Have you ever watched a movie that was so depressing you started
crying?
Have you ever watched a video of a fight and felt your own
anger rising?
Well, these are examples of mirror neurons. They are an
amazing part of the brain that allows us to feel other's emotions and
feelings. A mirror neuron is a neuron that fires both when a person
acts, and when the person observes the same action performed by
another.
Mirror neurons have very powerful purposes in our daily
lives, and thus help us grow closer as social creatures. Mirror
neurons may be important when it comes to understanding the actions of
other people, and for learning new skills by imitation.
From a fitness point of view, mirror neurons bear a very important purpose for health
and wellness. There's an old adage that states that you become the
sum total of the five closest people that you're with. A mirror neuron
is one of the reasons for that.
For example, if five of your friendsare overweight, and if they eat junk food,
ingest excessive amounts of calories, and don't prioritize their health, based on their mirrorneurons, these qualities and habits will manifest themselves in your
life in almost exactly the same way.
Keep in mind even if you're not
consciously listening to one of your friends or allowing them to tell
you what to do, you are still learning from them, and they're
affecting and influencing you.
So, remember this fact about a mirror
neuron, and throughout the day, think about how many other times and
what other factors throughout your life are going to be affected by
this. Here is an action step: observe the people you spend most of
your time with.
Family members, friends, co-workers, etc.; notice how
their beliefs and habits affect you. If they are not conducive to
your goals, take the proper steps to change and align with your own
beliefs rather than theirs.
Remember it’s much more difficult to
change others than it is to change yourself.
--
Committed to Your Peak Physique,
AJ Mihrzad
