How to be Mindful with our Exercise

Earlier we talked about mindfulness and all the benefits you can receive from that, but did you know you can also be more mindful during your regular exercise routine? I know some people may find this weird, because to them there may be an added benefit to being able to zone out and allowing your body to roam free while you are working out. But there's a flow that we miss out on when we aren't allowing ourselves to be in the present moment. Mindfulness allows us a stronger connection with our body, we can build better results by focusing on what we are doing and improving our quality of movement, and we gain more satisfaction when we know how each exercise feels.

So how can we be more mindful?

1. Have a purpose for each workout: most people workout to lose weight, but that isn't something that will happen right now. Hold onto something right now and have something you can work on like: finishing your planned workout, strengthen a specific muscle, challenge yourself, workout for a specific distance or time.
2. Remember why you'e exercising: Why are you making this workout a priority (rather than staying in bed longer or doing something else?). It could be because you'll have more energy for the day, you'll sleep better, you'll feel better about yourself, you feel less stressed, etc. 
3. Slow down: focus on your posture, the movements, your core, and your muscles. 
4. Breathe: breathing and focusing on this is a great way to combat stress
5. Turn off your phone: to be in the moment we need to focus on the moment. Multi-tasking takes away from that moment so while you're working out practice keeping your phone off or away until you are done. 

These are just some of the many simple ways you can incorporate mindfulness into your exercise routine and in turn you can hopefully find more meaning and connection to your workout! It may be especially useful for those who are just starting to create a routine!