Life today is so fast-paced that we often attempt to do a lot of things all at once. It is even made possible with the aid of technology and globalization. This is the trend these days and most of the time it even with all the improvement in lifestyle, a fast-paced life takes a toll on our health.
Now there is more than one aspect of health as we know. More often than not, we address physical health sooner and give it more attention and more urgently than the rest. We do this because the signs and symptoms are more noticeable and it has a more direct effect on our daily routine. So when we notice our physical state being out of shape we usually turn to exercise to strengthen our bodies.
With all the known benefits of exercise on our physical health, it is lesser known that we also improve our mental health when we strengthen our bodies. Here are the ways how:
1. Exercise induces the release of happy chemicals
Endorphins and serotonin are chemicals released by the body that makes us be in that light and happy mood. Being active also causes improved blood flow the brain which then allows us to think clearer.
2. Exercise makes us go out and about
Since exercise involves going out or moving about, all the movement and the energy required to the activities distract us from things that make us think negatively. Some exercises are also done best with a group of people so interaction is inevitable. Due to this, feelings of loneliness that can lead to depression can be greatly avoided.
3. Exercise relieves tension and releases pent up stress
When we exercise, we are forced to do inhale-exhale cycles more than necessary. That alone can help us relieve our bodies of stress. Tightness in the muscles and strain due to stress are also relieved because of the specific movements that we do when we do routines.
Aside from making sure that we are in great shape, one of the crucial aspects of our well-being is making sure that our mental condition is always at optimum. A lot of what we do for a living involves the use of our cognitive abilities and our life itself depends on the function of our brain and consequently, our disposition in life. It is due to all these that we should always guard our mental health and lucky for us, when we do exercise, we hit two birds with one stone.
