The integral and crucial connection between body and mind is often overlooked. Many of us make the mistake of dismissing the relationship between the two as casual and lacking in importance. As fitness entrepreneur Jamie Koufos points out, this couldn’t be further from the truth. The self-confessed skinny kid from Australia who hit the gym and transformed himself into a bodybuilding powerhouse stresses that it wouldn’t have been possible if his mind wasn’t in the right place when he embarked on this journey.
“We underestimate the importance of mental health in our pursuit of fitness and it’s a mistake I see people making time and again,” says Jamie Koufos, before elaborating, “People think that if they just concentrate on achieving the body of their dreams, everything else in life will fall into place. They couldn’t be more wrong. A good degree of physical fitness can help boost your self-esteem but it won’t fix pre-existing mental health problems. They need to be addressed separately. Just as you go to the gym to make your body strong and healthy, you need to spend an equal amount of time caring for your mental health and participating in activities that are positive and beneficial for it.”
As someone who believes that physical goals are impossible unless your mind is strong enough to pull you over the finish line, Jamie Koufos always tells his clients that unless their mental health is fighting fit and in tip-top condition, they’re sabotaging their physical prowess. He states, “When you’re in a positive mindset, you have far more motivation and energy to fuel your body. A good workout, where you have broken barriers and pushed yourself, then releases the endorphins and boosts your state of mind. It’s a very nuanced and delicate symmetry, the chemistry of which can be easily thrown out of whack if you fail to place due importance on both body and mind.”
