How to Use Meditation to Overcome Workout Challenges
Pushing your limits can help you to reach your fitness and performance goals. But sometimes that extra push can go a bit too far, and an injury can occur. Or you may be reluctant to push and fall into a workout plateau. These challenges are common for many people who work out.
There is no perfect answer to overcoming workout challenges. Complete avoidance will cause you to slip backward, pushing too far could cause injury, and not pushing at all can result in stagnant progress. One of the better solutions is to push, but in modest increments. Pay close attention to how your body responds and adjust your routines accordingly.
Additionally, some fitness enthusiasts have learned how to use meditation to overcome workout challenges. This ancient technique has helped people who exercise in several key areas:
- Emotionally – meditation techniques settle your mind and help you to prepare for a good workout or to recuperate after an activity. Stress and anxiety can be helped greatly by meditation.
- Physically – meditation works to calm tense muscles while also promoting circulation and breathing. Improved blood flow and oxygen helps your body to restore itself and improves the healing process.
- Spiritually – many fitness enthusiasts reach a spiritual connection when combining stimulating workouts with restful meditation. This higher level connection can improve your approach to life overall and help you to handle any daily challenges that may happen.
Learning how to use meditation to overcome workout challenges can include some of these key techniques:
- Just breathe – take a few moments to listen carefully to your breathing. Fill your lungs deeply, inhaling through your nose. Then slowly exhale quietly through your mouth. Perform this technique for several breaths, simply listening to your breathing.
- Use a mantra – choose a particular word, phrase or lyric that is appropriate for your meditation. Note this can change depending on what you wish to work on for the session. Then close your eyes and softly repeat the mantra over and over for whatever time you have set. Mantras can be positive sayings such as “I am strong” or “I will rise” or they can be very specific such as “The pain in my knee is fading” or “My back is healing.”
- Try imagery – picture a positive scene in your mind, and let it play over and over while you add more detail to the image. The scene can be a tranquil view of water, a meadow, or a mountain. Or the scene could be you performing a particular exercise or activity in perfect form. Many professional athletes strongly believe in using imagery to take their performance to new levels.
The benefits of learning how to use meditation to overcome workout challenges can also include a reduced need for pain medicines and faster healing from injuries. Using devices with meditation can also help you focus on certain areas. The Marc Pro device can be used to accompany your meditation. The electrical stimuli will help to relax muscles while it helps you to focus on the areas that need attention.
Keep challenging yourself, but be attentive to your limits so you can progress and succeed.