Do you feel exhausted and on the edge of being able to manage your life?
Are anxiety and depression draining you?
Are you facing big changes in life that keep you tense and upset?
How we take care of our bodies is essential to creating healthy balance, more energy, and resilience as we face the challenges of life.
It is common for counselors, therapists, and doctors to treat presenting problems independently, without looking at how they are related to each other and how we live. I have been a personal trainer, working in health and fitness for most of my life. Addressing the relationship between mind and body has become integral to my counseling work
Mind/Body Science
There has been extensive data to suggest that physical activity and exercise benefit mental health.
In 2021, the John W. Brick Foundation released the “Move Your Mental Health Report” that found that out of 1,158 studies examined, 89% showed a statistically significant, positive association between physical activity or exercise and mental health.
There are a number of studies showing that physical activity and exercise are effective in treating depression, even as effective as antidepressants (Harvard Health Publishing 2/2/2021). There is now data that exercise can enhance treatment for substance abuse, self-image, social skills, cognitive functioning, and anxiety. (UCLA health 10/17/2018).
It Really Works!
From my personal experience as well as what I have witnessed in others, there is a direct relationship between healthy mind and healthy body.
- The endorphin-release that results from exercise directly translates into a greater sense of well-being.
- There is a strong interrelationship between disciplined physical activity and improved coping skills.
- Physical movement is an excellent tool for stress management.
This third point has its roots in human evolution. Throughout human evolution, the limbic system stress response (fear, rage, anxiety) was primarily a physical response to a physical danger. As most of us now live our lives where there is less physical danger, we experience this stress response from a perceived threat, such as:
- when we’re insulted
- when someone is unhappy with us
- when a job or relationship is in jeopardy
- when we’ve made a mistake
We internalize this stress and our bodies carry it. Exercise and physical movement literally allow our bodies to externalize stress, releasing it from the body so that we may return to our baseline relaxed state.
Let’s make it happen!
Together, we’ll develop an individualized wellness strategy that considers your lifestyle, schedule, strengths, and what you enjoy, to create sustainable positive change.