exercising your body exercises your mind

WORDS : ANDREA ROGNLIEN, MS, LPCC PHOTOGRAPHY : Christina Moroz on unsplash.com

Studies have found that engaging in aerobic exercises (i.e., swimming, walking, running) for at least 30 minutes three times per week can improve mood, decrease stress, reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, and improve energy. Even knowing all this information, a lot of us still struggle with consistent exercise. It’s one of the first things to leave our routine when we are feeling stressed, anxious or depressed.

The lack of motivation and unhelpful self-talk that plagues us in our daily life also impacts us when we are exercising. Just as you would visit a counselor to gain coping skills to manage symptoms of stress, anxiety or depression, visiting with a sports counselor can help you address these concerns and gain coping skills in the context of exercise.

Sports counselors take a holistic approach to the relationship between tness and mental health. Regardless of tness or competition level, sports counselors undergo training to be licensed to work with athletes of all abilities on mental health symptoms as well as the speci c demands athletes face.

Sports counseling is a exible approach to working with athletes because performance outcomes are not the main focus. Counseling goals vary from person to person, depending on what you are wanting to achieve in your tness journey. You might have experienced an injury or have taken a break from fitness and are looking to get back into it but are nervous about the injury or lack motivation to get back into a routine. A sports counselor can work with you to develop strategies to get back into fitness.

Additionally, maybe you notice some increased anxiety when you go to the gym, you feel nervous about what you’re wearing and the idea of getting on the treadmill or li ing weights in front of people sounds daunting. In session we work on various strategies to help decrease the anxiety you are experiencing in the moment as well as work on coping skills to manage the unhelpful thoughts you might be having about yourself. We are usually our own worst critic, and the addition of gym mirrors and leggings can sometimes make that inner critic much louder than our inner hype woman.

I recently got back into playing tennis a er taking a few years o a er competing in college, and at times my inner critic was not being kind. Regardless of my past success in tennis, I’m human and needed to work at adjusting my expectations about where my abilities are now. This might be something that resonates with you whether you used to participate in high school or college athletics and now need to adjust how tness ts in your life.

Utilizing evidenced-based approaches, sports counselors can work with you to create an individualized plan for your mental health and tness needs.

ANDREA ROGNLIEN, MS, LPCC

is a licensed professional clinical counselor (LPCC) at Becoming Balanced. Her goal as a counselor is to help women identify and achieve mental wellness in their daily life. In addition, she has a special interest in sports counseling with a sports counseling graduate certificate from the California University of Pennsylvania. She hopes to provide a space where athletes can grow in a holistic manner, focusing on mental wellbeing and psycho-emotional needs.

For more information, contact us at becomingbalancednd.com | 701-551-1840