My, How Those Seedlings Have Grown: An Update on Mind/Body Interactions in the Exercise Domain

This chapter aims to give the reader an updated sampling of work utilizing a mind/body approach since the edition of Lifestyle Medicine. Regarding mind/body as a unitary concept is a departure from the dominant dualistic approach wherein mind and body are treated as separate entities. The reaction time and electromyography were used as behavioral and motor system measures of cognitive functioning, but these only allow for a limited “view” into the thinking mind. Electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging are two of the more commonly used psychophysiological tools for studying cognitive functioning. While EEGs and event-related potentials offer specific glimpses into the thinking mind, newer imaging techniques provide a perspective on cognitive function in a different way. Within exercise psychology, a specific subset of overall cognitive functioning, executive functioning (EF), has been extensively studied to better understand the influence that physical activity and exercise has on EF.