Don’t worry about writing out a long list of
every single thing you want to change about
yourself. Keep it simple. Write down one word
– “Exercise,” and watch how doing that one
thing can improve so many other aspects of
your life.
Did you know that exercising does more than
just help to keep you physically fit?
In addition to giving you a better, healthier
body, exercise also benefits your mental
health and brain power, including reducing
anxiety and symptoms of depression while at
the same time increasing cognitive ability.
1. Exercise Makes You
Happy
Exercising releases endorphins in your body.
Endorphins are chemicals in your body,
produced by the central nervous system, that
not only help diminish pain but also trigger
positive feelings.
The feeling you get isn’t just a short time high
that disappears as soon as the adrenaline
wears off.
Regular exercise can produce long-term
psychological benefits. Regular exercise will
put a smile on your face, and leave you feeling
better and more confident after every workout.
Exercising an excellent way to do physical
therapy for mental disorders, such as
depression and anxiety. In many parts of
Europe, doctors have patients try to exercise
as a way to manage their depression, before
prescribing drugs.
A gym membership is cheaper than a
prescription for Prozac.
This approach may not work for those with
people suffering from more severe chemical
imbalances, but for many, it works wonders.
Even for those who still need medication or
counselling, exercise will help boost the
effectiveness of those treatments.
2. Exercise Reduces Stress
Stress is one of the biggest killers in the US.
It contributes to weight gain, (which comes
with its list of health problems) high blood
pressure, stroke, heart disease,
gastrointestinal problems, and over a
prolonged period, stress can cause a long-
lasting and adverse impact on mental health.
Much of our daily stress is unavoidable. High-
pressure jobs like law enforcement, medicine,
or working in any highly competitive field can
drive up stress levels.
Add to this the daily stress producing
aggravations like driving through rush hour
traffic, that one neighbor, or the wobbly
shopping cart. It’s no wonder why so many of
us are ticking time bombs ready to explode.
Exercise helps to reduce and eliminate
stress, much in the same way it makes
you happier via endorphins. It’s an
excellent coping mechanism.
Exercise also increases concentrations of
norepinephrine, a chemical that can moderate
the brain’s response to stress. The endorphins
help fight stress and anxiety and contribute to
making you calmer.
A good workout leaves you thinking more
logically, without all the negative emotions
clouding your judgment.
Running on a treadmill or lifting weights is
almost meditative.
It allows your mind to turn inward, and get
away from any worries or problems that are
bouncing around in there. If you want to take
it to the next level, work actual meditation into
your workout routine.
3. Exercise Improves Self-
Confidence
Self-confidence is a major deciding factor in
how successful we are in life.
Just believing that we can do something is
often enough to see it done, even if that goal
lies at the end of a long hard road. Life is a
mind game, and the more self-confidence you
have, the healthier your mental state.
Exercise helps build up your self-esteem .
When you exercise, you are accomplishing a
task, and you also see yourself improve
mentally and physically. You feel better about
the way you look and the way you feel. Both
things build confidence.
Exercise lets you discover that your body is
capable of amazing feats, and it allows you to
see yourself become stronger. A great activity
to help manifest this self-confidence boost
doing free weight exercises.
With this exercise, you are completely in
charge—you chose a number of weights, a
number of reps, and the type of weight lifting
you do. It’s also a good measure of progress.
Do weight training for six months, and then go
back and see how effortlessly you can lift the
amount of weight you started with. You will
feel like a superhero.
Typically, you will need a spotter with you, not
only for safety but also to give you another
boost of self-confidence.
4. Exercise Builds
Brainpower
Science has proven that the mind and body
are not two separate entities.
One affects the other, and physical
performance very often reflects mental
performance – Stephen Hawking not with
standing. When you exercise, more blood is
sent to the brain, allowing clearer thoughts
and connections.
It also helps to improve your memory due to
the release of endorphins that stimulates the
encoding, storing, and retrieving of information
in your brain. Think about the way exercise
reduces stress, anxiety, and depression.
These things can clutter the mind.
Let’s say that you are stressed out and
anxious about a big presentation you have to
give at work the next day. All those worries
are your mind wasting energy, and even
though you know this, your mind might be too
preoccupied with those negative thoughts to
stop them.
Exercise can give you a way to stop them. So,
instead of dwelling on the negative, you can
focus on the positive like ways to make that
presentation even better.
Summary
Give 2017 the best start both physically and
mentally by adding exercise into your daily
routine. You will see an improvement in all
aspects of your life within a short couple of
weeks.
By exercising, not only will you be improving
your physical health and physique, but you will
also improve your mental health, becoming
happier, smarter, and more relaxed. Find that
little speck of motivation to get started, and
let it fly.
You’ll soon discover that success leads to
more success, so keep it up and see just how
amazing a good exercise routine will make
2017.
Comments
Post a Comment