How Exercise Improves Mood: A Full Guide on Living a Stress-Free Life
Exercising leads to an increase in heart rate that causes a boost in serotonin and norepinephrine, which have been shown...
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xercising leads to an increase in heart rate that causes a boost in serotonin and norepinephrine, which have been shown to help stress better than normal. This can be a powerful tool to combat many problematic things that can be a bother in daily life. Here is how exercise improves mood.
Anxiety
One of the popular anti-anxiety treatments comes in the form of exercising. It helps relieve tension, and with the help of endorphins that are boosted through working out also reduces stress.
By being mindful and staying in the present, exercising works better. To be able to pay attention to the exercising, focus on the surroundings and the body going through the movements of working out. Not only will doing this help improve form but also help control the consistent thoughts that run through the mind.
Depression
For anyone with depression, this might sound unbelievable as the thought of having to exercise while having an episode seems daunting. However, with research happening often, it has shown that working out can help in treating depression, without the side effects that medication can have. Not only does it help fight against current episodes, having a consistent workout routine helps prevent relapses.
Exercising helps promote blood flow that reduces inflammation, causing neural growth that ultimately brings feelings of well-being and calmness.
Exercising with anxiety helps in the release of endorphins that can help anyone feel good, providing a distraction from the negative thoughts that cause people to spiral into depression.
ADHD
ADHD has been a hurdle for many people, especially when it goes on being undiagnosed. Exercising helps increase serotonin, norepinephrine, and even dopamine levels, all of which help boost attention span and focus. This ultimately leads to an increase in memory motivation, making the trainers’ mood better.
Stress
Tense muscles are just one of the many things that are caused by stress. Stress leads to pain in the shoulders, the neck, and headaches. There are also muscle cramps, chest tightness, horrible muscle aches, heartburn, and even insomnia. The discomfort and the exhaustion from all these side-effects lead to further stress leading to a repetitive cycle that can be hard to break.
This is where exercising helps. It helps relieve the discomfort in the aching tense muscles letting them finally relax. The endorphins being released along with this also give anyone peace of mind and a break in the cycle that is stress. Eating healthy can also reduce stress, so incorporate a better diet too!
PTSD
Research along with experience for many has shown that exercising regularly has helped people handle trauma better. Instead of the thoughts consuming the mind and body, when exercising, physical exertion on the muscles gives the mind a break from overthinking.
Some of the better choices for working out to reduce trauma symptoms are exercises that require full-body movement such as swimming, running, or even dancing.
Obstacles When Exercising
Sometimes even knowing that exercising can be helpful is not enough. Many other obstacles can come up even when someone wants to exercise, especially when mental health is already a struggle.
Being Overwhelmed
Being depressed or even just stressed can become a burden on someone. Adding the need to exercise makes it an overwhelming task. With the already long to-do list, working out just does not feel like a priority and feels impractical.
The only way out of this guilty feeling is to understand that exercising will be good for mental health, which will only make it easier to get through the long list of things that need to be done every day.
Exhaustion
When tired and stressed after a long day, it is easy to think that working out will only make the feeling worse. Whereas exercising has proven to bring immense amounts of energy.
Working out regularly has been shown to reduce feelings of fatigue while increasing energy. Starting with even a 10-minute walk gets the brain working then will surely lead to an even longer walk.
Self-Criticism
Every single person has bad days where they become the worst critics for themselves. No matter what the age, weight, or situation is, self-criticism gets to everyone. To start being able to think better about oneself it is important to start somewhere. To get a headstart, try working out with a friend which will help gain body confidence. This is just one of the answers to better health.
And there you have it! We hope now that you know how exercise improves mood, you can embark on a more active lifestyle.
