Mental health is becoming an increasingly important topic to discuss due strain the pandemic has placed on all of our lives. Despite most thinking of COVID-19 as a physical illness, it has resulted in significant social disconnection from the things we love and care for the most. As social creatures’ human beings need these social connections to thrive and be mentally healthy. Many of those social connections have been absent (or diminished) since March of 2020, as a result nearly one-third of Americans now report some type of mental illness (and many more are just struggling with life).
All is not lost however! Fitness professional have a critical role to play in the mental health of our broader population. Not only are health/fitness clubs’ great places for people to make those all-important social connections, but fitness professionals have the direct ability to improve self-efficacy and autonomy in their clients that can further contribute to mental health. Beyond all of this, is the well-established physiology benefits of physical activity on mental health.
Episode 36 takes a deep dive into the role fitness professionals can play mental health with Akai Jackson, who was recently voted America’s Favorite Mindfulness Coach. This discussion extends far beyond mindfulness to explore many areas that fitness professionals can help improve our client’s mental health. For so many years fitness pros have been focused on what we can do the body, we didn’t realize what we were doing for the mind and the spirit was even more impactful. This great conversation with Akai will discuss how fitness professionals can ensure they are engaging with their clients in a way that intentionally and compassionately improve their mental health. Great actionable takeaways from this conversation!
Our Guest: Akai Jackson
The common theme of Akai Jackson's career has always been helping people grow into the best version of themselves. The longtime entrepreneur's dynamic approach to health and wellness is the byproduct of formal education, life experience as a decorated athlete, and his own personal journey with mindfulness and growth. He founded I Excel Today, a personal development agency that curates health and wealth programs that take their clients from existing to excelling in their physical, mental, emotional and financial health.