September 27, 2021
5 Ways Exercise Changes Your Brain and Thinking
- Decrease Stress and Anxiety
Sometimes you just need to get moving. Stress takes a massive toll on our bodies and until our bodies cry out for help it is when we decide to act. Exercising is a great prevention method to not allow stress to take over our lives.
A brisk walk at the dog park, pumping iron at the gym, yoga class, aerobics, any form of exercise is considered a stress reliever. There is evidence suggesting that aerobic exercises have a greater success rate at decreasing levels of stress and tension and helping stabilize mood, improve sleep, and give a confidence boost. Studies showed that even as little as fifteen minutes of your day is more than enough to act as an anti-stress therapy.
- Improve Memory
Exercise helps us improve our memory indirectly by improving our sleeping patterns and our mood, as well as reducing stress and anxiety. Stress, anxiety, and lack of sleep are all culprits of poor memory, it is like a snowball effect, one thing affects the other and now you find yourself stuck in a cycle. Mental fitness is as important as physical strength, when you nourish the body, you nourish the mind.
- Increases Dopamine (Happy Hormone)
Sometimes it feels like a drag to simply walk into the gym or complete a workout you promised yourself you would do however, have you ever felt after it is all said and done you have felt a boost of confidence, a boost of energy, a little adrenaline kicking? Those are the endorphins working along with dopamine and adrenaline, which is why we get a lift to our mood when the workout is done. Exercise is known to help some people with depression which is said it could be due to an increase of nerve cell growth in the brain that occurs while we exercise.
- Prevention of Neurological Conditions
As mentioned above, most of us struggle with stressful lives and some even suffer from anxiety. However, it is known that anxiety is harmful to the brain. Evidence shows that people who suffer from anxiety are 48% more likely to develop dementia due to the stress hormone cortisol. Exercise reduces cortisol levels naturally, for someone who might suffer from anxiety or has higher than normal cortisol levels exercise is a great natural method to lower these levels. Think about it this way, you are not just getting your body in shape you are also getting your mind in shape. Exercising requires mental strength, dexterity, focus, determination; you are pushing your body out of its comfort zone which allows your mind to be in alert mode in a constant state.
- Boosts Confidence
Although not everyone jumps into fitness to get a boost of confidence many start solely because they want to look and feel good. Now, looking and feeling good is important but one must keep in mind that health should always come first, and it will be a bigger motivation to keep you consistent with your goals rather than how you look or the scale. Once you can have a happy and healthy relationship with exercising and see all the benefits you can get from it you will build a routine in no time. Exercise can be the key to lead a happier, empowered, and confident lifestyle.
