the academic journal Mental Health and Physical Activity, is one of the first to show how the positive mental and physical health effects of both exercise and mindfulness can be increased when the two are combined.

The findings suggest mindfulness can motivate people to take up exercise in the first place, and make them more likely to stick at it by helping overcome minor pain, discomfort or feelings of failure when the going gets tough.

“There is a huge potential to use mindfulness to unlock the positive benefits exercise can bring,” says University of Bath psychologist and behavioural scientist Masha Remskar. She conducted the study with support from the Medito Foundation, a non-profit organisation that provides free mindfulness resources.

“Mindfulness is an approach that can help us ‘train up’ the psychological strengths we need to exercise and be more in tune with our bodies. For example, it can boost our motivation, make exercising more interesting and help us recognise its benefits, all of which will keep us coming back to exercising time and time again.”

“This may be because becoming more mindful prompts us to think differently about our lifestyle and makes us more accepting and less judgmental of our own shortcomings, which can help to build lasting healthy habits.”

So how else can staying in the moment bring benefits to your fitness?

Mindfully tuning into your body and feelings can be an important factor in inspiring people to take up – and maintain – an exercise habit.

“Take the time to familiarise yourself with mindfulness and discover your motivation,” advises Masha.

“Doing a few sessions of mindfulness by itself – 10 minutes per day for one week – will help you tune into your body and consider your reason for wanting to be fitter and healthier. For example,will it help you spend more quality time with your loved ones? Get back into a hobby or sport you used to enjoy? Be more independent and confident in your day-to-day life?”

Mindfully tuning into your feelings before, then after, exercise can also help keep you motivated. For example, if you take the time to mindfully notice that exercising makes you feel physically tired and achy, but proud of yourself and happier, you’re more likely to stick at it.

Try the free Medito app’s 30-day Getting Active course, which contains 30 10-minute mindfulness meditation sessions. It aims to help people get into the habit of exercise and explores everything from emotional awareness to motivation, rest and resilience. Get it at meditofoundation.org.

Mindfulness requires training your mind to focus on the present, so you can be in the moment, and forget about past stresses, or any apprehension about the future.

When practising mindfulness or ising, the breath is your constant companion and something that you can focus on,” says Masha. oing a few mindful breaths before ercise session will help bring you he present moment and escape worries or concerns, which will e the exercise session more shing and effective.” mply breathe in deeply through your nose, filling your lungs, and exhale slowly through the mouth. Repeat this a few times. As well as clearing your mind, deep breathing like this delivers oxygen and nutrients to your muscles allowing them to perform at their best during exercise. It can also help improve lung capacity and reduce fatigue and soreness after exertion.

“Once you master mindful breathing, you can then apply it to any activity you wish – whether it be structured exercise, or a hobby like gardening.”

If you find your mind wandering to worries during your activity session, simply bring your focus back to your breath to shift you into the present.

Mindfulness helps you pay attention to your body and how it moves as you do any exercise, says Masha.

“Try mentally scanning down your body, noting which muscles are active at which time,” she advises.

“Focusing on what your body is feeling and how it moves will keep you engaged in the activity, as well as alert to keeping good form. This will make the time you spend exercising more productive and protect you from injury.”

Try being completely in the present during your next walk or run. That means ditching the headphones for some, or all of it, and not focusing on things like your speed, how far you’ve run or trying to beat your personal best.

Instead, try engaging first with your body – concentrate on how you’re breathing, how your feet strike the ground, or how your arms are swinging.

Then expand your awareness: notice sensations like the air or sunshine on your face, listen for sounds like birdsong or any water flowing nearby.

All of these things can help you feel anchored and more grounded, and make your walk or run more enjoyable, which means you’re more likely to keep going. One study found that mindful exercise like this could boost your endurance so you’ll have more stamina to go further, too.

ADDING APPRECIATION

Expressing gratitude is a big part of mindfulness.

According to the Medito app, when it comes to being physically active and trying to build more movement into your life, being thankful for your body and all it can do is a really important start.

It can help you appreciate what it’s capable of and may make you more motivated to take care of it with exercise and to challenge and strengthen it in new ways.

Try regularly expressing gratitude with a “body scan”.

Thank your legs for the strength they have to carry you around, your torso for balancing you and your feet for grounding you and facilitating every step you take, for example.

DETERMINATION DESPITE DISCOMFORT

Lots of us give up on exercise as it just feels too painful or too much of an effort to break through barriers.

“When you’re exercising, getting out of breath or feeling your muscles aching can be a good thing – it means that you are pushing your limits and getting fitter,” says Masha. “Try mindfully noticing your efforts and reminding yourself this is the path to progress.

This will let you push through the tougher parts of each workout, making you progress faster.

“Not all discomfort is good, though, of course – be careful of any sudden or sharp pain that could signal injury.”

STOP SELF-SABOTAGE

If you find yourself falling off the exercise wagon, it’s tempting to react with self-judgment and tell yourself things like, “I’m not good enough”, or, “I never see things through”.

But these can sabotage your will to get back on the exercise wagon and stick at it.

Mindfulness can help you persevere because it involves adopting an attitude of acceptance and non-judgment and being compassionate towards yourself.

“So, if we miss a session or fall short of expectations, mindfulness teaches us to note this shortcoming, but not judge ourselves for it,” Masha explains.

It can encourage us to compassionately accept the situation, recognise that setbacks are part of the journey and to shift our focus on to the progress we’ve made and to celebrate our efforts, no matter how small.

By being more sympathetic and understanding to ourselves we can feel more motivated to keep trying, show up again next time, and gradually build a long-term habit of exercising.

“Chasing perfection is hardly conducive to a long-lasting habit, whereas continuing to show up and rewarding progress along the way certainly are,” she says.

FLOW FINDER

“Flow” is described by psychologists as a positive emotional state of effortless concentration, complete focus and enjoyment where you become fully immersed in what you’re doing, and so absorbed in the activity that you aren’t distracted by anything else, including mental chatter, stress and worrying thoughts.

Periods of regular mindfulness can help train your brain to focus and be fully present in the moment and help you to achieve “flow”.

The advantage of being in a deep flow state while you exercise? It can get rid of self-doubts, so you’re not worried about failing, or being perfect. That means you’ll probably feel more comfortable doing the physical activity so more likely to return to exercise.

Research suggests achieving flow is a feeling that can last long after the activity, helping you achieve a general sense of wellbeing and fulfilment.

‘‘ Engaging with your body could boost your endurance and stamina