Wealden Times | WT233 | October 2021 | Kitchen & Bathroom supplement inside

Wellbeing
The Thought
that Counts
Sarah Maxwell takes a closer look at
mindfulness and its role in exercise
The health, fitness and wellbeing
industry is ever-changing,
over the years we have seen
many things come and go, but
mindfulness practice is here to stay.
Mindfulness is about being aware
of where we are and what we’re doing,
and not overly reactive or overwhelmed
by what’s going on around us.
Research is continually showing
that with mindfulness training you
can actually change the structure
of your brain for the better.
While mindfulness is something we
all naturally possess, it’s more readily
available to us when we practice on
a daily basis. Whenever you bring
awareness to what you’re directly
experiencing via your senses, or to
your state of mind via your thoughts
and emotions, you’re being mindful.
And there’s growing research showing
that when you train your brain to be
mindful, you’re actually remodelling
the physical structure of your brain.
What is mindful fitness?
In the simplest of terms it’s
about actually listening to what
your body needs whether it be
nutrition, exercise or rest.
We all know that we need to eat well,
move more and take time for ourselves
in order to obtain and maintain the
healthy lifestyle we want and need.
For many of us these seem like an
impossible task – time spent running
around looking after everyone, work
and family commitments all get in the
way in our quest for a healthy lifestyle.
So how do we go about
doing fitness mindfully?
Let’s say you like to go out for a
regular run, cycle or swim; you
attend exercise classes, go to the
gym or workout at home.
1. Before you start your exercise
or activity take a few moments to
enjoy a few deep breaths and set
the intentions of what you want
to achieve or feel when you have
finished. This is something I have
done with athletes for many years,
but it is also one of the things I have
implemented for my clients and
the results speak for themselves.
2. Listen and breathe. Take a few
moments to notice everything around
you – sounds, smells – notice your
surroundings and take it all in. If you’re
used to wearing headphones or listening
to music, consider taking them off for
a few moments, breathe and listen.
3. Observe how you feel physically
and acknowledge aches and pains
or difficulties and work out whether
your emotions are good or bad.
4. When you have finished whatever
activity you have chosen to do, pause
for a moment, take some deep breaths
and reflect on your achievements,
however big or small. If you’re like me
and struggle with meditation – unable
to have a blank mind for more than
5 seconds because your to-do list is
huge – as soon as you’re aware that
your mind has drifted, just bring
your mind back to the present.
Thoughts like this are OK and
completely normal, Give mindfulness
a go and see what it can do for you.
Start small and smell all the roses!
If you would rather try some guided
mindfulness/meditation there are many
options to explore. These are the two
I currently use. Both have free trial
periods, so it’s worth seeing if they
would work for you, too. I’ve been
using the CALM app to help me sleep
at night and it’s working well for me:
calm.com. Headspace is another
good one I’ve tried, which is worth
checking out: headspace.com.
Sarah Maxwell is a multiple awardwinning
Fitness and Lifestyle coach
and mum of two who juggles a lot
of balls. Find out more about Sarah
and her work at sarahmaxwell.com
Sarah shares her Fitness and Lifestyle
tips on Instagram @sarahmaxwelllifestyle
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