Part of our mission at Breakthrough is to help people improve their lives by building strength of body, mind, character and spirit. We believe true health and fitness integrates all of those elements. Since May is Mental Health Awareness Month, we wanted to share some of the ways we see mental health positively impacted in our members.
1. Exercise - Yes, of course this is at the top of our list, but with such a large amount of research to support the mental health benefits of exercise, it should come as no surprise! Participating in regular physical activity can help reduce anxiety and stress, help treat depression, and increase your mental clarity and ability to focus. In addition, when you are following a training program that allows you to progress your skills over time, there is a tremendous boost to your self-confidence and satisfaction when you get to see your abilities improve.
2. Community - Humans need to be connected to other humans. Even the less extroverted amongst us need human interaction, and places we feel welcomed and understood. When we were navigating the challenges of the pandemic, finding ways to stay connected with our community was top priority because we knew isolation was having a profound negative impact on so many of us. We love seeing our members connect and get to know each other outside the gym. We share “spotlight” interviews with a member each month so that our community can learn more about each other, and see that struggles and desires we might think are ours alone are often shared by others.
3. Language - How you speak to yourself can make a massive difference in what you believe about yourself. For example, we encourage our members to say they have a “strong” side and a “stronger” side, rather than a weak side and strong side. We let go of using the word “can’t” when we are learning a new skill that is challenging at first. When setting goals or working on habits, we use positive language around the things we want to do, rather than negative language around things we don’t want. These are small things that can make a big effect on your mental well-being.
4. Meditation/Breath Work - Each training session we have our members do a “breathing reset” to connect their minds and bodies before they begin their workout. In our yoga classes we end with a guided savasana that explores different meditation techniques, and breathing practices. Just like exercise, the scientific evidence to support the mental health benefits of meditation and breath work is vast. In the fast-paced world we live in, it’s more important than ever to find a meditative practice that works for you.
5. Self-massage - Similar to breathing and meditation, self-massage can be a fantastic tool to help down-regulate and calm your body and mind. Our members all receive therapy balls when they join, and learn techniques to alleviate tension, and keep their soft tissues supple and strong. As we said at the beginning, there really is no separating body, mind and spirit. Mental stress and trauma is carried in the body, and vice versa; so having a way to self-soothe can be a source of great physical and mental relief.
We get to see the mental health benefits of these things everyday, but you don’t have to take our word for it - try them yourself and see how you feel! We will be sharing a few more ideas throughout the month on our social media, so make sure to follow us on Instagram or Facebook!