Exercise and mental health
I recommended regular exercise to my clients as a supplement to their treatment plans. You will be surprised to learn about the connection between exercise and mental health. Studies show that regular exercise kindles chemicals in the brain that are proven to improve the mood and the parts of the brain responsible for memory and learning.
May other scientific studies and statistics prove that exercise benefits are not limited just to the physical body but also to the mental health.
What are the benefits of exercise
As I mentioned above, physical exercise carries both physical and mental health benefits. Some of them are listed belowhas many benefits. It can:
- help in feeling better, even if feeling alright
- Could help in quit smoking
- Aids in managing blood sugar and insulin levels.
- keeps your thinking, learning, and judgment skills sharp as you age
- Helps in maintaining a healthy weight.
- Certainly improves sexual health
- Reduces the risk of heart and lung disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, cancer, dementia, Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease
- Reduces the risk of falls
- Helps in weight-loss
- Helps you get better sleep, which is important in many different ways.
- Increases chances of living longer.
- Improves mental health and mood
- Strengthens bones and muscles
- Reduces the risk of some cancers
Exercise and the mind
- Specially when it comes to the connection between exercise and mind, exercise ensures better flow of blood to the brain, which can help in thinking more clearly. Overall mood of an individual can see good improvement as exercise releases chemicals like endorphins and serotonin.
- If one is suffering from loneliness and isolation, exercising can get you in touch with other people.
- Regular exercise can reduce stress levels and symptoms of mental health conditions like depression and anxiety. It can also act as a supplement and aid in the recovery from mental health issues.
- It increases the size of the hippocampus which is the part of the brain that is responsible for memory.
- It also increases the connections between the nerve cells in the brain. Better connections between nerve cells means improved memory and protection for your brain against injury and disease.
How to make exercise a part of daily routine
- It is recommend that adults do at least 30 minutes of moderate to intensive physical activity on most or all days of the week. These 30 minutes does not have to be in a single stretch. It can be over the day by combining shorter 10 to 15 minute sessions.
- Being mindfulness while doing exercise also reduces your stress and improves your mental health.
- Also, you can Make everyday activities more active such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator.
- Consider having a workout partner as it can make you enjoy your workout sessions even more.
- Keeping track of your exercise activity and also setting reasonable goals can help you stay motivated.
- You can listen to music or watch television as you exercise to make your workout experience more fun.
- Plan for bad weather and other conditions that would prevent you from exercising outside. This could include walking in a mall or taking stairs etcetera. Sometimes this curd include monetary limits. In such case you could rely on local community centres some of which often have affordable exercise groups. You can also rely on your Private Health Insurance as most Private Health Insurance are considering covering gym membership these days.
It goes without saying that any exercise plan must accompany a very good balanced healthy diet plan for maximum benefits.