Rachel Burns

Everybody knows about the health benefits of exercise. But have you heard it’s also efficient in dealing with stress, anxiety, depression, and more? Here, you’ll find interesting and useful info on the mental benefits of exercise.

When people think about fitness or exercise, they relate it to health, muscle size, or good physical shape. Obviously, sweat sessions improve your wellbeing, physique, and even your sex life. More importantly, one of the physical benefits of exercise is that it adds years to your life.

But those are not the only reasons to incorporate exercise into your daily routine.

Recent research has proved that regular exercise has a positive effect on our most important organ – the brain. Workouts not only help us feel more positive but also treat various issues like stress, anxiety, and even depression.

Let’s take a closer look at the benefits of exercise on the brain.

Connection Between Body and Mind

There is a connection between enhanced mental health and staying active. Studies have shown that people who work out 2-3 times a week stress out less than those who don’t work out at all. Regular exercise can even help reduce the chances of Alzheimer’s and dementia over time. 

Scientists are still figuring out the emotional benefits of exercise and how it boosts your mood. One of the theories says that aerobic sweat sessions are responsible for producing “feel good” chemicals, e.g., endorphins. Workouts also increase your heart rate that triggers norepinephrine; this chemical helps the brain cope with stress more efficiently. Additionally, exercise increases blood flow to the brain, which, in turn, improves all cellular functions in the body. As a result, you become a happier person with improved concentration and proper night’s sleep.  

Daily habits play a crucial role. People who work out regularly may have a more structured lifestyle. They tend to be more grounded in how they exercise, eat, and sleep, that’s why their mental state is often much better.

Mental Benefits of Exercise

Only 30 minutes of exercise a day provides you with plenty of benefits and improves your mood.

See below some of these benefits!

• It gives you more energy – regular workout gives you more get-up-and-go. Start off with several minutes of exercise a day and progress as you feel more energized.

• It improves your resilience – the regular workout will boost your immune system, therefore, reducing the impact of stress. Plus, when you face with emotional and mental challenges in life, exercise helps you handle them in an ecological way instead of resorting to mindless activities, drugs and/or alcohol, or other negative behaviors that obviously worsen your symptoms.

• You’ll improve your self-esteem – regular sport is an honorable investment in your body, mind, and soul. When you meet even small goals, you’ll feel a sense of achievement and foster your sense of self-esteem. One of the multiple benefits of regular exercise is that you will feel better, mentally and physically.

• Regular exercise sharpens your memory and thinking – endorphins not only make you feel better but also help you concentrate and feel more confident and mentally sharp. Besides, workouts promote the growth of new brain cells and prevent an age-related recession.

• You’ll sleep better – there are numerous benefits of morning exercise, including improved sleep patterns. If you prefer to exercise late in the evening, opt for relaxing exercises such as gentle stretching or yoga, they help to stimulate sleep.  

Mood-Improving Exercise

Whether you perform moderate or vigorous exercise, they both are capable of boosting the mood; however, they must be consistent. According to the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association, it’s recommended to do 30-minutes of low-impact aerobic exercises 5 days a week. If it seems too much, start off with 10-15 minutes and gradually increase the time every week.

Here is a list of safe activities you could consider as your kickstart fitness plan. But, anyway, before taking up any sport, consult your doctor first.

• Walking or jogging – get outside as often as possible, especially while the weather is nice. Extra steps get your heart pumping; plus, doing activities in the sunshine improves vitamin D levels that help fight off depression. 

• Weight training and aerobic exercises – they both will increase your heart rate and deliver endorphins in your brain. You can even combine these 2 activities by taking up, for example, a Zumba class followed by a short weight lifting session.

• Moderate-intensity exercise – such exercises as gentle stretching, yoga, pilates will enhance blood flow to the body areas that tend to hold tension, e.g., lower back, shoulders, neck. These activities provide not only stretching but also controlled breathing that effectively loosens muscles. Besides, when you concentrate on breathing itself, it greatly relieves stress. 

Final thoughts.

People who exercise regularly know and feel that it gives them a great sense of wellbeing. They feel energetic during the day, sleep much better at night, and boast sharper thinking and memories. Furthermore, they feel more confident and positive about themselves and life on the whole.

Activities are also strong medicine for lots of mental health challenges. They effectively ward off stress, depression, Alzheimer’s, ADHD, and more.

To reap all those benefits, you don’t need to be a fitness fanatic! Even modest amounts of regular exercise will make a difference.

No matter your fitness level or age, you do need to start out doing exercise since it’s a powerful tool for better life and mood.

Rachel Burns has been writing on topics related to fitness and healthy eating for 2 years now. As a mother, she really appreciates the ease of raising children with her advice. Rachel specializes in plant-based diets. In addition to nutrition, she is also an exercise enthusiast.