Studies have shown that not a lot of people know about all of the benefits of exercise and working out; they mainly think that it’s good for the body and that’s all. However, the truth is very different. Well, the part about it being healthy for the body is true, but another slightly unexpected benefit is the improvement of mental health. It’s one of the healthiest activities that you can do that will improve both your body and your mind. What kinds of effects does exercising have on us? Check out below!
Improve self-confidence
When you’re working out, you know that you are physically active. Your entire body realises this fact, and your brain releases endorphins that make you feel good about yourself. Of course, the more you exercise, the more changes your body will experience, and you’ll be there to notice all of them. Check out your progress a year after you started regularly exercising or going to the gym – you’ll be very proud of yourself, and you’ll push for even better results! This is why your self-confidence levels will rise sky high, and you’ll feel like you’re capable of anything!
Reduce stress
Stress can be a potential bane of our sanity because of all the damaging effects that it causes. Stress manifests itself after a difficult day at work, issues at home or in marriage, divorce, loss of a loved one, no-exit situations, etc. Stress can cause major health problems if it resides in your body for a prolonged period! However, one of the most natural ways you can get rid of stress is – you guessed it – Exercise! As we mentioned before, exercise releases a series of hormones that modify your feelings in a positive way. Think of this: Exercise makes your body work so your body excretes sweat; similarly, exercise makes your mind healthier, so your mind excretes negative emotions!
Sharpen memory
Have you been having issues with remembering things and information? Do you find yourself in a situation where you have to learn something but you simply can’t because, for some reason, your memory isn’t that good? Well, you can fix this by working out! Mainly, you’ll be either forgetting about certain problems that aren’t even that important, or remembering something that you forgot. We don’t necessarily know how this works, but there are speculations that it’s because of increased blood flow to the brain, while the blood is oxygenated more. So get out there and work out!
Builds mental strength and discipline
Discipline is built up over time, and you shouldn’t expect it to happen as soon as you start working out. However, once you start following your schedule correctly and completely, you’ll be noticing a different in the discipline. Similarly, your mental strength will improve through exercise because of increased blood flow. Of course, all of these changes require time and patience but most of all you will need dedication. Don’t tell yourself you only need to improve your body because you aren’t happy with it; think about how exercising also has a great influence on the mind! Stay motivated and don’t give up – your success is awaiting you.
Increases relaxation and promotes better sleep
While this might be contradictory to the fact that you aren’t necessarily relaxed while working out and instead you’re fully dedicated to being physically active, it’s true but not in the usual sense. Your mind is relaxed when you’re working out while your body is hard at work. Your mind empties itself from negative thoughts, and that’s why exercise feels so good. Oh also, once your exercise session is complete, you will be exhausted, and you’ll need sleep soon. Because of this, exercise also promotes better and healthier sleep. Be sure to take a shower before you go to sleep!
Prevents depression and helps control addiction
Depression is a major mental problem that many people around the world suffer from. The most common way of treatment is by using medication and drugs. We aren’t going to be the ones to say that meds for depression are bad and that you shouldn’t take them – they are good, and they help people all around the world fight depression and whoever claims otherwise doesn’t know what they’re talking about. Instead, we will tell you that you can exercise to battle depression as an alternative. It might not help as much as meds, but it will help, and you will feel better. You may even get rid of it completely with time. Also, if you’re suffering from addiction, you might want to consider exercising. There have been numerous studies on the matter of how exercise influences people who are addicted to something, and all of them have proven that exercise can control the addiction quite effectively.
In the end, we’d like to say that if you’re looking for workout gadgets and machines to help you exercise better and easier, you can visit Wear Action and check out their collection!