Written by: Lisa Charles, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Did you know there's a deep link between how your brain experiences the world and how your body reacts to this? If you aren't aware of the mind-body (or brain-body) connection, you may lose out on improving your overall health. As a health coach, I have spent years finessing my approach to integrative health. Grab yourself a tasty smoothie and a pen, and let's explore your body's emotional and physical journeys!
How Your Brain Connects with Your Body
The brain-body connection works with a nifty little idea called a feedback loop. What's a feedback loop? It's a chain reaction of cause and effect. This means that how you feel will affect your body, but how your body feels will also impact your mind—a little bit of a 'What came first, the chicken or the egg?' situation.
This is the link between your thoughts and feelings and your physical well-being. On the science side of this, scientists have discovered neural pathways between our cerebral cortex and the adrenal medulla, which floods our body with hormones as we take in mental and physical stimuli.
What Impact Does the Brain-Body Connection Have on Your Life?
You likely have way more examples of the brain-body connection wreaking havoc on your life than it being a force for good.
Ever feel super nervous about an upcoming meeting and worryingly find your stomach grumbling? That's your stomach being affected by your emotional state. On the other hand, if you have been in pain, whether it's something as simple as stubbing your toe or something as big as nerve pain, you will likely be in a bad mood.
Ways You Can Improve your Brain Body Connection: A Guide to Integrative Health
"Hold on just a minute now; what is integrative health?"
Integrative health is the combination of conventional, speak to your family doctor, medicine with complementary and alternative medicine—for example, homeopath, breathing exercises, yoga, acupuncture, and hypnosis.
Remember: let your primary care physician know about any complementary and alternative medicines you're incorporating into your life. Some traditional medication does not play well with certain supplements.
Integrative health aims to look at your whole body and mind; many patients find relief by incorporating these techniques into their lives.
I firmly believe that how you breathe, what (and how!) you eat, move, and sleep are instrumental for lasting health.
Let me introduce you to some of the pillars of my work as a health coach who works with doctors and nurses to support your mental and physical wellness:
Diaphragmatic Breathing
Your diaphragm, the dome-shaped muscle at the base of your lungs, is one of the most efficient muscles for breathing. Engaging your abdominal muscles move your diaphragm and helps you breathe in and out more deeply.
These deep, belly breaths are an excellent way to relax, improve your lung capacity during exercise, increase the amount of oxygen in your blood, and reduce your heart rate and blood pressure. That's a lot of benefits for something as simple as breathing.
Want to learn how to breathe using your diaphragm? Lie on a flat surface with your knees bent and put one hand on your upper chest and the other below your ribcage. Can you feel your diaphragm working as you breathe? Breathe in slowly through your nose and let your stomach expand, then exhale through pursed lips and feel your stomach move in.
Restorative Sleep
You'd think all sleep was restorative if you listened to video games. However, on those days when you wake up feeling groggy and tired, you know your sleep wasn't restorative. Over time, a lack of restorative sleep can negatively affect your mind and body.
The number one way to try and get more restorative sleep is through improving your sleep hygiene. No, this doesn't mean you should move your morning shower to the evening. Instead, this somewhat confusing term refers to the sleep habits you keep.
Maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, having a dark, quiet, and cool bedroom, and avoiding caffeine and screen time before bed all contribute positively to good, restorative sleep.
Loving Movement
Moving your body is a part of lasting, therapeutic health and positively improves the brain-body connection. This doesn't have to e running a mile around the block or hitting the gym after work.
Adding movement into your day by taking the stairs, switching to walking meetings, or walking your dog all releases endorphins and boost your happiness hormones.
Studies have even shown that exercises that play on our mind-body connection, such as balancing on an exercise ball, positively impact our ability to learn. Switch your officer chair for a balance ball to wow your boss at the next mid-year catch-up!
Eating for Health (& Pleasure!)
I greatly advocate using plant-based diets to feed your body and soul. For example, we have found a clear link between a plant-based diet being associated with less risk of heart disease.
Not everyone wants to go fully vegan, but integrating plenty of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and legumes into your diet will make your body happy and allow you to experiment with an entire world of delicious spices.
Did you notice that I also mentioned the importance of eating for pleasure? This leads back to that brain-body link we talked about earlier. Eating for pleasure gives rocket fuel to your body and your mind. If you over-focus on nutrition, you may not experience the joy of eating.
Believe it or not, eating for pleasure often leads to better eating decisions!
Conclusion
Does the brain have more of an impact on your body than you might have thought? I hope you learned something extra about feeding and fueling your body and mind to serve you better.
Want to bust your stress levels and further build your resilience to whatever life throws you? Time to join my Yes! Movement over here. I can't wait to teach you more about restorative sleep and share my recipe of the month. It's toe-curlingly good this month!
I greatly advocate using plant-based diets to feed your body and brain. For example, we have found a clear link between a plant-based diet being associated with less risk of heart disease, and a physician-formulated, US-patented blend of six all-natural ingredients that promote overall cardiovascular health.
Lisa Charles, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Lisa Charles is an Author Health and Life Transformational Trainer, Age Alignment Specialist, and Executive at Plant Based Science International (PBSI). Lisa helps corporate employees experience the brain-body connection by equipping them with the innovative tools to age gracefully, release stress, renew energy, restore sleep, and gain the mental clarity to live the life of their dreams. She is the CEO of Embrace Your Fitness, LLC and the Author of Yes! Commit. Do. Live.
