Exercise makes the body better!
Everyone understands regular exercise is a necessary part of their physical health. It helps improve things such as blood pressure, resting heart rate, body composition, muscular strength, cholesterol levels, joint range of motion, back and core stability, and balance and posture. The list can go on and on. All of these things help with our general health, combat the disease process and aid in our functional fitness for everyday life.
Exercise makes the mind better!
The physical health is not the only aspect of your health exercise can influence. Regular exercise also has a significant positive influence on mental health and general well-being. The list here too can go on and on.
Let's face it - life isn't always an easy ride. Things such as school stress, sport stress, new parenting, juggling work and home life, loss of job or change of employment, loss of spouse or family member, divorce, retirement, dealing with aging parents, accepting the aging process and holiday stress all affects our mental health. In the United States, almost half of adults (46.4 percent) will experience a mental illness during their lifetime.
Here are some of the mental improvements we see with exercise:
Muscle tension - Individuals undergoing a stressful period experience tense muscles. Quality exercise helps loosen muscles and relieve this pent-up tension. The right exercise session (yoga, tai chi, pilates, basic stretching) can even lessen the tension enough to get rid of the anxiety entirely for a little while.
Interruption of negative thoughts - Depression and anxiety are the results of unwanted thoughts and negative feeling about self-image. Exercise gives the individual a chance to focus on the exact body movements and feeling good instead of these intruding thoughts.
Release of endorphins - The body has a feel-good chemical known as endorphins. Your body releases them during exercise, and they can help focus your mind, reduce the impact of pain on your body and improve your mood.
Boost self-image and self-esteem - Being in shape helps individuals build confidence in their appearance, boost their esteem and feel good about themselves.
Manage response to stress - We all have stressors in our lives. It's how the body reacts to these events that leads to stress. With exercise, we release a chemical that combats the bad stress symptoms and depression. Continued regular exercise can help maintain the levels of this chemical over extended periods.
Improves sleep - Regular exercise can help release the tension in your body, which helps prepare it for sleep, so you can fall asleep faster and hopefully remain asleep for the majority (or all) of the night. The best exercise immediately before bed is yoga or stretching. Cardio exercise relaxes us but should be done earlier in the evening as this can keep the body revved up at night.
Social interaction - Exercise is a great way to incorporate social interaction into your schedule. Exercising at a gym or taking a fitness class helps you be around others who are also striving for improved health and well-being.
My advice to you is to get out this season and move. Make movement and physical activity a priority this year.
Making you better in 2020 is our goal - physically and mentally.
Now, go move!
Kay Benward is an exercise specialist at the Sam B. Cook Healthplex. She has been the fitness center supervisor for over 20 years. She received her master's degree in exercise physiology/health education from the University of Missouri - Columbia. She especially enjoys teaching classes and training clients for improving posture, balance and functional movement.