12 MENTAL Health Benefits of EXERCISE

 

Some of the overlooked benefits of exercise include the mental health benefits that accompany a healthy and active lifestyle.  Whether you run, walk, exercise, train, weight lift or play sports, the mental health benefits of being active are well documented.
 

The Fast Company recently published an article called: “3 Reasons Exercise Makes You Smarter” and explains that your brain is a part of your body. Your body works better with exercise–and, research suggests, so does your brain.  Scientific American’s Justin Rhodes (assistant professor of psychology at the University of Illinois) reports: “A growing body of evidence suggests we think and learn better when we walk, jog, or otherwise workout”.  According to these recent studies, exercise boosts your cognitive functioning and improves your memory.  The keys include blood flow, your hippocampus (memory and learning elements in your brain) and creative habit.

 

According to the Scientific American study:

 

“The results were, in certain aspects, a surprise. As expected, many of the volunteers who’d been exercising for the past month significantly improved their scores on the memory and mood tests. But not all of them did. In general, those volunteers who had exercised for the past month and who worked out on the day of retesting performed the best on the memory exam. They also tended to report less anxiety than other volunteers.

 

Those who had exercised during the preceding month but not on the day of testing generally did better on the memory test than those who had been sedentary, but did not perform nearly as well as those who had worked out that morning.”

 

 

We’ve tried to summarize the top 12 mental health benefits of exercise in this infographic.  Enjoy!

 

Exercise Will Make You Feel Better!

Exercising released endorphins, making you feel happy and positive about yourself.  Don’t we all want that?

 

Exercise is an Overall Mood Booster!

Exercising regularly will release tension.  This translates into solved problems with depression and stress.

 

Exercise Leads to Increased Confidence

When you exercise and relieve that tension while taking care of yourself, you can’t help but be proud of your accomplishments.  You feel like a brand new you, and you know you look good doing so.

 

Exercise Helps Your Body Increase Pain Tolerance

Exercise can make you sore many times.  At first it might be horrible, but after it happens a few times you learn to deal with it.  This leads to an overall increase in your pain threshold.

 

Exercising Works To Improve Your Brain Power!

Exercise causes your body to create more brain cells and connections.  This means your brain becomes more powerful and has a greater capacity for learning regardless of your age.

 

Exercise Improves Your Character

Sticking to an exercise routine will help you develop the qualities of discipline, dedication and determination.

 

Exercise Teaches Self Discipline

It also helps you develop the skills of compliance and adherence.  These absolutely necessary life skills will have a positive effect in all areas of your life.

 

Exercise Can Help With Addiction Recovery

As mentioned above, exercise can help you to developer discipline.  Overcoming addictions can become a lot easier when a workout routine is in place.

 

Exercise Also Combats Depression

Depression is caused by a chemical imbalance in your brain.  Exercises induce “happy chemicals” to be produced more abundantly.

 

Fitness Reduces Anxiety

Using your energy in an effective way helps you to relax better.

 

Exercise Gives You ‘Runner’s High’

That’s right!  Vigorous exercise can make you feel great!

 

Exercise Improves Concentration

Exercise can help boost your concentration and mental awareness.

INFOGRAPHIC > The Impact Exercise On Heart Health

Did you know? The major risk factors for heart disease include: tobacco use, physical inactivity, obesity, poor diet and genetics? Over 250,000 deaths occur each years as a result of inactivity! People with active lifestyles through exercise, training and working out have a 45% lower risk of developing heart disease then someone who doesn’t. Benefits occur even with low intensity exercise like walking or jogging. Now that is a major impact of exercise on your heart health!
 

 
 

Exercise Benefits the Heart in Many Ways

There are 3 major health benefits to exercise when it comes to heart health. Here are the 3 great main benefits in no particular order:
 

#1 | Exercise Improves Strength

The heart is a muscle, and gets stronger with exercise. Exercise also enables the heart to pump more blood through the body when required. In addition, exercise lowers resting heart rate as the heart is now more efficient in moving blood through your systems when required.

 

#2 | Exercise Has Positive Effects on Risk Factors

Some of the great health benefits of exercise and training include: reduction in blood pressure and weight loss. As well, other positive effects on risk factors include an increase in good cholesterol and decrease in bad cholesterol in our blood stream. This helps in reducing heart disease and heart attacks.

 

#3 | Exercise Increases Aerobic Capacity

Being active will improve your body’s ability to transport and use oxygen. As well, exercise will reduce fatigue when performing every day activities. Training will also improve vascular wall function.

 

Let’s Get Moving and Exercise!

Here are some easy ways to incorporate training and exercise into your daily routine. Firstly, take stairs and not the elevator if you’re at work. This burns 7 calories per minute for a 150 pound person and for an extra exercise boost, take 10 minutes on your lunch break to go up and down stairs in your work building. Secondly, you can try biking to work instead of driving or taking public transit. A half hour commute on the bike burns about 140 calories for a 150 pound person. You will get fresh air, and help your health and the environment at the same time! If you are biking in the sun, you’ll get your daily required dose of Vitamin D as well! Thirdly, sit on an exercise ball at work. By doing so (instead of sitting stationary on a chair), you can burn an additional 30 calories per work day. Use the exercise ball for quick training breaks too. Lastly, walk to lunch or coffee. A leisurely 10 minute walk burns about 50 calories. Grab a co-worker to join you and pick up the pace!
 
This Impact of Exercise on Your Heart Health Infographic is brought to you by the Regional Medical Center of San Jose. Thank you!