Embodied Cognition — Feeling Strong is Thinking Strong

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I’ve always considered myself to be a relatively healthy person. I eat a relatively healthy diet and try to get some exercise in. This exercise has always been some kind of cardio training, such as running, and not something that helps you build muscle. About half a year ago, this changed. I started to go bouldering every week, a heavy climbing sport that can involve climbing walls on a steep angle, and started to build some muscle.

As I was advancing through the first difficulty levels of the sport, I could feel my arms getting stronger, which made it easier to climb more difficult routes (though a lot of technique is involved as well). Inspired by the progress and muscle gain, I started doing some basic calisthenics, so that I would be able to climb even better and face harder routes. I did some pushups, pullups, and sit-ups a few times a week, in addition to my climbing sessions. As a result, I started to feel a lot stronger and more fit than I had ever been. I felt amazing.

What I did not expect, was that this feeling of strength would also have such a large impact on my mental well-being. Though there are of course other factors that could have influenced this as well, I feel a lot more confident, happier, and less stressed since I started to build some muscle through bouldering and calisthenics. I experienced firsthand…