When you hear the words ‘working out’ what do you think of? Does your mind automatically go to you going to the gym? Do you see yourself exercising on the equipment? Or perhaps you’re running in the morning? Where are you headed to? How many miles are you running? It’s no secret that exercising only gets people to think of physical work-out, but sometimes, it touches on your mental being too. More than just physically fit, it’s always better to be mentally fit as well. Unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of exercises out there that can let you easily achieve that.
But don’t lose hope because there is one you can still do and it’s an easy exercise: whole-body vibration training. As simple as hopping on a vibrating exercise machine and doing a few yoga poses and aerobics moves on it, you’re actually keeping your mental state as healthy as your physical body.
Do It Alone
First thing’s first, you must do it alone. In fact, you can keep mentally fit with most exercises as long as you do it alone. But there’s something particularly cathartic about whole-body vibration training when you do it alone. For one thing, it’s already a relaxing exercise. When you do it alone, you won’t feel pressured to look as if you’re in pain. You can revel at the soothing properties upon which the vibrations give you. Furthermore, when you’re working out alone, you’ll have a quieter space to hear your thoughts. Once you do, you can better control them and keep them in check.
Meditate
Whole-body vibration training is an easy enough exercise. It only really entails you to hop on a vibrating exercise machine and do a few moves on it. But while gym-rats will chastise you for doing a simple work-out, at least you’ll be able to meditate. Unlike lifting weights, doing cardio, or CrossFit, you don’t have to focus on a lot of things to of the exercise well. Once you get into the rhythm of your machine, you’re already good. And due to such simplicity, you can meditate, focusing on good thoughts—possibly solve some problems too—and flushing away the bad ones.
Focus on the Exercise
Still, you have to focus on the exercise in order to do it properly. which, although it will occupy your mind, can actually keep you stable as well. Here’s the thing, getting in rhythm with your machine is the tricky part of whole-body vibration training. You’ll likely not get it right the first time around. This way, you’ll really have to focus on getting it in order to do it properly. And this way, you’re blocking out the bad thoughts that often harm you and you’re focusing more on the exercise at hand. With luck, you might even forget them even after your work-out session!
Enjoy the Vibrations
Why not enjoy the vibrations. Don’t they tickle you? Make you feel funny? Make you laugh? The vibrations are often the best part of whole-body vibration training. In fact, it’s what makes it unique in the first place. And instead of letting them disturb you—adding more stress to your mind—enjoy them. Let them make you laugh. Let them tickle your body. Let them challenge you more to really get you into the right headspace and mindset when keeping physically and mentally fit. What might have been the biggest hurdle in this exercise can turn into the very thing you’ll enjoy most about it!
Let the Machine Soothe You
It might not feel like it at first, but apart from that tickling feeling, the vibrations actually have their own soothing properties. They are what will help you relax more while you’re doing the exercise. And once you’ve relaxed, you’ll automatically have a calmer mind to keep you mentally fit. So allow the vibrating exercise machine to also soothe you. Be one with the machine and work together to achieve a better and calmer you. That’s the magic of the work-out. Even though it’s an exercise, it’s also a relaxing activity, quite like a massage, a good book, or your favourite movie.
Let Go of Your Body
Make sure that, when you do whole-body vibration training, you let go of your body. Not literally, of course. Part of the exercise is that you do all sorts of aerobics moves or yoga poses to really reap the benefits. But do so mentally. Don’t think of the aches and ailments that might contribute to clouding your mind. Don’t stress on your tissues too; trust that they’re well taken care of! Once you mentally let go of your body, you’ll not only think more clearly, you’ll also be able to exercise smoothly. With no pretenses and a whole lot of heart!
Shake-Away Your Inhibitions
Apart from your body, of course, you also have to let go of your mind. Before even hopping on to your vibrating exercise machine and turning it on, empty your brain. Don’t think about what you just ate. Don’t think about what you still have to do for work. Don’t think about what you have to get your folks for the holidays. Hop on your vibration machine with an open and empty mind and let the exercise soothe you into mental stability. This is possibly the most important tip on this list. If you don’t do it, all the other points won’t make sense.
Keep Healthy
But what about once you’ve finished your session? What do you have to do now in order to still be mentally fit? Keep healthy, of course! Every facet of your health is interconnected to each other. If one fails, the rest will drop as well. If you want to stay mentally fit, you have to remain physically fit and emotionally fit. Eat better with a proper diet. Focus on doing things that you love. Flush out all the unnecessary thoughts that aren’t really important to dwell on. This is things, apart from whole-body vibration training, that you need to keep doing.
To keep mentally fit isn’t just about the mind. Sometimes, your physical exercises can do wonders too. Especially when it’s a work-out like whole-body vibration training.
