MAXIM Gains Guru ALEXA TOWERSEY shares her tips on how to get mentally fit…
MENTAL HEALTH VS MENTAL FITNESS: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
The first definition of Mental Fitness was built through an analogy of physical fitness where it is something you build through training, and is seen as “your ability to cope with and meet the psychological demands of life, without undue fatigue or damage to your mind or body.” If mental health is your “state” of wellbeing, then mental fitness is the environment and the set of behaviors within which you cultivate it.
The Four Pillars
Just as there are four different components to physical fitness – cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility, and body composition – there are four components to mental fitness.
1. Emotional: Self-acceptance, self-esteem, resilience and the ability to manage strong emotions.
2. Social: Connection, communication and belonging.
3. Financial: Feeling in control of your finances and able to handle monetary setbacks.
4. Physical: Strong Body, Strong Mind and vice versa.
And just like training for physical gains can help prevent the body from being injured, getting those brain gains in can help prevent emotional damage – both to you and to the people around you.
The Benefits
When you are mentally fit, you feel fully functional and confident of your ability to affect your own emotional state. It isn’t that you feel happy all the time or that you never have a bad day. It just means that when you do have a setback, you are able to recognize that it’s only temporary and you don’t panic.
You’ll be better able to retain information, manage distractions, listen effectively and build more meaningful personal connections. You’ll be more likely to respond not react. You’ll have improved cognitive function and communication, increased optimism and confidence, improved sleep and an enhanced ability to develop positive habits in all areas of life. That’s a pretty handy skill set to have if you ask me.
THE MENTAL FITNESS ROUTINE: BRAINS OVER BRAWN
Usually in this column, I’m talking you through training variables; exercise selection, reps, sets, load and rest. But even though we’re not lifting weights, it doesn’t mean we can’t use the same parameters to make shit simple. We’re just going to flip the switch from Beast Mode to Least Mode.
Exercise 1: Chill Time
Frequency: Daily
Sets/Reps: 10-60 mins
Technique: Find a space free from distractions, get comfortable and just be ok with being alone. You could listen to a simple guided 5-10 minute meditation (I have both the Headspace and Calm apps on my phone), do some gentle stretching/yoga, listen to a podcast, write down some thoughts in a journal or just think of 3-5 things that you’re grateful for. This time is YOURS so do whatever it is that relaxes you and brings you back to the present.
Mental Fitness Test #1: Just Breathe!
Activating your parasympathetic nervous system by breathing through your nose can help you regain a sense of calm. Since your lungs fully expand when you breathe through your nose, you are also able to extract more oxygen from the air. Try inhaling for 4 seconds, holding for 7 seconds and exhaling for 8 seconds.
Exercise 2: Time With Friends And Family
Frequency: Weekly or fortnightly
Reps/Sets: Anywhere from an hour to a couple of days
Technique: Make a list of the people that you genuinely like hanging out with, and who make you feel good. List them in order of importance – the better you feel afterwards, the higher on the list they should be and the more time you should spend with them. Try and set regular plans with your Top 3 so you have something to look forward to.
Exercise 3: Hobbies
Frequency: Daily if possible, weekly at minimum
Reps/Sets: 30 mins minimum
Technique: Self Care at it’s simplest is finding the things you love to do and doing them as often as possible. Whether it’s “gym-ing”, golfing, driving, music or reading – find the space and time to indulge yourself. It’s the little things in life that can often bring the most satisfaction.
Exercise 4: Task-Based Mindfulness
Frequency: A couple of times per week is ideal
Reps/Sets: 5 minutes minimum
Technique: Simply focus ALL your attention on a menial task that you’re doing. It could be anything – washing the dishes, mowing the lawns or exercising. For example, if you’re washing the dishes you could focus on the temperature of the water, the smell of the detergent, the action of washing. It’s just about learning to pay attention to all of your senses in that moment. The beauty of this is that you can do it anytime and anywhere – there’s no set venue or time or equipment.
Mental Fitness Test #2: Mindful Movement
Try to complete your next training session in silence. No music. No podcasts. No distractions. All you’ll have to listen to is your body and any stories that you start telling yourself when shit gets hard. Reframe any negative thoughts that arise – you’re not struggling, you’re being challenged.
Exercise 5: The Great Outdoors
Frequency: Once a week to once a month, whenever you get the chance
Reps/Sets: 15-30 Minutes Minimum
Technique: Walk the dog, go for a bike ride, go hiking, organize a picnic, book a camping trip or just get outside and walk barefoot in the sand or grass. The key is to get out of your home or office. Try and tune in and focus on your surroundings and take some big deep breaths in the fresh air.
Mental Fitness Test #3: Baby It’s Cold Outside
Aside from the many physiological benefits, exposure to cold has been shown to increase the blood level and brain release of norepinephrine – an adrenal hormone that can help people feel more ‘up’ naturally. If you don’t have any previous experience, start slow. When you’re done with your normal shower, finish with ten seconds of cold. If you don’t feel comfortable exposing your chest to the ice-cold, aim the shower head only at your feet. When you get used to the feeling, make it thirty seconds and go for your chest. Once you are more comfortable, embrace it with your full body and aim to stay under the water for two minutes. Try it first thing in the morning and you’ll have already overcome a challenging task before your day has even started, which will help set you up for success.
ABOUT ALEXA
“Action Alexa” is an internationally published celebrity trainer, sports model and nutrition and lifestyle coach with over 15 years’ experience in the health and fitness industry, and has worked with NZ’s world champion rugby team, the All Blacks. She has qualified for the Ironman 70.3 World Champs and was named as one of the Five Toughest Trainers in Asia during her seven-year stint in an MMA gym in Hong Kong.
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