Despite the clear distinction between mind and body, our mental and physical health are connected. The human body is essentially a well-oiled machine. If you think of it as a car, then you can see how our physical state can impact on our mental wellbeing.

For instance, a car with worn out wheels will consume much more fuel to slow down even though the wheels and the engine are two entirely different parts of the vehicle. Similarly, with us humans, our bodies can dictate how our minds feel and vice versa.        

Our physical health can impact on our mental health in a positive way and in a negative way. If you eat a balanced diet consistently, then your physical state will improve and so will your mental health. If you are a chronic smoker, your physical state deteriorates and eventually so does your mental wellbeing. Let’s look at some clear-cut examples of physical health affecting mental health.      

Exercise and Depression      

Physical activity has great benefits for both the body and mind. For the body, it yields better overall fitness and helps build muscle mass, making us stronger. For the mind, exercise increases activity in the frontal lobes and increases the brain’s uptake of endorphins, which are otherwise known as feel-good hormones.      

Physical exercises improve our physical state, but they also have a great impact on mental health. In fact, exercise is considered the best natural antidepressant because of the effect it has on the mind. Exercise improves our physical health, and our physical health positively affects our mental wellbeing. Better physical health enhances confidence and self-esteem, and this can uplift a depressed individual’s mood considerably.      

Depression and Chronic Illnesses      

On the flip side of things, poor physical health is detrimental to our mental health. A study conducted in 2009 on patients with chronic heart disease discovered that 22 per cent of the subjects had mild depression. 17 per cent of the participants were even taking antidepressants. At the end of the study, the researchers concluded that poor quality of life brought on by chronic illnesses can cause depression.

This conclusion was echoed by one professor from the Institute of Psychiatry in London. Professor David Goldberg noted that chronic illnesses put people at higher risk of depression. Interestingly, he also stated that depression could cause some chronic physical illnesses, saying “depression and chronic illness [es] are in [a] reciprocal relationship with one another.”      

Poor physical health is often a precursor to mental illnesses, but the reverse is also true. Let’s look at how our mental health can impact our physical state.      

Stress and Chronic Illnesses      

Psoriasis is a chronic skin disease that affects millions of people worldwide. This condition, which is characterized by the development of flaky sores on the skin, is triggered solely by stress, making it a prime example of how poor mental wellbeing can affect our physical state.      

85 percent of psoriasis patients are irked by their condition. One in ten contemplate suicide, and one in three feel shame and humiliation over their condition. This shows us the profound impact our mental health can have on our physical wellbeing, but it is also a clear example of how something like a bad skin condition can cause depression and even promote suicide.      

Physical stress has just as bad an impact on mental wellbeing, which is why many professional athletes suffer from mental illnesses at some point in their careers. Retired athletes often fall into depression due to the sudden shift in routine at the end of their careers. Their bodies are adapted to strenuous training schedules, and the sudden switch to sedentary living often instils them with a sense of hopelessness and lost purpose.      

Our physical and mental health are tied to one another in complicated ways. What we know is that they can both impact on each other positively and negatively. Many chronic illnesses are predated by mental illness, but our mental health also suffers significantly when our bodies undergo a prolonged period of illness. The two are cyclically linked, so your physical health is just as important to your mental wellbeing as your mental health is to your physical state.

Mayfair, we care

The main reason people fail when starting a get fit program is they do not set daily goals and targets. Not having something to work towards results in failure to follow through with exercise plans and diet changes.

However if you are looking to improve your health and well-being by starting a get fit program, then all you need to succeed is to have some simple goals and targets. All that is required on your part is some planning.

Starting a get fit program can be made a lot easier by following these simple steps:

Good habits

Decide to make diet changes and exercise daily considerations. Experts say over and over again that diet and exercise go hand in hand. This doesn't mean that you have to go on a restricted diet for the rest of your life. It simply means that you need to watch what you eat.

Control your portions and limit your fat, sodium, cholesterol and sugar intake. In addition some form of exercise that you enjoy is ideal. Schedule this into your routine daily if possible or at least three times per week.

Exercise when it suits you. Include your workout when it works for you. If you find getting up and exercising first thing in the morning works best for you then do that. Or if you prefer to fit your exercise in at lunchtime or when you get home at night then that’s fine too.

As long as it works for you then that is what is important. Make sure however, do not substitute exercising for a meal, if you choose to workout in the morning make sure you still eat a healthy breakfast. The same applies at lunchtime and dinner. Remember you must eat a healthy diet for the best results.

Enjoy it

Exercise can be something you enjoy. Exercise does not need to be boring. You may find you enjoy going to the gym or doing a fitness DVD at home. Outdoor activities may be your thing.

Cycling, jogging, hiking, dancing and even gardening are great ways to lose weight and get fit. When starting a get fit program it is important to choose something you will really enjoy doing, so remember that fitness can be fun so try to keep things interesting.

Fill your cupboards with healthy foods and snacks. If you find you are tempted by unhealthy foods and snacks then ban them from your home. If they are not available you cannot be tempted.

