Tips for how Fitness can help with Mental Health

Did you think that exercise is to keep you in your healthy BMI range? Beyond better endurance and muscle, exercise also helps to keep your mind healthy and fresh. People with a regular exercise regime tend to stay energetic throughout the day and have a healthy sleep cycle. Numerous researches and studies indicate that regular exercise will help to improve memory, boost mood, avoid depression, and regulates the sleep cycle.

Depression

According to a study conducted by Harvard, all it takes is 15 minutes of running or 60 minutes of walking to reduce depression by up to 26%. The study also indicated that regular exercise would avoid relapse of depression episodes.

Science behind it

Exercise helps to improve metabolism by inducing the secretion of several hormones and natural chemicals. One such component is endorphin. Endorphins are powerful brain chemicals, which make you feel energetic after exercise. These chemicals also help you to feel good, thereby reducing depression. Exercise also helps in neural growth, which gives a calm feeling.

Anxiety

Studies show that individuals with regular exercise regimes have a 25% less chance of developing an anxiety disorder or other mental problems in the next 5 years. Exercise helps you to concentrate, and it will improve your response to anxious situations.

Science behind it

While endorphins help you boost your mental energy, your mind will respond to tension better. Mindful exercise helps you to develop concentration, which would reduce the anxiety episode’s frequency. Physical activity increases dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine, which helps to improve attention and focus. Thus, exercise has a positive effect on ADHD individuals too.

Stress

Stress can cause physical pain. You might feel tightness in the chest, the tension in muscles, cramps, and others. Prolonged stress can lead to insomnia, stomach ache, heartburn, and others. This correlation clearly shows that mental health and physical health have a strong link.

Exercise will give you the reverse effect by regulating the sleep cycle, which will relax your mind. It can relax your muscle, which will help to reduce tension.

Science behind it

Exercise helps provide the same level of endorphin secretion, like massage therapy, meditation, acupuncture, etc. Apart from endorphin, exercise also releases adrenaline, cortisol, and others. These chemicals help to induce optimism, called ‘runners’ high.’

Trauma and PTSD

Trauma and PTSD are stress responses due to a severe incident. Exercise helps to deal with Trauma and PTSD. Especially outdoor activities like whitewater rafting, sailing, hiking, mountain biking, walking in sand, and so on. Any physical activity that helps to give pressure on your joints will help in dealing with trauma.

Science behind it

Exercises that pressurize joints will help to have a better sleep cycle, which reduces numerous symptoms of PTSD. Exercise also reduces depression, anxiety, and keeps mind focused. These help in rehabilitating after severe trauma.

Beyond these, exercise helps you have a sharp memory, better self-esteem, more energy, better emotional handle, and good appearance. All these together will help you gain a better image of yourself. Remember that these changes do not happen over a 60-minute session. It is a slow but definite process.