Sit back and kick up your feet this post will be along one (but I promise worth your time to read).
Stress, depression, and anxiety rates are rising across the nation. But don’t feel bad; anyone in today’s fast paced connected 24/7 world can experience these symptoms.
What gets you out of bed to exercise, or motivates you to finally look up an exercise video on YouTube, or call a health coach is most likely that you want to lose weight, you have low energy, or perhaps you have an upcoming event you want to look amazing for.
But what gets you hooked so that you won’t give it up is most likely to be the mental health benefits. And those mental health benefits of exercise are numerous.
Balance Hormones
Most people first relate exercise with a rise in endorphins. It’s true exercise creates endorphins. But that’s the tip of the iceberg and it’s only temporary. And you’ll need it again and again and again. But that’s okay since you need to repeat exercise for physical results. But for long-term mental health benefits other hormones are more important.
Serotonin has amazing effects on mood and is key in decreasing effects of depression.
Decrease in Stress, Depression & Anxiety
Studies have proven exercise to be more favorable than medication and cognitive therapy in the treatment of stress, depression and anxiety.
And an extra bonus many people experience a bump in serotonin from exercise, sunshine, and venting with friends. Friends let friends talk about problems. They don’t have the need to solve them. Talking, or venting, does wonders for developing what we need the most - a collaborative and supportive environment.
Enhance Memory
Did you know that walking 40 minutes a day three times a week significantly increased hippocampus size - that’s our memory central. There’s no intensity requirement, you simply walk your self-selected pace 40 minutes three times a week. Simple as that. Not only did the hippocampus of study subjects not shrink –that occurs with aging – it grew! Holy Smokes!
If you are interested in aging gracefully? Start with a simple regular exercise. Low to moderate intensity will do just fine.
Decrease the Risk of Dementia and Alzheimer’s
If you just read about the ability of exercise to improve memory, it’s easy to understand the effects of exercise on reduction of brain disease like dementia and Alzheimer’s. So, while there may be genetics working against you, armed with that knowledge, exercise becomes such an important aspect of aging well.
Decrease Brain Fog
Study after study has proven mental health benefits of increased focus and concentration with regular exercise. Compared to sedentary individuals, active people in the workforce get more done in less time with fewer errors. Specifically, exercise during a workday can result in greater problem solving skills, better relationships with co-workers, and greater job satisfaction at the end of the day.
Workouts can be as easy as a walk and still provide these mental health benefits. Yoga and stretching were equally as beneficial as vigorous exercise.
Improve Sleep
A National Foundation of Sleep survey states that sleep improves by 33% with 10 minutes of walking every day. There isn’t any intensity required - Just walk. In fact, you can likely insert your favorite activity for 10 minutes and reap similar sleep benefits.
Increase Self-Esteem
Most people who exercise gain confidence and enjoy a healthy sense of self-esteem compared to folks who don’t exercise. The reason for this occurs for most people isn’t necessarily known.
It could be due to the sense of accomplishing a goal. Or maybe the satisfaction following through with something could contribute. It may be a greater appreciation for the physical body provides a mental boost.
Decrease Stress
Realistically, going for a power walk isn’t going to change your life or life obligations. Exercise doesn’t make the project deadline go away, eliminate your need to give a speech, or magically change your check book.
But it does increase endorphins (a short term fix) and serotonin so that you offset the negative effect of climbing cortisol.
Exercising outdoors - The mental health benefits of outdoor exercise surpass that done indoors. In fact, exercise in green environments (think a park vs. city streets or a gym) was best for promoting mental health benefits. While physical benefits may happen in a wide variety of environments, “forest bathing” is best for mental health. Psychology professor and author, Dacher Keltner in his book Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How it Can Transform Your Life writes that being outside in nature can evoke feelings of awe and being in the presence of something vast (like the outdoors) quiets part of the brain and allows you to feel like you are a part of something much larger.