The Benefits of Applying Mindfulness to Exercise

I have addressed the idea of mindfulness and its role in fitness before. In the article "Mindfulness as a Fitness Motivator," I mentioned a scientific study on the associations of what is known as Dispositional Mindfulness with cardiovascular health, which concluded: "dispositional mindfulness is positively associated with cardiovascular health, with the associations particularly driven by smoking, body mass index, fasting glucose, and physical activity."

I also dug into a super cool scientific trial that examined the relationship between exercise consistency and mindfulness. According to the authors, “those who were successful at maintaining exercise tended to score higher on measures of mindfulness and acceptance... exercisers having greater mindfulness and acceptance are less reactive; responding with more balanced appraisals to threats to their exercise regimen which in turn promotes increased exercise maintenance.”

Another study of 62 women over six months found that those who applied mindfulness meditation practices to their daily or weekly routine had a much higher level of physical exercise and general movement, and a greater reduction in BMI, than those who didn’t employ mindfulness practices.

What is dispositional mindfulness?

The type of mindfulness that these studies looked at is generally referred to as dispositional mindfulness, and it can be summed up as a keen awareness of our thoughts and feelings in the very moment that they pop into our mind. It can also be defined as a thoughtful attunement to what is going on inside your mind and body. I like to think of it as a calm centeredness that keeps your focus on "medium alert" while still being fully present and in the moment.

I like to think of it as a calm centeredness that keeps your focus on 'medium alert' while still being fully present and in the moment.

The processing of emotional and physical sensations in this way can steer (purposefully or subconsciously) our responses and choices, which in turn can actually help us achieve goals like our ideal body weight, body fat percentage, one rep max, sprint distance, or whatever our fitness goal happens to be.

Combining mindfulness and exercise

In 2018, a Psychology in Sport paper...

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