A very long time ago, the ancient Greeks idealised the notion of a sound mind in a sound body. One might say that spirited pursuits in both dimensions are still in full swing to this very day.
Step inside any gym on a weekday evening and you will find plenty of people who strongly believe in the quest for a healthy body. Take one look at the New York Times bestsellers list and you will similarly find plenty of people are reading about spiritual living, mindfulness and meditation in the quest for a healthy mind.
As a result, in this world of extremes we inhabit, we have our fair share of the super fit, but on the flipside, of the obese and unhealthy. We may have enlightened beings living among us who have truly mastered the way of peace and acceptance, but we also have plenty of victims of depression, faring less well against life’s continuing onslaught of personal, emotional and professional stress.
One could argue it is this extreme nature of the world itself that has in part contributed to the increased incidence of mental health problems we see today.
The question becomes, therefore, with all our experts on physical health and gurus of mental wellness, how many of us are actually looking to develop both simultaneously, just like the Greeks actively sought over two milleniums ago?
With all our knowledge and science, do we even know if this is a worthy pursuit at all? Well, according to researchers at Rutgers University in the US, yes, we do. They conducted a recent study investigating two interventions aimed at beating depression: aerobic exercise and meditation.
Each in isolation are known to have positive effects on treating and managing symptoms of clinical depression, but what about the two combined? It looks like we have got some interesting new data to consider to really see if the Greeks had it right all along. As reported this month in the Tra-nslational Psychiatry journal, a combination of mental and physical training performed twice a week for just two months helps reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety by 40 per cent. The combination of the two has turned out to be a case of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts.
In this world of extremes we inhabit, we have our fair share of the super fit, but on the flipside, of the obese and unhealthy
It is easy to see how effective this strategy can be when considering the two disciplines yield some inter-related benefits. While exercise is also proven to ward off conditions such as Alzheimer’s and dementia, meditation has been shown to improve memory, immune function, and decrease inflammation at cellular level. Even socially, while exercise pursuits often put you in social situations, meditation can constitute the ideal precursor, since it is said to improve emotional intelligence and the ability to make social connections.
Popular treatments for depression typically involve the prescription of medications. When early studies began exploring the effects of exercise on depression, we finally had a viable and, some might say, healthier alternative to drugs. With these latest findings in hand, it seems we now have an even better strategy to consider.
If meditation and exercise combined are this powerful, then just think what they can do for us all, whether depression is even an issue or not.
Participants in the study performed 30 minutes of meditation, followed by 30 minutes of exercise, twice per week. The type of meditation they performed was relatively simple and can be replicated by anybody willing to put in a little time and practice.
They performed ‘focused-attention’ meditation, which involves purposely focusing one’s full attention on breathing. You can try this for yourself next time you have a quiet moment of down time; no incense sticks, candles, lapping waves sound effects or rose petals are required.
When you notice your thoughts drifting, simply refocus on your breathing. While you are listening to and feeling the action of your breathing, if you think about anything in your past or future, refocus on your breathing each time, and consider that you are currently in the present moment and could not possibly be anywhere else. Focusing attention in this way has been shown to increase one’s ability to also focus more clearly on everyday tasks, thereby increasing efficiency and productivity and enhancing clarity of thought.
You might just be able to practise this focused-attention method for only a few minutes at a time at first, but if you can work up to the full 30 minutes progressively with time, you will find it gets easier and your attention sharper.
You might even get interested in learning about different meditation techniques to enrich your experience. Follow up with 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise at a level of difficulty that allows you to still just about hold a normal conversation.
Walking, jogging, cycling or any other movement that keeps your heart rate up will yield the same results. In this way, you can replicate the achievements of the research participants in the US study, and enjoy proven improvements in your mental health and well-being.
If the Greeks were right, then their wisdom might serve as welcome guidance during this age of so much rapid change be it social, technological or both. Some psychologists call it ‘future-shock’, and combined mental and physical training could turn out to be just what doctors regularly order for this and a whole range of other modern problems begging classical time-tested solutions.
matthew.muscat.inglott@mcast.edu.mt