The Benefits of Exercise for Mental Health
Yes, exercise helps us look better, but it can also affect our mental health, helping to improve our overall emotional state.
Exercise Your Mind
Why do you exercise, is it to lose weight and improve muscle definition? Is it to improve your performance in a favorite sport or activity?
The benefits of regular exercise and physical activity for appearance and physical performance are well known, but what is not as well known are the benefits of exercise for improving our overall mental health and positive outlook. If one of the reasons you work out is to improve your overall mood, outlook and mental health then it is important to know those are valid reasons and important benefits of exercise. If you’ve been contemplating being more physically active then it’s important to recognize that besides looking better, regular exercise can help you feel better too!
Managing Mental Health During the Holidays
It’s the holiday season and end of the year (which also includes the end of the fiscal for many businesses) which only compounds overall stress. Staying active and exercising during the holiday season can help you to maintain your sanity (especially when the in-laws and your weird cousin are on their way over).
Here are 6 benefits of exercise for your overall mental health and outlook which can be an extremely important reason for making regular physical activity a part of your daily schedule.
Exercise elevates the production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein that can stimulate production of new brain cells. Cardiovascular and strength training can both help elevate levels of BDNF meaning that besides helping your muscles become stronger exercise can boost your brain power too!
Performing different types of physical activity or learning how to do a new type of exercise can change how the neurons in your brain are wired, helping to improve overall cognition and mental acuity. When you first start exercising and are learning how to perform new movement patterns, one of the reasons why it can be so challenging is that your brain and nervous system are figuring out the most effective way to communicate to execute the specific activity. As you become better at an activity you are boosting the ability of your brain to connect the dots and activate the right muscles to help you perform the necessary movements. This helps improve how your brain functions which has a direct result on your overall mental health. If you’ve been thinking about trying a new type of exercise like yoga, Pilates or kettlebell training it’s cool to know that it can help you get smarter as well as fitter.
Exercise can boost our self-esteem which has a direct effect on mental health. There’s a reason why people who exercise regularly seem a little more confident or self-assured, it’s because having the ability to set a goal like making time for a daily workout or lifting a certain amount of weight, gives us the confidence that we can accomplish hard tasks. Plus, learning how to nail that yoga pose, finally doing a pull-up with our own bodyweight or lifting a certain amount of weight gives us the knowledge that we can achieve specific tasks, the best way to boost self-esteem.
How awesome do you feel after a good night’s sleep? Sleep is when our body repairs itself after the challenges of the day and is an important component of good mental health. A good night’s sleep is critical for your brain to recharge and refresh; regular exercise can enhance your quality of sleep which can leave you feeling great all day long.
In this hurly-burly world where we’re constantly being texted, emailed, tweeted and generally pulled in all directions, having the opportunity to take time out of your day to focus on you and your favorite activity can definitely help improve mental health. Time spent exercising is an opportunity to unplug from other people and listen to your favorite music or catch up on your favorite hobby via a podcast which can help you change how you feel and improve your overall outlook.
Taking group fitness classes or simply being at a gym surrounded by other people working towards the same goal of improving their health can help you connect with others which is an important component of good mental health. If you’re new to an area or going through a major life change like a break-up going then your workout time can be the best opportunity for meeting new people and making new friends. Many fitness studios or group classes quickly become mini-communities and are an excellent way to improve your real-life social network which can have an immediate impact on your mental health.
Stay Active, My Friends
As you can see there are a number of benefits of exercise that can have a positive impact on your mental health. Recent research strongly suggests that improved mental health is an important and often overlooked outcome of regular exercise. It’s also important to note that you don’t need to pay for an expensive health club membership or fitness classes to receive the mental health benefits of exercise, a few simple searches on YouTube can deliver a plethora (SAT word!) of free workout content that can make you sweaty while feeling great in no time!
Side note, I am a recovering alcoholic; exercise has been an essential component of my recovery program, helping to manage my overall mental health. And what is fascinating is that after teaching workshops to personal trainers for more than 20 years, over the past few years more and more young adults entering the fitness industry state that one reason for working out is for their mental health. It’s only been the past few years that people have been openly talking about their mental health and acknowledging the role that their workout routine plays in promoting a positive mental outlook.
Need Some Help with your Workouts?
Do you need some guidance to update your workout program?
I’m now offering remote personal training; message me at ptmccscs@gmail.com for more details