This week I got the chance to interview an old colleague of mine about his perception on mental health and the body. As well as the intersection between the mind and physical fitness. With over ten years of experience in the fitness industry, a degree in Kinesiology, and a thriving business in health nutrition, I would like to introduce you to Amani Keith.
Before we get started, I want to give a huge thank you to Amani for taking the time out of busy schedule to complete this interview. With a family, career and school, balance is essential. So clap in your head...
Can you tell the community a little bit bout yourself /background and what mental health means to you? My name is Amani, I have been apart of the fitness world now going on 10 years. I got into the fitness industry in high school honestly from playing baseball.
I found it therapeutic and it became a new outlet when coping with my stress. My mental health is very important. It is imperative for us as human beings to have awareness of the health of our minds just as the health of bodies.
Taking care of our mind just like out body is important for it to remain healthy. What I have learned is that if our mind isn't healthy, meaning if it isn't in a positive environment, then we cannot expect positive actions or behaviors to come out of us. Our actions actions and behaviors follow the current state of our mind.
What areas of your life did you need to address first before you started to see a positive change in how you you processed stress? The areas I had to address first were how I viewed my self, so self-love and awareness of self. Before, I would let anything bother me or alter my mood based off of how I felt that day.
Now, I understand that life is going to be stressful regardless, but it is up to me to choose what I allow to stress me out. We get the the option to choose who and what we let in . My peace and constant awareness of self-love is worth more than any stressor.
If you could define wellness in three words, what would they be and why? I would define wellness in three words as life, awareness and longevity. I know you have extensive knowledge and experience in the fitness world as well.
What does a poor mindset do to someone when they are trying to change their body? A poor mindset is not beneficial at all to someone who wants to change their body. The reason being is because a poor mindset allows for the entrance of negative thoughts and emotions, which changes where people direct their energy and interfere with the exercises that can aid in changing their body.
It will influence your belief system about your self because of the skewed vision you have about yourself and will make it harder to achieve tangible change. When you think of "Mind Over body"" what does it mean to you? And what are two to three gems you can give our readers that would help or has helped your strengthen your mental fortitude?
When I think of 'mind over body', just as our head is above the torso of our body, I believe our mind must be strong enough to resist certain things if we want to achieve a health body. A few things that have helped me strengthen my mental fortitude has honestly been reading self-help books and understanding that if [I] want something very badly, [I] have to mentally commit to seeing it through, regardless of what other people say. We have our own vision and its up to us to carry [it] out and anyone else.
I have also noticed that is I have a plan for something, it helps [for] me to stay [focused] in my journey [to get] to that thing. Below I have added a link to Amani's Instagram, so that you all can get to know him better and expand our community into his. Intermingle.
It is always important to uplift, encourage, and be a pillar of support to those that are looking for support. Your mental perception of self is imperative to growth. Mental growth and physical growth.
You need to put your Mind Over your Body... and the physical will follow.