5 reasons why fitness is crucial to mental strength

Mental strength is required in all walks of life & for all genders.  I’m a strong believer in the mental strength component of the human body. Without Mental fitness to achieve desired outcomes be it in career or fitness is very difficult.

So let’s define what do we mean by Mental Strength- Mental Strength is such a game changer that it will  be an injustice to define it within a few words. My idea of Mental strength is to be resilient, to ne perseverant, ability to bounce back, ready to learn & unlearn, able to hold nerves in tight situations, delayed gratification for bigger gratification in the long run, willing to sacrifice short term gains for long term sustainable gains, not to get overwhelmed with extra workload, learning to be comfortable being uncomfortable, empathy, feeling of well-being, calm & composed.

Mental strength is a function of one’s fitness. Here again I would not like to confine to a couple of sentences on fitness definition. As per me physical fitness is able to work out  4 to 5 times week with enough intensity to stimulate muscles & VO2 max, being less sedentary, a healthy BMI, not having any metabolic syndrome, eating clean & nutritious food, good immunity against infections.

Now we will understand how these various components can be designed & synergised to develop mental strength as defined above.

1. Nutrition –

Neurotransmitters in the brain decide on all our emotions whether feeling euphoria or in the dump, inspired, motivated, feeling of bliss, ready to take on, wanting to be social etc. These neurotransmitters are produced primarily in the brain & the gut based on the intake of amino acids we get from our food. When we consume our food, our brain is constantly on a look for these amino acids. Ensure full range of aminos & fatty acids through nutrition & one notices an immediate change in the mental strength. If our diet is primarily based on sugary food, processed foods, grains, junk, nutritionally hollow fad diets, refined flour etc then our brain finds it very difficult to be mentally strong & stable. We need optimum levels of Serotonin, Dopamine, Norepinephrine, Adrenalin, Gama Amino Butyric Acid, Endorphins to be an A player in the metal game.

2. Exercise –

When we go through any physical activity like running, weight training or hard yoga which stimulates our muscle fibres, our innate intelligence immediately sends a bunch of amino acids to these muscle fibres. However, there is one amino acid which our muscles don’t need, that is Tryptophan. Now since other amino acids have been deployed to the muscle fibres, Tryptophan gets an open highway through the blood stream to reach the brain by crossing the blood brain barrier. This amino acid is a precursor for our brain to produce the all-important neurotransmitter Serotonin. This why during a workout music sounds better, if you are running or cycling the sky looks brighter, the wind feels different when it brushes our skin & so on. Serotonin is our foundation for that feeling of wellbeing high self-esteem, feeling blessed etc, while blocking anxiety, depression, irritability, mood swings etc.

3. BDNF & Neurogenesis –

Our fitness regime produces BDNF & Neurogenesis in the brain. BDNF is a protein produced in the brain & the spinal cord and this protein is responsible for maintenance of the brain cells, creating new neural pathways, keeping brain cells healthy etc. Workouts also induces the brain into Neurogenesis, which means that our brain is able to regenerate new cells. All these processes are very important for the brain to remain young & fit for us to be mentally strong.

4. Learn to be comfortable being uncomfortable –

There are no free lunches & to be in good shape, one has to step put of his or her comfort zone. To be in a good shape one has to have a plan, for a plan to succeed, it needs action & for action one has to be out of the comfort zone. This is what trains the mind to be mentally strong. That one last rep, that last push up or that last mile when the muscles are screaming to stop, but you continue. This is what gives mental strength to be comfortable being uncomfortable.

5. Brain Energy

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The dictionary meaning of mind is : the element of a person that enables them to be aware of the world and their experiences, to think, and to feel; the faculty of consciousness and thought. But this abstract element only functions optimally when there is a steady flow of energy to the master, the brain. Our brain is just 2% of our body weight but consumes 20% of our energy. Decision making, doing unwanted tasks, stress, exercising will power etc consume a lot of energy & if the mitochondria in the brain do not get a steady flow of fuel to burn & provide energy, we become mentally weak. Suddenly our willpower disappear, procrastination sets it, we give in to things which we would have usually resisted & such other symptoms. This happens when we eat nutritionally hollow diets, focussing on calories & not nutrition or we are insulin resistant. When one is insulin resistant glucose is not absorbed by the cells, which the insulin brings. This results in low  energy resulting in depletion of energy in the brain cells. Science has proved that with regular exercise result sin our cells becoming insulin sensitive and when cells are insulin sensitive they absorb glucose better and fuel distribution is more efficient. Our brain wants us to be an A player but are supporting it. Hence to be mentally strong we need to ensure that our brain has enough and regular supply of fuel.

6. Hormesis

   – What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger & increases our life span. This is hormesis in a simple language. To make us mentally strong we need to have some element of hormesis diffused intermittently in our fitness program. Hormesis could be an ice bath, could be immersing our head for 20 seconds or so in an ice bucket, taking our Heart Rate to the max, lifting one rep max etc. This situation of hormesis makes our brain wired for survival & triggers our primal genes for longevity & survival. This is what makes us mentally strong. We have survived so many extinctions and calamities to be here in the 21^st century to rule the planet. This wouldn’t have happened if we did not have the mental strength.  Its just a question of reminding our primal genes through Hormesis, who we are & what we are capable of.