Instead stock up on fresh fruits, vegetables, raw nuts, yogurt, low fat cheeses, lean meats, whole grains and rice. Watching what you eat is the best way to get the most out of your fitness program. Also eating the wrong foods will make it harder to lose weight which may actually knock you off track and lower your motivation.

Water

Drink at least 8 glasses of water per day. We need to drink water in order to maintain proper bodily functions. As our bodies are mostly made up of water we need to regularly top up water levels to keep our bodies functioning at their best.

Drinking 8 glasses of water a day helps to flush out toxins and improve metabolism. Try to stick to clean filtered water and avoid sugary sodas, juices and teas and coffee.

Common Mistakes People Make In Their Fitness Program

1/ Reducing sleep time to do exercise.

A busy life makes people have little time for activities besides work including doing exercise. Many people decide to cut down their sleep time so that they can have more time to exercise. It is not good if your sleep time is reduced to less than 6 or 7 hours per day. Shortage of sleep may cause many problems relating to your health that badly affect work, your studies and others. 

2/ Overdoing it the first time

This is one of the biggest and most common mistakes in doing exercise. When starting out, many of us are usually eager and have the tendency of doing too much of it. This can cause some injuries for your muscles or bones. Specialists advise that you should increase the intensity gradually each day so that your body can get used to it. When doing exercise, the duration and the regularity are more important than the intensity.

3/ Exercising when you are hungry

To save time, many people go to the gym right after work. After a long working day, you will be very hungry in the afternoon. Doing this will make you feel exhausted and the exercise is not as effective. As a result, you will not gain good results. However, you should not do the exercise right after having a meal or you may get a stomach ache as well.

4/Wearing clothes that are too tight.

In order not to feel comfortable during exercise, do not wear tight clothes. Wearing those clothes in doing exercise is not good for your health. It may tighten your blood vessels and prevent blood from circulating. Further more, tight clothes also make it difficult for you to do some movements like raising your legs, spreading your legs wide apart, etc.

When starting a get fit program the above tips can be helpful to you. Try to remember your goals and what you have set out to achieve for the day. This will make exercise and getting fit a whole lot easier.

Remember, Mayfair cares.

Most of us are do our best to work hard to keep ourselves fit.

No one denies the fact that being fit is important as our bodies will function more efficiently and effectively with the stresses and strains of today’s lifestyles. Most of us set personal, physical and business goals, but how are we able to track our physical ROI’s and progress?

In this article, we dig deeper to understand what the role of fitness trackers are and how they can impact our physical fitness.

What is a fitness tracker?

A fitness tracker is a wearable device that records the daily physical activities of a person together with other data that fitness related such as heart rate, the number of calories that have been burned and even your temperature.

Do fitness trackers really help??

There are many different fitness trackers that have been designed for different purposes and roles. For instance, some people use it to:

·        Reach the fitness goals they have set

·        Track their sleep

·        Monitor their heart rates

·        Motivating Partner

·        Swimming and Diving

Depending on your budget and purpose, it’s best to buy a fitness tracker that will suit your. 

1) Monitoring heart rates

During your workout sessions, a fitness tracker is best known to collect data and even as you sit down to rest or relax. The tracker will not stop but still continuing to collect data monitoring your heart rate and enabling you to monitor the exercises that are best for you and your heart.

2) Reach fitness goals set

It’s always a good practice when you start by first jotting down the purpose you want your tracker to help with. The purpose could be tracking sleep, losing weight or even bodybuilding. There is a brilliant sense of accomplishment when physical and fitness targets are reached and this will encourage you on to the next goal, and the one after that.

3) Tracking Sleep

Sleep. The scourge of modern day society – how much is enough?

When you are sleeping, or resting, the rate of success in your fitness program is optimized by having a good and quality sleep. This will enable you to adjust your lifestyle accordingly from a position ofknowledge rather than guesswork.

4) Motivating partner

To some, they see a fitness tracker as a strict coach and friend. You can see and be aware of the effectiveness of your efforts during your workout routine as you will be able to view the results of all your activities. You’ll be able to set smarter goals later by the help of this information.

5) Swimming and Diving

Through water resistant fitness trackers, swimmers are able to obtain details of their swimming efficiency and pace as the tracker can record the number of strokes they make as they swim. This helps swimmers monitor their fitness programs too.

Is 10,000 a magic number? 

10,000 being a magic number has been a debate for quite a long time. Some believe it is while others it is not. For instance, the people in Minneapolis believe in the popular goal of walking 10,000 steps a day. According to Heather Brown (CBS Minnesota's ), she reports that the number is not new but is an arbitrary figure.

Stephanie Helgeson who is an exercise physiologist with Allina Health’s Milton M attempts to answer how many steps we should take a day. A target of 10,000 paces per day is roughly equivalent to 5 miles and such a target is aimed at inspiring people to sit less and walk more.

The fitness tracker acts as your activity conscience sitting on your wrist.

In conclusion we believe that fitness trackers are a positive force for monitoring your activity but do buy one that suits your budget then set your personal short, medium and long term goals and make accountable activity a habit in your life. 

And remember, Mayfair cares.

Reference 

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/is-10000-steps-a-day-the-magic-number-for-fitness/