There is one activity that every one of us should be doing every day and that is meditation. As you look at your day, the demands that are placed on you and the never ending "To Do" list you may scoff at the idea of taking time to meditate. Did you know that daily meditation can help reduce stress, and improve your overall physical and mental health? All you have to do is take the time, five minutes, and your mind will begin to function at the highest performance levels, staying mentally fit and strong.



Meditation is a time of contemplation, many use it as a way to deepen their spirituality or connection to nature. Meditation is a way to keep the mind "sane" and able to function properly. Think of meditation as a work out for the mind. It is important that we keep our mind as fit as we keep our body, if not more so. Our mind is a versatile and complex mechanism but like anything it can become boggled, clouded, overwhelmed which makes it have problems functioning the way it should.

The mind, in all of its complexity has different levels of operation. These levels work by what we know as brainwaves. As you go through your day, each new activity or situation initiates a new level of brainwave activity. Our mind also uses the brainwaves to give us time to relax, refocus and manage all of the information that we take in during the day. Think about all the information that is processed or at least taken in by your mind everyday.

When our mind doesn't get the opportunity to process this information it becomes bogged down, backed up and unable to function properly. Lack of rest and/or sleep contributes to this back up. Think of it as a runner who is going to participate in a marathon, and a month before the marathon they stop running. Obviously it is harder to run that marathon, because they aren't in peak shape. This goes for the mind as well, with out time to process, with out rest, our mental fitness slacks off.

Energy is something that flows through all of our bodies. This energy flow, this power is what holistic healers and alternative medicine practitioners use to help heal and explain ailments. This same energy is a part of our mind as well. The energy from our mind radiates out through the body's nervous system so that there is communication between the mind and the body.

Finding a way to recharge the energy of the mind helps to keep the mind fit. There are a number of ways to help the mind relax such as music, candle therapy, aromatherapy, breathing techniques and of course meditation. Using a combination of these tools with meditation is most effective to gain mental fitness.

Failing to keep our minds fit can lead to age related mental disorders. It is imperative that we continue to try to learn new things, this keeps the mind youthful and sharp. Learning new things creates new pathways in our brain. Those new pathways help to transmit information from the mind to the body and the body to the mind.

It is hard to learn new things though if don't take the time to let our mind relax and replenish itself. As you work towards improving your physical fitness, you should not overlook improving your mental fitness. While you are out doing your daily walk you can let your mind do its own daily walk, by letting go of the day, focusing on your breathing or the air around you as you walk. Giving your mind "down time." This is meditation.

Your mind can relax and regroup while you are listening to music as well. You don't have to set up a formal environment to let your mind relax. You just need to give it the opportunity to relax and replenish. While you are brushing your teeth, combing your hair, taking a shower, driving to work: take the time to tune into what is going on inside you.