It is a common known fact that exercise is good for your physical health. The prevention of comorbidities and mortality, but how much does exercise actually help us when it comes to your mental health? In this article, we at Fitnacle will be telling you what exercise does for your mental wellbeing!
Exercise Vs. Depression
Studies have shown that exercise has been linked to the treatment of mild to moderate depression. They may function as well as an antidepressant when it comes to mild depression and help to a quite a bit in moderate depression. Not only does it help relief those 2 categories of depression but some studies have shown that exercising reduces the chances of a relapse. How does this work? Well when someone exercises regularly, a few changes will occur in the brain, such as neural growth and reduction in inflammation. On top of those, during an exercise, Endorphins will be released. Endorphins are powerful chemicals in the brain that will stimulate a sense of euphoria. Well… pretty much a natural chemical that keeps you stimulated and happy.
Lastly, exercising also serves as a distraction. We have met people with mild/moderate depression who tell us that the toughest times that they have been in is usually when they are alone with their thoughts. So therefore, with the exercise they do, they would be able to occupy their time and cause a break from their negative thought cycle.
Exercise Vs. Stress
When we get stressed up, there would be something very noticeable that happens to our body. We become more irritable and our body muscles tense up, especially our face, neck and shoulders. Hence, this is why we would always have neck and shoulder pains when we’re leading a mentally stressful lifestyle. We may also experience insomnia, stomach aches and sometimes diarrhea. If these symptoms are present, then it is a clear sign that this person needs a break! Well, this is where exercising comes to play. Aside from what we’ve mentioned before this about how exercising can release endorphins and regulate our moods better, it also causes the body muscles to relax.
Exercising also provides an effective break from your stressful lifestyle. Taking a breather once in a while helps keeps the mind relaxed and reduces the risk of comorbidities such as Myocardial Infarction (heart attacks).
Exercise Vs. Anxiety
At this day and age, there is massive surge in groups of people that are suffering from various forms of anxiety. Well, we don’t necessarily mean clinical anxiety. What we mean is anyone with the general feeling of anxiety, whether it’s clinical or just physiological. Exercise acts as a very good Anti-Anxiety treatment. As previously mentioned about the wonderful effects of Endorphins, it will help you keep calm throughout and ride the anxiety wave through!
When exercising, try noticing the minor things. For example, the rhythm of your feet on the ground, the sound of your heartbeat rhythm and wind blowing against your hair. These methods actually help us relax and feel more appreciative of our surroundings. When we are more appreciative of our surroundings, we will be able to break our train of thought of constant worrying.
Other Benefits of Exercising on Our Mental Health
(1) Sharper Thinking
This is actually a known fact as exercising will stimulate new neural pathways in our brain which will play a role in the prevention of age related mental decline illnesses.
(2) Better Sleep
Short bursts of exercises in the Morning or Afternoon will help regulate our sleeping times. This is because your body will utilize the energy which will be replenished by nutrition and adequate sleep. If, however, you’d prefer to work out at night, then Yoga works wonders in regulating your sleep cycle as well as you would feel more relaxed after.
(3) More Energy
Increasing our heart rate several times a week can cause us to be more alert as the blood flow to our vital organs will be increased. People with a sedentary lifestyle tend to have more of a sluggish mood as compared to those who exercise regularly.
The information that we have provided are honestly just the tip of the iceberg. There’s a lot more information to the benefits of exercising when it comes to a person’s mental wellbeing! As important as it is to watch over our physical wellbeing, our mental wellbeing is equally as important.
*** Please do bear in mind that whatever we’ve mentioned will most likely help in the reduction of symptoms of said mental health issues. In the end of the day, please do consult a physician if these symptoms are still persisting or are getting worse as they will be the best in helping you get through whatever it is that you’re struggling with mentally. ***
With that being said, we at Fitnacle would like to tell you to go out there and CREATE THE BEST VERSION OF YOURSELF!