There are lots of reasons why physical activity is advantageous to your body – having a healthy heart and improving your joints and bones are just two examples – but did you know that physical activity is also beneficial to your mental health and well-being?
Physical activity does have the ability to substantially positively impact our well-being.
Even a short burst of moderate exercise for 10 to 15 minutes tends to increase our cognitive function, energy, and positive mood. Physical exercise can improve our self-esteem even while reducing anxiety and stress.
Exercise stimulates the production of chemicals that improve your mood, such as endorphins and serotonin. This aims to mitigate the development of mental health problems and to improve the quality of life for people who are suffering from them.
Many studies have shown that exercising can improve one’s mental health. It can, for example, help with:
Improving your sleeping habits
Sleep and mental health are inextricably linked. Sleep deprivation has an impact on your psychological well-being and mental health.
In addition, those suffering from mental health issues are more likely to suffer from insomnia or other sleep disorders.
Exercising also helps people sleep much better. Regular exercise, in particular, can improve adult sleep quality by reducing the time it takes to fall asleep – and lessening the amount of time they lie awake in bed during the night.
Besides that, physical activity can help reduce daytime sleepiness and, in some cases, the need for sleep medications.
Putting you in a good mood
Studies show that physical activity improves our mood. Researchers discovered that when participants were physically active, they felt more content, awake, and calmer than when they were inactive.
They also discovered that physical activity had the greatest effect on mood when mood was initially low.
Lessen stress
Regular exercise can be a very effective stress reliever. According to research on employed adults, highly active people have lower stress levels than those who are less active.
When incidents occur that make us feel threatened or upset our balance in some way, our body’s defense mechanisms kick in and create a stress response,
which may cause us to experience a variety of undesirable physical symptoms, change our behavior, and experience greater levels of stress.
Sleeping problems, sweating, and loss of appetite are the most common physical symptoms of stress.
Such symptoms are caused by a surge of stress hormones in our bodies, also known as the ‘fight or flight’ response.
Improve your self-esteem
Exercise not only benefits our physical health, but it can also boost our self-esteem. Self-esteem refers to how we feel about ourselves and how we see our own worth.
It is an important indicator of our mental health and ability to deal with life’s stresses. Physical activity has been shown to boost our self-esteem and sense of worth.
This connection has been discovered in children, adolescents, young adults, adults, and the elderly, as well as in both males and females.
Alleviate anxiety and depression
Regular exercise can be used as a substitute therapy for depression. It can be used alone or in conjunction with medication and/or psychological therapy.
It has few side effects and lacks the stigma that some people associate with taking antidepressants or attending psychotherapy and counselling.
Physical activity can lessen anxiety levels in people with mild symptoms and may also be beneficial in the treatment of clinical anxiety.
Physical activity is accessible to everyone, has few costs, and is an empowering approach that can help with self-management.
The Performance Physical Therapy and Fitness has several services and tips on how to get started with workout to begin your fitness journey. You can also avail of their fitness gym membership in order to really secure your workout routine and be trained by professional trainers.
