Couple – Physical Exercise With Mental Workout
HIIT And Mindfulness – The Perfect Duo?
High-Intensity Workouts are insanely popular. That’s not surprising, considering that they promise to deliver impressive results in a short amount of time. This type of workout combines longer intensive periods of exercise with short recovery phases to torch calories and build muscle.
Though that alone sounds attractive, people are looking more and more for workouts that do not only make their bodies a bit leaner, but, to also help them work on their minds. And professionals have answered.
You can now find high-intensity classes that don’t only aim to take your body to the max, but to also challenge your brain AND mental health. Trainers are combining exercise with mindfulness practice, to help you incorporate the benefits from the class into your everyday life.
The Duo
Coaches across the US utilize this idea, including for example – The Circuit of Change format, created by Brian Delmonico. This routine is one that starts and ends with meditation, while the core of the class inspires non-stop movement.
In another example – Equinox clubs offer HeadStrong classes to boost creativity, and in yet another – Taryn Toomey’s invention “The Class”, combines the mindfulness of yoga with challenging HIIT movements.
This is emerging, and both mind and body compliments each other and workout with each other. More and more studios are offering their take on the hybrid workout, implying that this idea is on the verge of becoming the latest fitness trend.
Mood
Of course the research follows. It is suggesting that these types of workouts are a fantastic way to improve your mood and help you enjoy classes more. By incorporating cleverly timed mindful moments – They help you manage your body, and mind, simultaneously.
Iowa State University, for example, has researched how important it is to be mindful when pacing the intense intervals.
It can make the exercisers feel better at the class, and more likely to return. When intensity is too high and not balanced with moments of relaxation and introspection, they can increase negative feelings as the person feels worn out. However, when the workout finishes with meditation or mindful stretches it gives people a proper closure, so they exit calm and satisfied.
Hybrid Workouts – Boost
Hybrid workout can boost mental health, help with depressive symptoms, and increase confidence. A number of studies also implied the combination of movement and introspection can increase the size of the hippocampus. The hippocampus is crucial and plays a major role in learning and memory. Please be minded that the hippocampus is a complex brain structure embedded deep into temporal lobe.
It’s safe to say that this type of workout combo – can and should take over the world of fitness. It allows people to feel more confident in their bodies, calmer in their minds and gives more meaningful results that have a positive impact on everyday life – outside of the studio floor.
