My last two blogs dealt with balance (via core mental fitness) and maneuvering difficult paths. At the heart of these challenges is core strength: physical core strength, core mental fitness, and mastering emotional agility. I’ve been so goal-oriented my whole career that I’ve preferred to push through the work to reach the goal. Since 2008 this has been an issue because work has become more hectic: fewer people doing more work in an ever-changing market. There is little time to recuperate before the next priority project. We continue to face changing work environments from globalization, remote work, or new technologies.
What if recuperation from a hectic life needs to occur daily? We eat daily. We sleep daily. It’s ideal if we do some type of physical exercise daily. Why not invest in mental and emotional fitness daily as well?
If your first reaction is that you do not have time or energy then that is the very reason to focus on mental/emotional fitness daily. There are different types of energy we gain from physical exercise, spending time with friends and family, or practicing mindfulness. If you don’t eat daily you may last a few days before you lose energy. If you don’t sleep enough hours, you may experience chronic health problems, such as heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, obesity, and depression. (Sleep Foundation) The benefits of regular mental fitness or mindfulness practice include reducing anxiety, chronic pain, depression, heart disease, and high blood pressure. (Mayo Clinic)
To be at our best, we nurture all aspects of ourselves: mind, body, and soul. Some ideal ways to reach and maintain core strength physically, emotionally, and mentally:
- Sleep for 7-8 hours nightly
- Eat whole foods
- Exercise, such as going to the gym, playing pickleball, or walking 10k steps daily.
- Performing mental fitness with centering and grounding exercises. Start with 10 minutes and work up to 30 minutes daily.
Stack activities to save time such as doing mindfulness exercises as you take your daily walk for physical exercise. Spend time with friends doing a group activity that involves aerobic exercise or vegetable shopping at a farmers’ market. Your daily self-care investment can be as little as 30 – 60 minutes. The energy and creativity you can gain is worth the time.
How will you work on developing your core strength, not only physically but mentally and emotionally?
Copyright © 2023 Devashri Gupta. All rights reserved.
