Sometimes, life can get so busy that adding a new habit into our routines is an unattractive prospect. Between trying to keep fit, earn a living, keep up with hobbies and spend time with loved ones, our schedules are so full that we are reluctant to add anything new.
Despite this, sometimes it can be well worth creating a bit of time and space for a new routine. With it only taking half an hour each day and being something that you can practise anywhere, meditation is one such habit. If you need a little convincing to start thinking about adding meditation to your schedule, here’s five ways meditation makes you healthier.
The Ways Meditation Makes You Healthier: It puts you in a great frame of mind
Meditation offers a break from the pressures of everyday life, providing a few moments of calm and quiet. When we meditate we experience levels of rest that are significantly more profound than deepest cycles of sleep, making them us refreshed and well-rested. It also helps us sleep well, is a tool for handling anxiety, and increases confidence.
Mental wellbeing is an intrinsic part of good health, and the best basis from which to pursue a healthy lifestyle.
You can make it part of your exercise regime
We’ve explained here how meditation can help out when we are trying to get fit. By improving sports performance, sharpening our focus and bolstering motivation, meditation is a brilliant way to add an edge to a workout. It also reduces the build-up of stress hormones that can come with endurance sports.
It reduces the impact of stress
Stress, although perfectly natural on occasion, can be very damaging if it’s experienced with high regularity and with little relief. Stress hormones such as cortisol are linked to everything from digestive problems to premature ageing, and stress can contribute to high blood pressure, type two diabetes and chronic pain. Meditation has been shown to reduce stress and the level of stress hormones in our bodies.
There’s weight management benefits
Whether we need to gain or lose weight to be at our healthiest, meditation can help.
The aforementioned cortisol is linked to cravings for sugar and fat, while being consistently stressed tends to make people either over-eat or under-eat. Neither are good for us in the long term. Simply being under strain or unhappy can lead to a dysfunctional relationship with food, where we either completely forget about it or use it as a source of comfort.
As meditation shifts us into a better state of mind, we start to see food for what it is –one of the joyful parts of life – rather than a thing we ignore or feel guilty about. With this we eat more naturally and interact with food healthily.
Meditation can help you beat bad habits
When we are stressed out or anxious we tend to develop crutches to calm us down, and these tend to come in the form of things that are bad for us. A nightly glass of wine (or three), a twenty-a-day smoking habit, overspending on credit cards, they can all give us a temporary buzz or unwind us. Unfortunately, they aren’t good in the long term, and tend to create their own stress. By reducing anxiety, making us less stressed, and helping us break out of compulsive behaviours, meditation can help us quit bad habits.
Inspired by the ways meditation makes you healthier and want to bring it into your own routine? Get in touch and we can have a chat.
The Benefits of Beeja Meditation
- Reduce stress and anxiety
- Greater clarity and calm
- Increase focus
- Enhance relationships
- Sleep better
- Feel energised
