Stay Healthy and Keep Running
- Using the Power of Our Mind

Learn how to stay healthy and keep running using the power of our mind! Are you often plagued by headaches, colds, influenza, sinus infections and other common illnesses that keep interfering with your running and training? These illnesses used to be a big problem for me, but not anymore. As a child, I was hospitalized with pneumonia so for many years I seemed to be prone to respiratory illnesses, especially bronchitis and sinusitis.

About ten years ago, I became aware of a connection between periods of illness and my thought patterns. I realized that I was actually creating bouts of illnesses with my thought patterns. Whenever I "came down with something," I looked back on my thoughts prior to becoming ill and I could see that there was something in my life that I was resisting or I wasn't happy about. It could have been something like a job I didn't want to do, a stressful move, being upset with someone, or even something simple like wishing the weather or a social situation was different. Whatever it was, my thought patterns were negative, and I was resisting the current situation.

Use your mind power to stay healthy and keep running

This was a huge revelation for me. It was a really powerful turning point in my life. With this discovery, I also realized that if I could create illnesses then I could also prevent them. I began to see the onset of an illness as an indication that my thought patterns needed improvement.

I looked for ways to improve my thoughts to stop getting sick so often. Within a short period of time, I found one particular method using only mind power which is very effective in keeping me well, and it has helped me tremendously. This simple and effective method is described below.

Note: Always seek and follow professional medical advice.

A Course in Miracles teaches us that, "The mind makes all decisions that are responsible for the body's condition." This teaching tells us that it is possible for us to create and prevent illnesses in our bodies. Therefore, we must develop a strong awareness of the quality of our thoughts.

Positive high vibration thoughts will generate favorable conditions in our body, and negative low vibration thoughts will result in a lower frequency energy that creates less desirable conditions in our body.

Many conditions in our bodies have been created by our thoughts. We are the captain of our ship, and we have the power to prevent most illnesses. Remember, if an illness can arise quickly and easily in the body, it can also subside quickly and easily. If we can create these conditions, then we can prevent them too.

How to Stay Healthy and Keep Running!

Note: The following practice is meant to be used in conjunction with any professional medical advice received.

I have used the following method for the past ten years, and I continue to use it today whenever I start to feel that I may be "coming down with something."

A Practice to Prevent Illness

Whenever you feel like you are getting a cold, flu, sore throat, headache, etc., start this mind power practice immediately. Do it for about one minute each time and repeat as necessary.

Stop whatever you are doing and give the sensation you are feeling your full attention. For example, you suddenly notice that your throat feels sore. Close your eyes and explore what you feel there with a curious mind. Try to locate exactly where the soreness is in your throat. Try to find the center of the pain. Keep digging using your mind. Feel the pain fully and without any resistance or judgement.

Focus and be present with what you are feeling. All pain wants to be felt. Stay calm, continue to explore and send loving kindness to the sore/achy area. Feel what you feel and let it be as it is.

When you stop resisting pain and give it your attention, you create space around it which allows energy to flow through the area rather than keeping it stuck where it can fester and grow.

Feeling pain is part of the process of reconnecting with and developing a strong relationship with our bodies. The more we practice being present with pain and other uncomfortable conditions and allowing them to be, the closer we become to achieving a higher state of being in which we are able to let go of the desire to be rid of pain.

Sometimes just doing the practice above a few times may alleviate the condition. However, sometimes you will need to do it more often. Pain speaks louder at some times during the day than it does at others. Be sure to do the practice when it is speaking loudest to you.

This will require discipline as we often don't want to stop what we are doing. We want to get it done and move on to the next thing. However, it is important to give your body the attention it needs when it needs it. The pain will call to you when it wants more attention. Continue to give it attention as often as it asks. Have confidence in the process and trust your body's ability to heal itself.

When your body is in a low energy vibration, it may also be helpful to repeat a high energy affirmation that affirms your love and acceptance of yourself. My favorite is: "I deeply and completely love and accept myself." Repeating this affirmation will help raise your healing energy level. Continue to repeat it as part of your practice until your feel well again. For more uplifting and life changing affirmations checkout the 10 Most Powerful Affirmations for Runners (Stop Running Pain in 21 Days)

So will I ever get sick again? I hope not, but life is full of learning opportunities. I will probably have an experience whereby I may not be able to keep the quality of my thoughts and thus my vibrational energy high enough to stay well. You may also have a similar experience. It is during these times that we must recognize and accept our flawed human nature. We will not always think and do everything perfectly. It is during these times that we need to be the most kind, gentle and forgiving with ourselves.

I hope you will use the power of your mind to stay healthy and keep running the next time you start to feel like you are "coming down with something." It really works for me, and I believe it will work for you too. Please give it a try and come back and tell us about your mind power experience in the Comments below.

Or maybe you have a different technique that you use to stay healthy and keep running. If you do, I would love to hear about it. We can never know too much!

Running related question: Do you think that this practice can also be helpful in preventing running injuries? What do you think? Please add your Comments below.

Return to Spiritual Running