We all read about exercise having an effect a postive effect on the body and mind which seems kind of obvious in some ways, but why is it really so important that you make time to exercise for your mental health?
Think of Your Brain as an Organ
I think the easiest way to think about it is that your brain is an organ. The same way as your heart is an organ. Your lungs are an organ. Your muscles are an organ.
How do organs get the nutrients they need? They all get the same nutrients from the blood. So the brain has blood vessels going all throughout it, the same way that other organs in your body do.
So let’s think about how exercise helps our blood vessels stay healthy in terms of the elasticity of the blood vessels, the efficiency of our heart beating and getting good oxygen through good breathing. All of this helps get blood to your brain, which gets oxygen to your brain and gets nutrients to your brain.
By exercising, you’re really helping that Organ continue to grow and develop.
The Neuron Connection
Another reason exercise seems to be good for your brain is that it helps the connections between the neurons stay strong. If your brain is exercising, it helps keep the neural connections strong.
If your body is exercising, it’s keeping the pathways to your brain strong. So it seems that with connectivity in general, the more you use it, the more it works. That may be a vague way of thinking about it, but neural connectivity is something that’s really important to functioning, especially as we get older.
Exercise and Stress
Exercise really does make a difference, especially if you’re trying to manage stress. If you control stress you’re generally going to improve your mental health. It helps if you are able to exercise and just clear your mind and not really think about anything. You can concentrate on what you’re doing at the gym or out on a walk or playing sports.
That’s just a really good, clear mental space to have. If you’re able to exercise outside, that gives you the added benefit of being in nature, which I think also is really good for your mental health for most people. This is really helpful.
You Have to DO it to FEEL it!
There are lot of reasons that exercise is good for your mental health. But it may be hard to believe until you do it yourself and FEEL the benefits.
So don’t wait, get started exercising today!
OK, I know that the hardest part about exercise is getting started. It’s really hard. Sometimes, when you’re not used to it, it doesn’t feel great at the beginning.
You really have to commit to it for six to eight weeks before you start to feel the benefits. Most people will tell you when they finish exercising, they typically feel a lot better than when they started! Want to keep your momentum going? Check out Fitness And Nutrition Are Mental!
Have you found that exercising helps your mental health? We would love to hear your stories below!
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