Why is Mind Body Connection So Important?
Can you remember the last time you woke up, didn’t reach for your phone and just took a few moments to ask your body how it was and what it needs today? If the answer is yes, then you are way ahead of the curve. Unfortunately, we have lost that connection with our own bodies, lost the connection to some basic signalling and lost the ability to decipher the clues our body throws up for us to work out. But what does this all mean?
When we don’t take the time to just be with ourselves for the first moment of the day, and we start reading emails, Instagram, ticktock, someone or something else is dictating the course of our day and how we are supposed to feel. We look to celebrities or fitness gurus to see what they are eating, and this may then become what we use to fuel our bodies. We see that someone is promoting a new type of exercise for weight loss and we instantly think this is what we should be doing that day.
What is the alternative? Wake up, pause, breathe and see how you feel. How you really feel. Are you hungry? What are you really hungry for? Do you want to move your body? If so, does your body want to walk or stretch or just sit and breathe.
Of course, there are those of us that have fitness or wellbeing goals that means we have a plan we need to stick to, but if your body is throwing out signals for you to listen to, and you ignore them they will find a way to be heard. These signals often come in the form of constant injury niggles or always feeling on the verge of a cold or illness. They also can show up in a complete lack of motivation or constant lethargy.
As with all aspects of life, we need a balance. A balance between what our mind wants (a beach ready body and quick fixes) and what our body wants (sufficient rest and proper nutritious fuel). So, give yourself a gift tomorrow morning when you wake up. Don’t reach for your phone, take 5 deep breaths in and out, do a scan of your body and ask it what it needs in that moment. Finally, throw in a thank to your body for all that it does and promise that you will listen a little more closely in the future.