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Meditation Benefits for Bodybuilders
Early in life as children, we are conditioned to cease being “human beings”
to become “human doings,” so we can be productive members of a capitalistic
society (another discussion for another website).
A primary feature of meditation is to re-condition ourselves to a
state of be-ing again—being fully enveloped and permeated by the present
moment.
What does that have to do with vegetarian bodybuilding?
Well before the UW-Madison study was conducted, other mindfulness-based
trainings have shown positive effects on inflammatory disorders, which can be
common among athletes and bodybuilders.
In fact, the American Heart Association has made public statements
linking meditation to the prevention and intervention of inflammatory
conditions, heart disease, and stroke.
This recent study also showed that meditation correlated with faster
physical recovery after stressful situations. Bodybuilders and athletes
performing in any sport can benefit from quicker recovery times after moderate to
extreme exertion.
As sports meditation coach George Mumford explained, “When we are in
the moment and absorbed with the activity, we play our best.
That happens once in a while, but it happens more often if we learn how to
be more mindful.”
Additional reasons you should make time to mediate on a regular
basis:
- Better focus
while training in the gym, which leads to higher intensity
- Ability to
cope with physical pain
- Helps
stabilize emotional and hormonal imbalances
- Reduces stress and anxiety
- Deeper sleep leads to faster, more complete
recovery
Mindfulness Meditation Creates Positive Molecular Changes and Leads
to Faster Physical Recovery
A recent study by researchers in Wisconsin, France, and Spain proved
that mindfulness meditation creates positive molecular changes in the human body. The
results of the study, which was published in the “Psychoneuroendocrinology”
medical journal, investigated the effects of intense mindfulness practice with
a group of experienced meditators and a group of untrained control subjects.
“To the best of our knowledge, this is the first paper that shows rapid
alterations in gene expression within subjects associated with mindfulness
meditation practice,” commented study author Richard J. Davidson,
founder of the Center for Investigating Healthy Minds and the William James and
Vilas Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at the University of
Wisconsin-Madison.
After eight hours of mindfulness practice, the experienced meditators
exhibited a range of molecular and genetic differences, including positively altered
levels of gene-regulating machinery and reduced levels of pro-inflammatory
genes.
Interestingly, this correlated with faster physical recovery from
stressful situations.
Even though the subjects who were inexperienced in meditation engaged in
quiet and peaceful activities for those eight hours, they experienced no
genetic changes whatsoever.
Therefore, Davidson and his fellow researchers concluded that mindfulness
practice can lead to positive epigenetic alterations of the genome. “Our genes
are quite dynamic in their expression and these results suggest that the
calmness of our mind can actually have a potential influence on their
expression,” Davidson said.
Not Just for Skinny New Agers
Mindfulness meditation isn’t one of those hippie fads where you sit
cross-legged in an incense-filled room, chanting mantras in a foreign language.
In actuality, mindfulness meditation is the practice of focusing your
mind on the present, while being fully aware of your thoughts and without
judging yourself.
Being mindful means making a conscious effort to pay attention to your inner
self and notice where you are right now, rather than fixating on the past or
worrying about the future.
When practiced over time, this practice transcends thinking and
activates our consciousness to “see above the clouds.” Knowing
that you’re eating is not the same as mindfully eating.
Being aware that you’re working out is not the same as mindful strength
training. Once you can incorporate mindfulness into your bodybuilding and/or
fitness routine, you will see more purpose in your actions and more passion in
your goals.
Applying Meditation to Your Own Life
First, let me say that here in the West, we have developed a culture around
meditation and yoga practices that suggests that they are effeminate (unmanly).
The reality is meditation and yoga was originally created by men, for men in
ancient India (where vegetarians thrive) around 1500 BCE.
According to the team’s Dr. Bruce Lipton, your genes’ activity can change on
a daily basis, and you can actually alter their activity by simply changing
your perception.
As Dr. Lipton explained, “Your mind will adjust the body’s biology and
behavior to fit with your beliefs. If you’ve been told you’ll die in six months
and your mind believes it, you most likely will die in six months. That’s
called the nocebo effect, the result of a negative thought, which is the opposite
of the placebo effect, where healing is mediated by a positive thought.”
Tips for Starting a Meditation Practice:
- Guided meditation is a great way to get started
because it verbally walks you through what to do.
- Try not
to be hard on yourself when your mind starts to race with thoughts or
wander off.
- Don’t judge
or expect an experience. Just be…and allow (even if it’s your mind
racing).
- Focus on your
breath, it has a calming effect.
- Try listening
to relaxing music or nature sounds to quiet your mind.
- Don’t ignore
or suppress thoughts as they arise; simply be aware of them and let them
pass like clouds through your mind.
For more ideas related to meditation for bodybuilding, watch these 2 videos
-
Meditation 101 for Bodybuilding Training
Author
Bio:
Chris
Willitts (creator of V3), is the founder and owner of Vegetarian Bodybuilding.
V3 Vegetarian Bodybuilding System
is a mixture of science and author’s advice, providing users
with optimal diet and exercise. This system is designed for vegans and
vegetarians only.
A
lot of research has been put in this program. Furthermore, a lot of
professional bodybuilders and athletes tried and tested the program, praising
its progressiveness and efficiency.
The
program is about taking control of your own body and health according to your
potential and needs. And worry not; you’ll get plenty of proteins with this
system. It will boost you with energy, and you’ll feel just a strong as any
carnivore would (perhaps even stronger, depending on how much you invest in
your exercise). It avoids vitamins deficiency and provides you with a lot of
proteins, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Instead
of saying things like “I think a plant-based diet is good for athletes and
bodybuilders,” the V3 Vegetarian Bodybuilding System claims “I know a
plant-based diet is good for athletes and bodybuilders, and I have results to
prove it.”
To
find out more, visit the website at V3 Bodybuilding – Meditation for Bodybuilding
