Hello,
It seems each coaching or training pro has a different opinion about the mind-body connection and how it affects health and performance.
Even though we are making some declarative statements here, we always welcome additional perspectives.
How is the mind-body connection explained?
It means that our thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and attitudes can positively or negatively affect our biological functioning. In other words, our minds can affect how healthy our bodies are each day.
On the other hand, what we do with our physical body (what we eat, how much we exercise, even our posture and breathing) can impact our mental state (again positively or negatively). This results in a complex interrelationship between our minds and bodies. Some would argue there is no “connection”. It’s all the same. It’s all one. It’s just “us”.
Attitudes, beliefs and emotional states ranging from love and compassion to fear and anger can trigger chain reactions that affect blood chemistry, heart rate, blood pressure and the activity of every cell and organ in the body from the stomach and digestive tract to the immune system.
Emotions can also affect your body’s reaction to stresses and strains, which can cause head and backaches and other physical problems. In other words, if you really feel you are caring the “weight of the world on your shoulders” your low back can begin to hurt.
How do your thoughts and feelings affect your health?
Your brain produces substances that can improve your health. These substances include endorphins, which are natural painkillers, and gamma globulin, which strengthens your immune system.
Extensive research shows that what your brain produces depends in part on your thoughts, feelings, and expectations. If you’re sick, but you have hope and a positive attitude, and you believe that you’ll get better, your brain is far more likely to produce chemicals that will boost your body’s healing power. As a result, you get better more quickly.
During a panic attack, your body experiences surge in adrenaline, cortisol, and immune-system activity. That’s a combustible mix for the heart. If that arousal happens too often (people with the worst forms of the disorder can have attacks several times a day), it can cause the heart to beat erratically, increasing heart attack risk. Indeed, one study showed that people with panic disorder (about 3 percent of American adults, twice as many women as men) face a 47% higher risk for heart disease.
To counter this type of feeling, you can teach your clients stress management techniques and yoga.
As you may know, the Spencer Institute offers a training course in Mind-Body Coaching. It has very low tuition and is a great addition to your education and credential list.
In the certification training course you will learn:
-Body Alienation and its effects on clients served
-Understanding Mind Body Programming with Academic articles to support Mind Body Programming
-Knowing the role of the Mind-Body Coach/How MB Coaches function either individually or with other practitioners or providers
-How to assess clients for Mind-Body programming
-A collection of “Bodyways” are summarized for students to explore
– Much more
Now it’s time to take action to improve your own mind-body health and help your clients, too.
Here’s the link again for the Mind Body Fitness Coach Certification.
https://spencerinstitute.com/certification-programs/mind-body-fitness-coach-certification/
Thanks,
The NESTA/Spencer Institute Team
http://nestacertified.com
http://spencerinstitute.com