We often hear about the importance of keeping our bodies fit to enjoy good health but we don’t often consider the importance of our mind being fit. It has become the norm to perform frequent workouts to the gym not just for the effectiveness of the product but for the psychological bots as well. In this article I am going to enlighten the readers with the numerous advantages that gym going has on mental health and consequently on a healthier living.
Physical Exercise and Mental Health: The Connection
The link between physical activity and neurological health is without doubt. Studies have shown that physical activity is linked to a better mental health and include the fact that physical activity has been shown to be associated with lower level of stress, feel less anxious, be less depressed and improve mood and cognitive performance.
During exercise, the body produces chemicals, known as endorphins, which have a positive and natural “high” impact. These hormones help to dull the sensation of pain and produce other feelings that create a sensation of happiness. Third, exercise promotes production of serotonin, which is neurotransmitter linked to mood and appetite and sleep.
Further, physical exercise counteracts the negative effects of stress by increasing blood flows to the brain through improved blood circulation enhances brain sharpness in that it may also lead to effective memory, concentration and decision making.
The reduction of anxiety and stress management
Another positive result of going to gym is the ability of coping with stress and anxiety. Exercise has been well documented to alleviate stress by affording a healthy channel of direction to energy built up within an individual.
Studies have brought out into knowledge that physical activity whether rigid or leisurely are effective in controlling physical manifestations of anxiety including increased heart rate, paleness, tendency to perspire, trembling and muscle stiffness. Besides, it can also have a therapeutic effect where an individual is relieved from thoughts that building up negative emotions.
Exercises have also been identified to take a positive correlation in bringing up the extent to which the BDNF (Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor) is produced in the body cells which is important in designing, developing as well as repairing body cells, particularly the brain cells. According to the study, higher levels of BDNF have been associated with lower probabilities of anxiety and depression.
Increase in Mood and self esteem
When we were told that exercising frequently at the gym could help you become more buoyant and in esteem, it already shocked us. It is a well documented fact that during exercise the body produces endorphins, chemicals that not only alleviate pain but also increase feelings of happiness.
It must also be noted, that helping individuals feel competent and achieved, the exercise schedules can also be contributing to improve self-confidence and self-esteem. With people maintaining their fitness and bodily health it becomes possible for people to gain a little or a lot of self esteem, this is because people who look good and are healthy are normally respected.
One is furthermore able to make acquaintance with people who are in the same fitting interest by attending the gym on a regular basis. Any one of us needs this because those interactions may continue which will help you be included in society and can prevent you from mental issues.
Also, Better Information Processing and Decision Making.
Besides the general improvement in the physical and emotional health, other advantages of getting to the gym include renewed brain functions and better decision making abilities. Research has found that exercising enhances the memory, concentration and the capability to solve an issue.
In addition, exercising organizes networks of neurons to enhance the creation of new neurons or branches, which is called neuroplasticity. PS better brain function can enhance decisions making, problem solving and mental performance in any given task.
Sleep Improvement
Physical activities that involve exercise can also improve sleep, which is an important aspect of anybody’s state of mind. It has been found that exercise helps in having better sleep based on a reduction of stress/ anxiety or due to favoring the hormone that regulates the sleep cycle that is melatonin.
Furthermore, it is known that moderate exercise can help protect the Body Clock which deals with how long it takes one to sleep and how long one should sleep over the night. Sleep is also very important for our mental well-being as it refreshes the brain, strengthens neurons to store information, and helps to breakdown what we feel or think.
Help in Managing Depression
It should be noted that exercising at the gym is also good for the treatment of depression symptoms. Exercises studies show have proved that performing them helps to lower levels of depression because they’re associated with higher levels of the mood boosting neurotransmitters: serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine.
Secondly, a healthy diet and greater physical activity fights against the depression characterized by negative thinking and cognitive distortions. Exercise might also help prevent low self-esteem which is generally recommended by doctors to patients suffering from depression as it can make the patients feel useless.
Personal goals and achievement: its contribution
Another benefit of attending the gym is that people can help goal setting processes for the individual GP and turn them into helpful tools for maintaining psychological well-being. It is why goal-setting for fitness like weight loss, muscle gain or increasing the endurance level of the body can do a lot to help on the mental health side.
Additionally, these goal attainment can also lead to achieving a feeling of accomplishment, pleasure, and giving you good mood and help your self esteem. It’s also a very potent tool in the handling of many adversities and failures that come with life, a sense of purpose and achievement.
Some individual differences as well as developmental/learning theories suggest that the main factor in behavior modification is the establishment of a consistent and clear schedule.
For those of us who intend to get the best out of personal gym visits in as far as mental health is concerned, then consistency is key and a routine should be set. One`s daily routine aero bics that involves 30 minutes a day have been found to have the largest positive correlation with mental health.
Further, simpler schedules can also bring positive change into the lives of individuals since the subject can be dedicated to attend to his/her physical and mental health needs, and find ways of working out in the course of the day. Also, it may be that consistency helps you feel more in control of the situation during this tumultuous time.
Conclusion
This means that constant going to the gym is a good thing for the mental state of someone because it helps to relieve stress, reduces anxiety, improve mood, increases self-esteem, improve cognitive activity, and ensures rest. It also helps people to set goals and achieve personal goals, improves satisfactions and focus on plans made for health improvement and other successes in life.
In the presence of the mind it is very important to have a good well-being, and this also can be a solution is going to the gym. We can then say that the addition of physical activity to your routine can do you enjoy a long list of benefits that exercise brings to the body and mind.
