5 Ways Physical Fitness Makes You Mentally Strong
Although one of the primary reasons for physical activities is to make a person physically stronger, it is no secret that fitness comes with several other benefits, including mental strength, clarity, and sharpness. If you implement an exercise routine and stick with it, you will quickly notice the positive effect that it has on your mental health. If you are curious about the ways that workout can transform your mind, take a look at these five reasons why workout makes you mentally fit as well as physically fit.
1. Exercise Helps You Combat The Blues: Everyone from the temporarily stressed out high school student to the middle-aged man or woman battling anxiety or clinical depression can benefit from a healthy dose of regular activities. While phisical activities might not “cure” depression for everyone, studies have shown that it does a powerful job of alleviating many symptoms. This is because the “happy chemicals” (endorphines) are released when you get your heart rate up and your blood pumping. And if the idea of jumping on the treadmill for 45 minutes makes your skin crawl, not to worry! You can get the happy feelings from doing any kind of physical training whether that is a half an hour hike through the local trails, an invigorating bike ride, or a cardio kickboxing session. Keep in mind that the harder you get your body to work (high intensity interval training and strength training are best), the happier you will feel afterward.
2. You Can Decrease Your Risk For Alzheimer’s: Technically speaking the brain is not a muscle, but it does tend to act like one. And just like a muscle, if you want it to perform better and become stronger, you need to practice it. The unfortunate reality of life is that the older people get, the less optimized their cognitive function becomes. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t do certain physical and mental activities to keep your mind sharper for even longer. And even though exercise can’t cure Alzheimer’s, it can help you decrease your risk of getting it when you are older. It is especially imperative to routinely work up a sweat between the ages of 24-45 (although you should be doing it at every time in your life that you are physically able to). This is because during these years you store up important brain chemicals that improve cognitive function involving learning and memory. One of the best things that you could do is get involved in a form of exercise that challenges you both physically and mentally. Such activities might include a team sport, the martial arts, or tennis.
3. It Makes You More Productive: If you work in an office environment, you are no stranger to the 3 PM brain fog that creeps up on you in the middle of a long work day. When you are feeling uninspired and as though you are lagging behind, take every break you can and use it to get active. That might just mean a brisk walk for fifteen minutes or a run on your lunch break. By getting active as much as you can throughout the day, you will be able to raise your energy levels, boost your productivity, and even get more creative when you are working.
4. Exercise is One of the Most Potent Ways to De-Stress: When you become overly stressed, it compromises everything from your mental health to your immune system. One of the quickest and most effective ways to combat crippling stress (which leads to weakened health physically and mentally) is to regularly break a sweat. As we stated previously, physical fitness gets your heart rate up, blood pumping, oxygen flowing to the brain, and the happy chemicals known as endorphines circulating through your body. All of this not only combats depression, it also reduces anxiety and stress. When you are in a constant state of stress, you aren’t able to be a powerful, unstoppable force who thrives on productivity and maintains mental strength. However, when you commit to exercising even just 30 minutes a day, three times a week, you’ll start to notice huge differences in your stress levels and peace of mind. Additionally, workout makes you more confident, something that also reduces your stress and anxiety.
5. You Start to Empower Others: One of the side effects of regular activities is the ability to empower others. Naturally, we already understand that physical fitness makes us more confident and helps us become more emboldened. When you keep this kind of activity up, your attitude becomes contagious, especially if you participate in group activities such as a cardio kickboxing class or a game of football.
As you start to become mentally stronger and more confident from being fit, that rubs off on others who are exercising around you, and it then becomes a cyclical effect. If there is anything you should take away from this point, it is to practice with other people instead of just yourself. Not only is it more fun, you will all become physically and mentally stronger together.
Looking for more information on the ways that physical fitness and leading a healthy lifestyle can help you become mentally stronger? Don’t hesitate to contact us today with any questions you have. You can also keep reading our other blog posts for more free resources or visit our official website today. We are committed to helping people leave bad habits behind and transform their lives.