Mental Fitness

“Helping you navigate life”!!!!

Presented byStuti Shah

In this Presentation, I will discussWhat is mental fitness?Benefits of mental fitnessDemonstrated the healing qualities of mental and spiritual focusExample of exercises, activities or practices which can improve mental fitnessStep by step instructions and explanation important to the development of mental fitnessResearched studiesConclusion

What is mental fitness?Mental Fitness refers to a person’s capacity to be self-determined. Self-determination refers to a person’s capacity to think about, plan, and act on personal decisions that contribute to emotional, social and physical development (1).

The Benefits of mental fitnessIncreases Happiness and refreshes your mind, body and spirit. Decreases stressDecreases DepressionHealthier attitudes and behaviorsRelieves tension and fear

Benefits continued…•Helps us evolve our psycho spiritual life and accesses its capacities and resources without daily practice (Dacher, 2006).•Our intention becomes “clear, focused, balanced and confident (Dacher,2006)•Improve inner peace and loving kindness

Five Guiding Principles to Integral healing:

Holistic

Evolutionary

Intentional

Person-centered

Dynamic

Researchers studies on the benefits of Mental Fitness

Dr. RICHARD DAVIDSON

Dr. ELMER AND ALYCE GREEN

Dr. CANDACE PERT

Dr. Richard Davidson – “The emotional life of the brain” !!!

He studied the brain function of individuals who were shown a series of images ranging from happy to very disturbing.

With his research, he was able to identify the areas of the brain that became activated by positive and negative mental states.

Dr. Richard Davidson Continued….His research showed that a certain area of the right side of the brain, the right prefrontal cortex, is activated by negative emotions.

A corresponding the left part of the brain, the left prefrontal cortex, is activated by positive emotions.

He concluded his results by comparing two sides of brain, one side is with happy feelings, good emotions and the other side is with negative emotions, depression., anxiety, and unhappy (Dacher, 2006).

Dr. ELMER AND ALYCE GREEN : “Mind and body interact together” !!!!

Elmer and Alyce green discovered that by using mental imagery, the mind can affect many of the physiological functions of our body.

They said we can train our minds to voluntarily control our blood pressure, pulse, muscular tension, skin temperature, bowel motility, and host of other activities.

Dr. Elmer and Alyce Continued…They discovered that the mind and body interacts in two ways. Each of these required “hard-wiring”.

The first is the autonomic nervous system, which controls the automatic physiologic mechanisms of the body such as our blood pressure, and pulse.

The second is the central nervous system, which moves our muscles when we choose. So, they concluded that each of these systems depends on hardwired nerve connection between the brain and the body.

Dr. CANDACE PERT – “ The mind is the body, the body is the mind” !!! Dr. Pert discovered a series

of natural body proteins, called neuropeptides. That constantly circulate throughout our body, carrying messages back and forth.

Neuropeptides made by many cells in the body and act on other cells and entire systems. The brain talks to the immune system, the heart to the kidneys, the glands to each of our cells and so on, creating in the process a fully interconnected community.

Dr. Pert Continued….She discovered if we could transform our mind in the direction of health, happiness, and wholeness, our body would also smile. For this, we need to turn toward developing a rich inner life.

She said” the mind is the body, the body is the mind” its connected together and that’s how it works.

She concluded that a disturbed mind results in a disturbed physiology and a healthy mind results in a healthy physiology.

Exercises to improve mental fitness Exercise for 30 minutes every

day: Physical exercise delivers oxygen to the brain so it helps to improve your memory.

Read often and read widely: reading is the best way to keep your brain busy so it helps to improve your mental fitness.

Boost your levels of Vitamin B: vitamin B essential to brain health like dairy foods.

Challenge your intellect and memory: try to learn new language, it can help in your social life

Take time to relax: Relaxation time helps to relief stress

Exercise Continued…. Take up a new hobby: learning new things in your life , it can be entertainment and builds neural pathways in the brain.

Actively manage your health: do physical check up regularly to prevent future problems like diabetes, high blood pressure.

Engage in stimulating conversations: Talk to your family or friends about your feelings so it can help to relieve your thoughts

Take up a manual activity or craft: Hobbies such as woodwork or sewing require you to move both sides of the body at the same time, in precise movements. This can help to increase your reaction time.

Exercise your brain with others: play group games with your family and friends to test their general knowledge ( Better health, 2012)

How to improve mental fitnessMeditation

Meditation is good for us. It helps us to get

mentally fit. And maintain it over time.

Most of us focus on our breath when we

meditate. With practice we can learn to give our gripped attention to it. To relax. Unwind. And

calm our minds.

Meditation Continued…When you Meditation, Find a quiet space to sit comfortably for a few minutes and try to your body to relax

Allow body to relax and re-center yourself

Take five deep, audible breaths, breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth. On the last exhalation, allow your eyes to close.

Take a few moments to settle into your body. feel the weight of your arms and hands resting on your legs. Acknowledge your senses: notice anything your can smell, hear or taste and sensation of heat, cold or wind.

Begin silently counting the breaths: 1 inhale, 2 exhale, 3 on the next inhalation and so on, up to 10. then start again at 1.

Whatever happens is completely fine. Enjoy the rare chance to let your mind simply be.

When you are ready, slowly open your eyes.

Conclusion Whatever we think in our mind, we usually do in our regular life, so It is very important

to keep our brain healthy. Mental fitness is just as important as our

physical fitness. There are so many things we can do to improve our

mental fitness like exercise, diet,

meditation and mind games are all

important in our daily lives.

References:  GNB (2007): Mental Fitness Retrieved from <http://www.gnb.ca/0131/pdf/w/HERG%20Mental%20Fitness.EN.pdf> Better health (2012): top ten ways to exercise to improve mental fitness Retrieved from <http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/ten_tips_to_improve_your_mental_fitness> The guardian (2011): how to meditate Retrieved from <http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/gallery/2011/jan/22/how-to-meditate-ten-steps-headspace#/?picture=370746763&index=9>

Dacher, Elliott S. (2006). Integral Health: The Path to Human Flourishing. Laguna Beach, Ca.: Basic Health Publications Inc.

Stuti Shah