How to Combine for Bigger Benefits

We often want to distract ourselves during workouts, but there are many benefits of mindfulness during exercise. Being mindful while you work out can reduce stress, making you feel good mentally and physically, and even improve your performance. 

When you aren’t focused on what you’re doing, you can lose the sense of satisfaction of a job well done. Your workouts may also not be as effective. Think about it. When you’re in a rush to get through your exercise routine, how careful are you with your form?

Mindful fitness can change this. If you add more focus and mindfulness to your workouts, you might get more out of them than you think.

Benefits of Mindfulness During Exercise

Sometimes, there’s a benefit to zoning out during workouts. Putting on your favorite playlist and moving your body through a simple activity you don’t have to think about—like walking or running—can be meditative. It allows your mind to roam free while your body works.

However, when you’re too distracted, you lose the connection to what you’re doing: that magical moment of feeling your own strength and power as you exercise. There’s a flow that happens when we are in the moment. This flow provides many benefits.

Better Mental Health

A small study found that when mindfulness was combined with exercise, participants showed improvements in stress, depression, and anxiety. In addition, this study found that mindful exercise can help improve sleep, which can also benefit mental health.

Another study found similar results. This one was conducted on college students and found that moving mindfully for 14 days helped improve negative affect. Improvements were also noted when subjects were mindful while standing or sitting.

Improved Physical Health

When you exercise mindfully, you may improve your physical health. For example, some research connects mindfulness with increased cardiovascular health. Subjects who practiced mindfulness had lower body mass index (BMI) and fasting glucose (blood sugar) levels.

Research published in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine adds that mindful fitness can improve breathing, heart rate, and parasympathetic activity. This includes activities such as yoga, Pilates, and Tai Chi.

Studies have also linked mindfulness with feeling more positive about your physical health, which can lead to more positive health behaviors. Put another way, mindfulness leads to greater physical health by reinforcing your desire to make healthier lifestyle choices.

Stronger Commitment to Exercise

It’s not always easy to stay committed to exercise. Yet one of the benefits of mindfulness is that it strengthens your resolve to stick to your workout routine.

At least, that’s what one study involving 266 exercisers found. The people who had higher mindfulness scores were better able to maintain their exercise plans.

Higher Levels of Satisfaction

Working out can be satisfying on its own. When you’ve done your exercise for the day, it gives you a sense of completion. You know you’ve done something beneficial for your health and that feels good.

Research has found that people have increased levels of satisfaction when engaged in mindful fitness, especially if they’ve previously had a tough time making exercise a habit. This, in turn, helps make it easier to maintain a more active lifestyle.

How to Practice Mindful Fitness

Finding flow in a world full of distractions takes some work. It involves staying in the present (without judgment), so you concentrate on what is happening here and now versus focusing on the past or future.

Have a Purpose for Each Workout 

Too often we exercise with a weight loss mentality, but exercise is a worthy health pursuit outside of burning calories. There are other purposes to exercise that have nothing to do with weight loss.

Having a purpose will give you something to focus on, something to work for and, therefore, something you can feel good about. Some examples of workout purpose are:

• To finish your planned workout
• To strengthen specific muscles (e.g., “I’m going to focus on working all the muscles in my lower body”)
• To challenge yourself (e.g., “I’m going to focus on working as hard as I can during my interval workout”)
• To work out for a certain period of time
• To work on a specific area of fitness (e.g., “Today I’m doing cardio to build endurance”)

Pay Attention to Your Body

One way to stay present is to pay continuous attention to your body while exercising. Notice the repetitive strike of your foot on the pavement if you’re running, for instance. When strength training, consciously focus on how each muscle feels as you use it.

This is not about comparing your body to the exerciser next to you. Instead, it is intended to get you to focus on what you are experiencing during the physical activity. So, turn off the music and TV and give your body your sole attention.

Remember Why You’re Exercising 

If you find yourself rushing through exercise, thinking of all the things you should be doing instead, remember why it’s important to do your workout. Reflect on why you have made exercise a priority and how will this workout help you right now:

• This workout will help me have more energy for my day.
• I’ll feel really good about myself when I finish my workout.
• I’ll sleep better tonight after this workout.
• I deserve to take care of myself and exercise is part of that.
• I’ll feel much less stressed if I exercise.

Slow Down 

Remember, you set this time aside specifically for your workout, so give yourself permission to actually do it. Take your time with each activity, each movement, particularly strength training exercises.

Focus on your form, on the upward motion, and the downward motion. Think about your posture, your core, and the rest of your body, including the muscles you are targeting.

Focus on feeling each muscle contract and relax. See just how much you can get out of your exercise time.

Remind Yourself to Breathe 

Breathing is the simplest way to deal with stress and bring you to​ the current moment. You’re exercising right now and that’s all you have to do. You’ll deal with the anything else later.

If your mind wanders during your workout or you keep watching the clock, close your eyes and take a breath to bring yourself back to the moment. Use the breath as an “attention anchor” to help you refocus.

End on a Good Note 

Remember all the good things about the workout and how good it feels when you’re done. Give yourself time to cool down and take time to stretch the muscles you worked.

If you can, take a moment to lie down at the end of the workout for a final relaxation. This is your chance to really feel the effects of your hard work.

A Word From Verywell

Sometimes, we really do need to zone out or just let our bodies go through the motions while the mind wanders. However, if you notice that all your workouts involve some kind of distraction, it may be time to make a change.

Start by being mindful during your next workout. Pay attention to what you’re doing and how it feels. Notice what it is about that workout that makes you want a distraction from it. You may discover that changing how you exercise can inspire more mindfulness and more workout satisfaction.