Health and Fitness has become most people’s latest obsession and out of all the world’s trends and fads, this one is by far my most cherished! In fact people’s desire to nourish and nurture their physical being is more than a fad, it is a lifestyle for most, which is pretty amazing if you ask me.
The best part of this movement is that there is a plethora of aspects pertaining to health, from eating healthily, going for regular check-ups; and fitness, from yoga to running or lifting weights. As amazing as this new movement is, I can’t help but feel and think that something is missing though.
What would make this seemingly perfect movement even better, you might ask! And the answer is ‘inner health and fitness’
Inner health and fitness is about taking care of your inner being, that includes your mind, thoughts, emotions and behaviour! Inner health includes being self-aware and as such creating consciousness of the types of thoughts that you entertain (are they optimist or pessimistic? Harmful or hurtful?). Once awareness is creating, the awareness creates the building blocks for transcendental healing, growth and flourishing; you become healthy and fit on the inside. Another component of inner health and fitness is acknowledging your emotions; without judgement or suppression and denial. Being open and honest with yourself about the way people and situations make you feel, creates an inner sense of empathy and bravery in the most intimate of ways.
Lastly – your general behaviour (actions) should be an outward reflection of great inner health and fitness. Acts of kindness, expressing or showing gratitude, doing things that maximise happiness also serves as the driving force of not only inner health and fitness but also reflects behaviour that adds on to the physical aspects of health and fitness (like lifting weights, running that 21k marathon or finally being able to do a full split in yoga class).
Here are some of the ways that I indulge in to keep mentally and emotionally healthy:
Practice Mindfulness
Read
Play mentally stimulating board games like Scrabble and Chess
Journal
Expressing Gratitude
Try it out, let me know what works for you and if you have any inner health and fitness practices of your own, please share!