Fitness Isn’t Just Physically Beneficial
One’s physical, mental and emotional health is very important for quality and longevity of life. Emotional and mental health is typically associated with ones social life, sense of belonging, happiness, security, etc. When you think of physical health, what do you think of? Nutrition, physical activity and treatment of sickness, right?
Actually, physical fitness and exercise has a real impact on one’s emotional and mental health for several reasons, according to Sophia Breene’s article in Huffington Post, “13 Mental Health Benefits of Exercise.”
First, physical exercise is a major stress reliever. While I know, at first, you may feel added stress at the thought of starting a new exercise routine, once you finally get into the flow of things on a consistent basis, it can actually help reduce stress. This isn’t just a theory, “Exercise also increases concentrations of norepinephrine, a chemical that can moderate the brain’s response to stress. So go ahead and get sweaty — working out can reduce stress and boost the body’s ability to deal with existing mental tension.”
Speaking of chemicals, exercise increases endorphins in the brain that present feelings of joy and happiness. Some doctors even recommend patients struggling with sadness and depression use exercise to treat their condition. Even just 30 minutes can be beneficial.
Do you ever have trouble remembering dates or names? Physical exercise increases ones memory and learn more efficiently. “Getting sweaty increases production of cells in hippocampus responsible for memory and learning. For this reason, research has linked children’s brain development with level of physical fitness.” The same is applicable for adults as well!
With that said, there are physical benefits included, which in turn impact emotional and mental wellness through self-confidence. As you start a physical exercise regimen, you may lose some weight, gain muscle or notice certain areas getting more trim. After time, you will probably notice these things when looking in the mirror and your clothes may fit a little better, which may make you more confident in yourself physically.
Since we are being brutally honest, getting older is an unavoidable part of life. As we age, our brains age too, which means that we are more likely to get degenerative diseases or battle a losses of brain function in some areas, like memory (explained above). “While exercise and a healthy diet can’t “cure” Alzheimer’s, they can help shore up the brain against cognitive decline that begins after age 45 Working out, especially between age 25 and 45, boosts the chemicals in the brain that support and prevent degeneration of the hippocampus, an important part of the brain for memory and learning.”
We would love to hear from you: what benefits have you seen as a result of physical exercise?