Exercise boosts your lean muscles, helps you lose weight, boosts your aerobic capacity, improves your physique and enhances your sexual life. These are core motivators that give people reasons to get out and exercise harder. Further, exercises boost your mental health, giving you stronger memory, alleviating your alertness, and reducing stress levels. The following article explains the link between exercising and mental health.
Exercising Reduces Depression
Studies have linked exercise with mild and moderate depression symptoms. Keeping physically fit also prevents relapsing. Actively contributing to aerobic and anaerobic exercises helps to reduce inflammation and boost neural growth. It makes you feel calm and relaxed. Through exercise, the brain is activated to release more endorphins, the chemicals responsible for raising your spirits and making you feel energized.
Lowers Your Stress Levels
When you face situations that threaten your well-being and make you feel uncomfortable, you’re likely to sweat more, lose your appetite, and have problems sleeping longer and better. These symptoms occur because your stress hormones and adrenaline levels are activated. They might also trigger other symptoms such as increased perspiration, blood pressure, and heart rate. In addition, stress can cause low blood flow to the skin. Working out and exercising regularly can boost the production of your feel-good hormones, making you less stressed.
Boosts Your Mood
Have you ever woken up moody only to feel relieved after you did several kilometers of jogging or engaged in any other physical activity? Physical exercise boosts the production of neurotransmitters, the brain chemicals essential for boosting your mood. In addition, while actively engaged in physical activities, your brain gets distracted from stressors and negative thoughts, making you feel relieved and happy after the workout session. Besides, exercising increases endorphin release, the body-produced opioids that make you feel relaxed and stress-free.
Lowers ADHD Symptoms
ADHD is a troublesome condition known to affect someone’s self-esteem and ability to maintain relationships. ADHD patients suffer from hyperactivity and memory loss. Symptoms are often treated through talk therapy or prescribed medication. Studies have authenticated rumors that exercising can have a positive impact on ADHD symptoms. In fact, exercising triggers serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine production, the naturally occurring chemicals known to boost your attention and focus. Therefore, when ADHD patients exercise regularly, they will have their memories, concentration, moods, and motivation improved.
Builds and Strengths Your Resilience
Different life situations can leave you emotionally and mentally wrecked. Instead of using stress-relieving medications, alcohol, or hard drugs to calm your emotional and mental distress, you should consider getting physically active. Exercise does strengthen your immune system, reducing stressors and the effects of stress and anxiety.
These are research-backed ways exercising benefits your mental and emotional health. If you’re depressed or stressed and need a natural and safe solution that won’t expose your body to chemicals and drugs, you should consider exercising. There are dozens of exercises you can engage in to keep fit mentally and physically, so choose ones you’re passionate about and comfortable doing.
