7 Tips for a Mindful Exercise Routine

How many times have you heard that working out is good for you? Many times, right? Well, there’s certainly no denying the many benefits that regular exercise will offer you.

However, if we are not focused enough, any exercise routine we adopt will be fruitless because we are not putting our heart and soul into it.

On the other side, if we go for a healthy exercise routine and set a goal to stick with it, this will give us a mental boost which will help us persevere in our efforts to stay healthy through physical activity.

As a result, our immune system will be stronger and we will feel more confident in all walks of life, from our emotions, all the way to our professional career. By investing in our health today, we invest in a brighter future tomorrow.

The following 7 tips are there to create a mindset that will keep us going until we reach the ultimate goal of becoming and staying fit in the years to come.

#1. Setting Realistic Goals

One of the main reasons that people fail to stick to a preset exercise routine, even when it was created with the help of professionals, is the lack of a clear goal or goals. If you can’t answer why you are exercising, it is likely that you will give up after just a couple of weeks. You need to set realistic goals that are always one degree lower than what you can truly achieve. This way, when you manage to do those 10 desired pushups after two weeks instead of a whole month as planned, you will feel motivated to keep pushing, pun intended.

#2. Creating the Right Environment

One way to stay focused is to create an environment that will not set you off in any way. This means getting help and support from your friends, as some of them might even join you for a workout at the gym. Getting a gym membership is not mandatory but it has the power to help you stay focused as you look at other people who exercise in your vicinity. Home workouts are more convenient but they usually come with a lot of distractions that can set you off track.

#3. Morning Meditation

Speaking of staying focused, there is no better way to concentrate than being calm all the time. The pace of your life might be frantic but you need to find the right spot in your mind that will allow you to focus. If you adopt a meditation routine each morning, you will find it much easier to face the set of personal and professional challenges each new day throws at you. A 10 minute morning meditation will help you develop positivity that will generate determination to hit the gym no matter how hard or exhausting that particular day was.

#4. The Mind And the Body As One

Admittedly, it is often hard to coordinate what you feel and what your body needs. This gap is best bridged by martial arts which have this sort of peace as its core philosophy. You can find out more about mindfulness that different martial arts convey at the Fighting Report blog where you will learn how capoeira, Muay Thai, or karate affect the mind. In short, it is all about finding that sweet spot where the exercise routine will present a healthy challenge to your mindset, so it actually develops by means of physical exercise.

#5. Getting Enough Sleep

Any seasoned bodybuilder will tell you that exercising properly and eating the right food is only one-third of muscle gain. The other two-thirds are rest, which is the time that muscles actually grow. A laborious day at the gym and the food we eat are actually a signal to our organism to enlarge the muscle mass but sleep is the period when this change occurs. That is why a mindful exercise routine excludes partying and drinking all night as this activity will annul everything you have achieved thus far. Don’t deprive yourself of those mandatory 7 to 8 hours of sleep a day.

#6. The Right Diet

If you are unwilling to change your dietary habits, then all the weights you lift will be in vain. The right diet is essential when it comes to exercising, as you need to cleanse your organism from the inside and at the same time intake enough protein to enlarge your muscle mass. Citrus fruits or a “green” smoothie will boost your energy level after workout, while a protein-rich diet will provide the building blocks for your muscles. Food such as fish, eggs, and meat is rich in proteins and it will account for a healthy diet deprived of fast food that is loaded with unsaturated fats.

#7. Staying in Motion

Being fit is not a periodical activity but rather an entire lifestyle. Apart from working out, you need to ensure that you move a lot. The human body is built for motion, so sitting in front of the computer for hours on end is by no means recommendable. Instead of driving to work, use a bike and instead of using the elevator, try to walk at least a few flights of stairs. Get one of those anti-stress balls so you are constantly engaged in some form of physical activity, so you know you are leading an active lifestyle.

The Bottom Line

Think of a mindful exercise routine as something that engages both your mind and your body. Only when these two are in equilibrium will you start seeing tangible results.

There are several benefits from a regular mindful exercise routine and as we start to feel more confident, we become mentally stable and ready to face the challenges that life throws at us every day.

Springtime is the ideal period to start exercising and with proper diet and mindful exercise routines, we will ensure that staying fit is not just a wish but a reality.

About Shannon Clark

Shannon holds a degree in Exercise Science and is a certified personal trainer and fitness writer with over 10 years of industry experience.