What is mind-body training?
Well, it really depends on who provides you with a definition of mind-body training.
To me, mind-body training is the practice of integrating mental and physical training in order to improve overall physical and mental health.
Here at Mind-Body Training, there are a couple of ways I help my clients do that, both directly and indirectly.
Let's Start With The ‘Mind’ Side of Things.
To help clients train their minds, I provide them with cognitive exercises and coaching that have been shown to decrease anxiety, lower stress, and even symptoms of low mood.
When I say provide, they aren’t always provided directly. Usually, it is done subtly through group conversations, individual check-ins, and even during live workouts and meditation sessions.
Such exercises are derived from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and my own personal experiences in dealing with and overcoming my own mental health challenges.
While the application of such exercises has been shown to improve mental health, they have also been shown to help those who practice them make better choices in terms of food and physical activity; increasing the likelihood of transforming the external (body) as a result of improving the internal (mind).
Now Let's Move On To The ‘Body’ Side of Things.
This layer is upheld by two pillars: physical exercise and nutrition.
Studies show that an increase in physical activity and/or nutritional improvements not only have positive effects on the body, but the mind too, and can result in a circular effect; an improvement in the body can indirectly lead to an improvement in the mind, and an improvement in the mind can lead to better choices regarding exercise and nutrition, which in turn can lead to a further improvement of the body and mind, and so forth.
Are The Mind And Body One?
The mind and body are not two separate entities. The only thing that separates them is their labels. The truth is, they are both one and intertwined, and one can influence and even change the other.
Therefore, to help clients with the ‘Body’ side of things, I integrate elements from the ‘Mind’ side of things, and to help them with the 'Mind' side of things, I integrate elements from the 'Body' side of things.
Using The Mind To Change The Body (actions)
For example, clients learn the practice of mindfulness meditation and are encouraged to use it not only during mindfulness classes, but also during their workout sessions for performance purposes, or at times when cravings begin to surge or spiral out of control, or when they begin to overthink the process and let their expectations run wild.
I also incorporate acceptance and cognitive reframing exercises to help clients befriend and enjoy the process of exercising and eating well, along with the ups and downs that the journey entails, making the process more sustainable in long-term as result.
Using The Body (actions) To Change The Mind
Let me share a client case study to demonstrate how this is done.
Last year a client came on board Mind-Body Training with the main goal being to overcome her struggles with motivation and the inconsistencies that came with it. Here’s what I told her to do:
‘’When the urge to cancel a session arises for the first time due to a dip in motivation, rather than cancelling, reach out to me and let me know. 5 minutes before attending it, write down your thoughts and how you’re feeling. Then give yourself permission to leave the session after the first 10 minutes if you wish. If you leave after 10 minutes or complete the whole session, sit down after it for another 5 minutes and write down how you’re thinking and feeling’’.
2 weeks later I got the text...
The client did what I asked her to do but. After writing down her post-workout thoughts and feelings, and comparing them to her pre-workout notes, she was in awe.
By changing her behaviours and doing the workout, the workout, in turn, changed how she was thinking and feeling. Prior to the session, she wasn’t in the mood, but after it, she was on a high.
This client continued to practice this exercise and worked closely with me to help her accept or reframe discouraging thoughts and emotions and take action in spite of them. Today this client is doing great and has changed her whole mind as a result of changing her actions and body.
So there you have it - this is what mind-body training is and means to me, and how I use it to help clients change their minds, transform their bodies and improve their lives in general.
If you would like to learn more about this approach via my online personal training programme, click HERE.
Coach Alan
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