I workout for 20 minutes, once a week.
Actually, sometimes it’s more like 15 minutes, but who’s counting.
(I am. I’m counting. Every single minute.)
My short (but super smart) workout gives me a strong, fab figure AND leaves me lots of time for all the things I LOVE to do, mainly #netflixandcheese.
Last night I saw this absolutely fascinating documentary, The Most Unknown, highlighting the work of nine brilliant scientists out to answer some of life’s greatest mysteries.
And OMG, they were exploring one of my FAVORITE topics in the entire world.
The Mind-Body Connection!
Cue: fireworks, confetti, the parade.
The mind-body connection is something that I see over and over again, all day long because I work with the body in a culture that operates primarily from the mind.
The goal of our little 20 minute workout here at The Strength Shoppe is momentary muscle failure. When you reach muscle failure (and your body is in that fight-or-flight-omg moment), it is absolutely impossible NOT to be fully (and uncomfortably) present in your body, for better or for worse.
And because the focus on your form is crucial for the safety and efficacy of the workout, your mind must be 100% focused on the task at hand, the exercise.
We see it over and over again in every session: a fully present, completely conscious, totally connected mind and body.
Mind + Body = You
Cue: fireworks, confetti, the parade.
Long story, short. The mind-body connection is MY LIFE.
I love it.
Back to the Netflix doc. In this masterpiece, cognitive psychologist Axel Cleeremans, Ph.D demonstrates his robotic hand, an experiment that illustrates the mind-body connection.
Wearing a cap full of electrodes, the subject uses thoughts to produce movements through the robotic hand. With each passing moment, the subject learns how to move the hand and gradually has more and more control over the movements.
The conclusion?
During development, the brain learns to interact with the body.
*Mind blown*
Our mind and our body are partners! Working together!
We see this relationship quite literally when teaching a new client how to move the weight slowly, controlling the movements while using the target muscles.
Mind-body connection at work.
So here is my grand thesis: It’s impossible to strengthen your outsides, without also strengthening your insides.
The absolute coolest part of my work is watching the inner strength of clients develop as we strengthen their bodies.
And what’s totally awesome about this intrinsic relationship is that we can go about it from both ends.
Outer Strength = Inner Strength
One of my clients recently confided in me that she first decided to train at The Strength Shoppe because she was suffering from depression, and she read that strength training was a great way to relieve depression.
And boy, is it ever.
Score!
“Strength training can reduce symptoms of depression by increasing blood flow to the brain. It “can change the structure and function of the brain, create new brain cells and trigger the release of mood-enhancing chemicals like endorphins.”
And who you are, as well as your current level of fitness, doesn’t really matter. “The mental health impacts were similar, too, for men and women and for younger lifters (often college students) and people who were middle-aged or elderly.”
My client said that when she began training with us, she would drag herself out of bed ONLY for her strength training workout. Within three months, she gradually began to feel better, feel stronger, and have more desire to participate in her life. She is now motivated to begin new projects and feels empowered in personal relationships.
Her story, while inspiring and awesome, is not uncommon.
Over the years, we’ve watched as our clients’ incredible outer transformations are accompanied by inner transformations just as beautiful.
Inner Strength = Outer Strength
On the flip side of the coin, the changes to our physical bodies in many cases follow the inner changes of our mind.
Your current relationship to your Self is reflected in your present outer circumstances (home, bank account, body).
You are a collection of past experiences and the shared views of your friends, family, and community. Your thoughts, beliefs, and reactions in life are drawn from all of your life experiences- the good, the bad, the ugly.
Change begins by healing emotional and physical traumas to shift the beliefs, patterns, and behaviors that don’t serve your vision of your best, most-fulfilled life.
When we know who we are and what we want, we can make a commitment to ourselves to take impeccable care of our bodies.
This level of inner strength makes outer strength easy to achieve.
Just like during development, the brain can learn how to interact, how to care for the body.
Change becomes easier when you believe it is possible, decide that it will happen, and commit to seeing it through.
Workouts for your mind are just as important as workouts for your body and what you feed your mind is as important as what you feed your body.
Inner strength is the fuel for outer change.
And you can have both!
In 20 Minutes • Once A Week.
Cue: fireworks, confetti, the parade.
I’m so excited to help you develop some serious strength, both inside and out.
If you live in the Los Angeles area (Pasadena or DTLA/Echo Park), give us a call at The Strength Shoppe.
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