Exercise has many benefits, not only for your physical health but also your mental wellbeing. Exercise stimulates chemicals in your brain, a hormone called serotonin, that improves your mood, happiness as well as regulating body temperature, sleep, sexual behaviour, and hunger. It also influences the parts of the brain responsible for memory and learning.
Benefits of exercise
Physical activity and exercise have many benefits. These benefits include:
Helping you to feel better, even if you’re feeling okay.
Reduce the risk of illnesses such as heart and lung disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, cancer, dementia, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
It helps people recover from a stroke with gentle exercise.
Help you to lose weight, which is good for your health and help self-esteem.
Mental health benefits of exercise
Exercise releases chemicals like endorphins and serotonin that improve your mood. It can also improve your social skills, by helping to reduce any feelings of loneliness and isolation.
If you exercise regularly, it can reduce your stress. It can also help to reduce any symptoms of mental health conditions like depression and anxiety.
It can also improve your sleep, which is important as it helps you have the energy needed for daily activities.
Exercise and the mind
Exercise pumps blood to the brain, this in turn, can help you to think more clearly.
It increases the size of the hippocampus. This is the part of the brain responsible for memory.
Exercise also increases the connections between the nerve cells in the brain. This is then responsible for improving your memory and can help protect your brain against injury and disease.
How much exercise do you need?
According to the NHS guidelines, adults aged 18-64 should do at least 150-300 minutes (that is 2.5 hours to 5 hours) of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity. This can be broken down over the week.
What is moderate intensity exercise? Examples of these include:
Brisk walking.
Water aerobics.
Riding a bike.
Dancing.
Doubles tennis.
Pushing a lawn mower.
Hiking.
or at least 75-150 minutes (that is 1.5 to 2.5 hours) of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity. This can also be broken down over the week.
What is vigorous intensity exercise? Examples of these include:
Jogging or running.
Swimming laps.
Riding a bike fast or on hills.
Playing singles tennis.
Playing basketball.
Or an equivalent combination of moderate and vigorous intensity activity throughout the week
Combine your exercise routine with a healthy diet to boost your motivation and energy for exercise.
If you are looking for a balanced outlook to exercise, then contact me or make a booking. As both a massage therapist and a personal trainer, I can offer you a personalised programme to get you back on track with your exercise. I am based in Reigate, but also work in the surrounding towns. Please do get in touch with nay questions.