Does A Healthy Body Promote A Healthy Mind?

The mind and body are connected and emotions play a large part in determining one’s physical status. The mind and body balance is important as it is a feedback loop and they both thrive on each other. Each of us strives hard to lose weight whereas we should be trying to maintain a healthy body and a healthy mind. Health is not only the absence of disease or symptoms. It is a state of optimal wellbeing and vitality. The modern lifestyle is causing our minds and bodies to short–circuit. However, physical health and psychological wellbeing have had a definite link from the start.

Healthy mind and body medicine is now an important part of exciting new fields such as psycho-neuro -immunology and behavioral cardiology. Since the mind and body are intricately connected, every time we have a thought, we set off a cascade of cellular reactions in our nervous system that influence all the molecules in our body.

We need to acknowledge that the relationship between the mind and the body is complex, and sometimes things start to happen at a physical level for which we don’t have an explanation. Our body digests easily when we are healthy, extracting everything that is nourished and eliminating all the bad elements. When there is a disruption in our diet, relationships or jobs which disturb our mind-body chemistry, the proper flow of energy is blocked.

In some cases, illnesses are caused by our thoughts. Human beings are blessed with an amazing potential to heal, transform their thoughts, perception and choices and the body is a magnificent network capable of intelligence. In an optimal state of dynamic balance, we need to listen to our minds and body with love and admiration and make choices that support balance, happiness and wellbeing. We suggest a few ways to promote healthy mind and healthy body as both are inseparable.

Stay Connected With Your Closed Ones

Studies show a good support network has numerous physical and psychological benefits. Social support protects against stress and has been found to be associated with longevity. It keeps you away from feeling lonely or isolated. If you have strong mental health, you will be better able to cope with stress. When individuals know they are valued by others, it is an important physiological factor in helping them forget the negative aspects and thinking more positively. If you can’t find a trustworthy friend to confide in, you can get a pet.

A study published in 2000 showed people who have close personal relationships cope better with various stressors including bereavement, job loss, and illness. At fitness boot camp in Singapore, participants take part in programs which are designed to encourage both physical fitness through exercising and mental fitness through socializing.

Get Adequate Rest

According to the Division of Sleep Medicine of Harvard, medical scientists have discovered sleep plays a critical role in immune function, metabolism, memory learning and other vital functions. When you are well rested, you can cope with stressful situations calmly. If you feel unenthusiastic or frustrated, try to get a good night’s sleep and keep your sleeping pattern in rhythm with the universe, known as circadian rhythms. In adequate sleep upsets the mind-body hormonal chemistry, weakens our immune system, contributes to weight gain and depression and speeds up the aging process.

Eat a Healthy Diet

The importance of a healthy diet can never be stressed enough. We truly are what we eat. Happy hormones, like endorphins, are released when we eat healthy, and stress hormones like cortisol are reduced. Leafy green vegetables have a pungent bitter taste but they are anti-inflammatory and burn calories that keeps both the mind and body healthy. Eating healthy has an impact on long-term and short-term health, preventing mental health problems like depression and dementia and physical health problems, like heart stroke and obesity.

Meditate Each Day for a Healthy Mind and Body

A Massachusetts General Hospital study found that as little as eight weeks of meditation not only helped people feel calm but also produced changes in various areas of the brain. According to the Mayo Clinic, meditation may help you manage the symptoms of physical conditions, such as high blood pressure, cancer, asthma and heart disease, and also manage mental health problems like anxiety disorders and depression. Meditation gives us a feeling of profound relaxation that dissolves stress and long-time fatigue. The most common forms of meditation are yoga and Tai Chi.

Stay Happy and Get a Good Laugh

Laughter is the best medicine. Laugh your heart out with your loved ones. When you hear laughter, move closer to the place and feed on the humor by being a participant in an ongoing happy discussion. A Japanese research found that when people with rheumatoid arthritis did comic storytelling, they experienced a significant decrease in pain and stress hormone levels as well as an improvement in their immune system health.

Thus, we can conclude that a healthy mind does not only promote but guarantee a healthy body as they are interconnected. Any change in the mind will undoubtedly lead to an effect in the body, and vice versa.