We worry a lot about our physical fitness. How do we make time for it? What type is best? How much is enough?

But as important as physical fitness is, "mental fitness" is as well. Consider that stress has been known to cause everything from a bloated belly to the common cold to cancer. Especially in today’s world, developing a "fitness" routine for the mind is equally, if not more important, than developing one for the body.

More and more we are finding research that proves that how we respond to stress has a significant impact on our health. In our busy, over-scheduled, technology-saturated lives, our bodies are in a near-constant state of stress. This is taxing on every facet of our lives, especially if you are a parent. Being a parent requires more patience and calm than most likely any other time or your life, yet it adds on loads of stressors - from new responsibilities and extra chores to dealing with difficult moods (i.e. tantrums). This can make our body remain in a constant "fight or flight" response, which is useful in a crisis but hazardous to your health as a sustained state of being.

How do we calm the mind to better deal with what life has for us?

I suggest a simple guided meditation at the end of your day before turning in to bed.

• Lay on you back, legs relaxed, eyes closed, arms by your side, palms up


• Begin to envision your feet with a warm light on them, allowing them to relax and release all of the tension that has literally been put on them all day


• Do this for each body part up to the head. This only needs to take a few minutes, but can last as long as you wish.


• When you are done take several deep breaths, try to keep the mind calm, allowing thoughts to pass along as quickly as they came

Then you can get in bed! Your work out is done.

This is something you can do with children as young as two. It is a wonderful way to get them ready for bed and begin to teach them how to calm the mind. You may notice little miracles from a quicker descent into sleep to having colds less frequently. I do this with my son at times, and I also use this at the end of every creative movement class I teach. The children really respond to slowing down. You may need to alter visuals (floating on a cloud, sun on your face, etc.), and some times will be more successful than others! Have fun with it and see how you can incorporate mental fitness into your family routines.

Let me know how you are all feeling after implementing this into the daily grind!