The way to keep the mind healthy

Seven habits to keep the mind healthy

1. Daily physical exercise

That sport is in the first place is not a coincidence; for Bergland, it is the most important point that we must fulfill. It involves at least 20 minutes of daily exercise, although it does not require the practice of a complicated sport, just a routine walk. The author compares our society with the habits of life of the pre-industrial era or during industrialization itself: sedentary work is widespread and must be compensated with some daily "movement". For this runner it is very simple, "you do not have to become a sports fan, but nobody can sweat for you".

  2. Intellectual curiosity

The coach believes that spending part of our time exploring new ideas will help us achieve a healthier mind and body. As explained to El Confidencial, people who are open to new experiences and have an outgoing personality "are longer lived and have a better functioning of the immune and cardiovascular system," based on studies conducted in both humans and gorillas.

                                                3. Develop creativity

This point carries the same benefits as the previous one, according to Bergland. He also explains that neuroscientists have known for some time that "the 'puzzles' that force a person to solve an enigma increase neuronal plasticity," a complicated term in neuroscience that refers to the ability of neurons to adapt to new experiences. or learning. It also ensures that moving in the novel and enriching environments strengthen neurons, while an environment lacking stimuli "atrophy". Moreover, it makes a connection with the origins of human beings to remember that their survival was due to the invention of technology, produced thanks to the creative ingenuity of our ancestors.

4. Create human links

To have a healthy mind, it is convenient to create a close social network and maintain the link with the rest of the people. The athlete, who extracts these seven points from his book The Athlete's Way, incorporates curiosity and creativity into the meaning of humanity.

The seven habits are intended to help people to change their lifestyle It seems difficult to "become" original or more sociable but for Bergland are perfectly achievable characteristics: "consciously take the decision to spend more time exploring new elements and connecting ideas not related "is an example of how to adopt a new way of looking at life.

The broker specifies that his seven points are nothing more than a list of attitudes that people can use to change their lifestyle, "especially if their innate personality does not include them."

5. Have a spiritual reference

"Spiritual does not necessarily mean religious," he clarifies. In this fifth council, the author proposes that we identify ourselves "with any belief system that connects us with some source of inspiration, that has meaning and meaning for us and provides us with optimism and hope". That said, it sounds like a very elaborate search, but ultimately it is about having intellectual referents, which can be religious or even our own parents.

6. Achieve an energy balance

This recommendation along with the practice of sports is the only really physical that Bergland establishes. The coach takes a historical tour in his article published in Psychology Today to explain how inventions and technologies have made us increasingly sedentary, both physically and mentally. Considers that the human "is made to run" since originally Homo sapiens was hunter and gatherer. However, sedentary lifestyle should force us to take the habit of ingesting only what we wear. It is something like finding a "zero balance" between the calories consumed through our actions and those consumed, also from the environmental point of view.

7. Simplicity

Bergland is opposed to the culture of excessive consumption and proposes a simpler and freer life, in which we have only the essential without creating superfluous needs.

The three-time winner of the longest non-stop triathlon in the world, the Triple Ironman, explains that these seven habits are based on a combination of empirical observations, scientific studies, and personal experience. As he says, it is a philosophy, a set of healthy attitudes beyond diets or eating habits, more demanding with the mind than with the body, which seems easy to fulfill, at least for those who do not have time to the sport (or so they say).