This is Your Brain on Exercise
Exercise has countless benefits for your physical health, but what about your mental health?
Working out regularly (for at least 30 minutes a day) doesn’t just get your body in shape; it can also profoundly impact your overall mental well-being.
Regular exercise is excellent for the brain and mental health because it helps relieve stress, improve mood, boost self-esteem, and increase energy levels. Not only that, but exercise can also help to improve cognitive function and increase your lifespan. In fact, exercise is an effective treatment for various mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety, and ADHD.
Exercise has numerous benefits for your brain. Physically, it reduces insulin resistance and inflammation and releases growth factors that improve brain health. These growth factors affect the development and survival of new brain cells, the growth of new blood vessels, and more. In other words, exercise is essential for a healthy mind and body!
So, working out may be an excellent place to start if you’re looking for a new way to boost your mental health. Your brain will thank you for it.
What happens to your brain when you exercise:
Brain boost
Exercise improves your mental health by promoting the release of feel-good chemicals in your brain, like endorphins and serotonin, helping to alleviate the effects of conditions such as depression, anxiety, and stress.
Body improvement
Exercise strengthens your heart, helps you lose weight and keep it off, and makes you look and feel better. A consistent exercise routine can help you maintain a healthy body weight. And if you’re trying to lose weight, exercise can help boost your weight loss.
Reduced risk of chronic diseases
Starting an active lifestyle when you’re young will help you enjoy many health benefits when you get older. Regular exercise reduces your risk of developing chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. Research indicates that exercising as you age can also help improve cognitive function and protect against age-related mental decline, reducing your risk of dementia and Alzheimer's.
Better sleep
Exercising enables you to sleep better by allowing your body to rest fully throughout the night, so you can feel more energized during the day.