Think meditation is only for gurus looking to reach a higher level of consciousness? The Department of Defense is undergoing a series of studies to discover the practical benefits of mindful meditation, a secular practice that helps develop concentration, on combat Marines and Army Infantry.
“Mindfulness is the ability to pay attention to the moment,” says John Schaldach, curriculum coordinator for the Mind Fitness Training Institute, the non-profit that’s directing the studies for the D.O.D. “Mindful practices [meditation] help a person develop the capacity to put their attention somewhere and have it stay there.”
The mindful exercises that Schalbach has soldiers practice sound simple (focus on a contact point between your body and the ground) but the initial D.O.D. studies have garnered compelling results. The Marines in the pilot study who practiced mindful meditation showed an increase in “working memory capacity” (the ability to focus amid distractions), as well as an increased ability to maintain even moods during periods of great chaos.
“The studies show mindful practices create a buffer against stress,” Schalbach says.
Susan Grant is the founder of the Mindfulness Center of Asheville, where she guides hospital workers and chronic pain victims in mindful meditation. She’s not surprised the D.O.D. is interested in this alternative practice.
“Concentration is key,” Grant says. “Practicing mindful exercises helps you develop the ability to pull yourself back into the moment and focus. When you’re starting to get anxious or discouraged or scared, you can bring your focus back to some other aspect of the present. Mindfulness changes our relationship with discomfort and stress.”
Mindfulness is sometimes lumped into the same category of other meditative practices, where transcendence is the goal, but there are no candles or mantras or floating gurus in mindfulness. The exercises simply allow practitioners to push scattered thoughts out of the mind and regain focus. The end game for most mindful practitioners is the ability to be “in the moment” more.
“Every experience is made up of six things: your five senses and how your mind interprets those five senses,” Schalbach says. “Life is difficult. It’s full of stress and pain. But what makes these situations more difficult is our mind’s resistance to that stress.”
Mindful meditation, according to Schalbach, helps people remove the subjective filter of the mind so that they can have a direct experience with the situation at hand.
“What I’ve seen in my own practice, is an increased capacity to be with the difficult parts of life and not have the need to make those difficulties go away,” Schalbach says.
If soldiers can assess a stressful situation objectively, and not interpret it through a filter of fear, doubt, memory, they can perform better in the field. Or, if you’re an ultra runner overwhelmed with fatigue, but you have the tools to detach yourself from that stressful situation enough to look at it objectively, success could be a more likely outcome.
And the more you practice mindfulness, the easier it is to concentrate. New studies in neuroplasticity even suggest that the brain can “grow” the ability to concentrate.
“Within the last year, these studies have shown that each time we do one of these mindful exercises, it’s like doing a rep in the gym,” Schalbach says. “When you practice mindfulness, you’re slowly changing the structure of the brain, making it easier to concentrate. This sort of meditation actually changes the way your mind is wired.”
FIT BONUS
Ring Your Bell
Kettlebells are the crack rock of the fitness world. Dabble in this workout imported from ancient Russia, and you may never look at a set of dumbbells or a treadmill again.
“Kettlebells are addictive because they’re so efficient,” says Karen Smith, owner of Kettlebell Elite in Virginia Beach. “These exercises give you the cardio and strength training you need in a fraction of the time.”
The fast results come from ballistic movements that incorporate the whole body. The kettlebell swing, for instance, is more of a hinge than a lift, where the weight is propelled by your hips, engaging your core and cardiovascular system in the process.
Consider incorporating some kettlebell movements into your workout, but make sure you learn basic form from a kettlebell certified instructor first.
Cherry Good
Add Cherry Juice to your next recovery smoothie. A new study published in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise shows a couple of ounces of cherry juice reduces muscle damage and boosts recovery after a hard workout. How? Cherries are high in anthocyanins, an antioxidant that likely decreases oxidative damage to muscle.
Cardio Weight Training?
A new study from Appalachian State University shows resistance exercises result in a greater increase in blood flow to the limbs than aerobic exercise. They also result in a longer-lasting drop in blood pressure after exercise, suggesting that weight training could be just as good for your heart as running.