With the stress, anxiety and loneliness that can occur at this time of the year, it is a good time to be reminded of the importance of exercise and our mental health, and to ensure that we don’t let ourselves become overrun during what should be an exciting time of the year for us.
Fascinated by the mental health advantages of exercise? Or how exercise can reduce anxiety or depression? Exercise releases chemical substances such as endorphins and serotonin which improve your mood. Studies show that it can reduce feelings of depression or isolation and help in the recovery of other mental health problems.
But what is good mental health? Good mental health is a state of wellbeing where an individual realizes their own potential, is able to maintain relationships and has control of all of their emotions and actions. The sense of having a purpose, goals and adding value to each of these things are all signs of good mental health.
Below are five ways through which exercise or physical activity improves mental health:
1. Being A Mood Booster;
2. Decreasing Stress;
3. Increasing Self-Esteem And Self-Confidence;
4. Improving Sleep;
5. Forming New Brain Cells.
1. Being A Mood Booster
Exercise is a mood booster that reduces both depression and anxiety symptoms. Physical activity increases endorphin levels, the powerful "feel good" chemical that produces a feeling of joy and euphoria in the body. That's the reason why some people like to perform exercise when they feel stressed.
2. Decreasing Stress
Physical activity, such as exercise, stimulates the sympathetic nervous system's function that increases the overall capacity of the body to respond to stress. As mentioned above, exercise produces endorphins (natural painkillers of the body) that reduce stress naturally. Exercise also improves our sleep, which consequently reduces stress. Meditation, massage therapy, deep breathing and acupuncture are other forms of physical activity with similar benefits.
3. Increasing Self-Esteem And Self-Confidence
Doing physical activities will cumulatively lead to a whopping increase of self-esteem — and self-confidence along with it! Weight loss or body toning from these activities may allow you to get better-fitting clothes, a slimmer physique or the opportunity to climb a hill without getting winded. Being able to strengthen the body as well as the mind is one of the many advantages of physical exercise.
A useful way to approach exercise is to set goals. When someone performs exercise they will have an underlying end goal; it may be to lose weight, be more active, reduce stress or any other fitness goal. Completing the goal leads to a feeling of accomplishment and leads to a confidence boost. Studies show that a physically fit person is more confident than someone who has not achieved their desired fitness level.
4. Improving Sleep
If you have trouble having a good night's sleep, then exercise can help. Physical activity raises the body's temperature and can have relaxing effects on the mind, resulting in better sleep.
5. Forming New Brain Cells
Studies show that aerobic exercise helps generate new brain cells — a process called neurogenesis — and improves overall brain efficiency. It also prevents memory loss and cognitive impairment by reinforcing the hippocampus (the brain's portion responsible for memory and learning). Moreover, exercise pumps blood to the brain so you can think more clearly. It is then clear to see that moderate physical activity is beneficial for us all.
Exercise has many benefits, and we can use it to have better physical and mental health. Health specialists recommend 30 minutes of moderate physical activity four times a week. Some suggest that walking is best among all exercises as it is suitable for all age groups. However, you can choose other workouts that work better for your needs and interests. It may take some time to find the right exercise for you, but it will be worth it for your mental health once you do!
For those of you who have consistently read these articles, I want to say thank. I truly hope that over the course of this year you have been able to gain some new insights that go beyond physical activity. It has been a joy to be able to bring to you this posts that have hopefully helped to bring out an increased positivity in your health and wellness this year.
I look forwards to continuing this into the years to come.
Cheers
D.K