walking

Is Walking A Better Workout Than Running?

Is Walking A Better Workout Than Running?

Running and walking are the two purest forms of exercise there is.  You see yourself sweating much more during running than walking for a workout. That’s got to be the one that’s most beneficial to you, but what do scientists say? 

Here’s how running versus walking stack up against each other, and find out if running is better than walking. 

Greater weight loss: Running

When just thinking about it, it’s obvious that running expends more energy and thus greater weight loss, right? 

Yes, researchers say, because according to a study conducted by sports scientists which studied the energy expenditure between walking and running which found out that yes, running consumes more energy. To further illustrate the difference, a 160-pound person burns 800 calories per hour running at 8 mph, but a walker  burns only 300 calories walking at 3.5 mph. 

A different study focused on the difference in BMI between walkers and runners supports this claim. They concluded that runners significantly lost more weight than walkers. While the runners started at lower weights than walkers, they had a better chance of keeping their BMI and waist circumference stable. 

Maybe it’s time to upgrade your evening stroll to a fulltime jog?

Regulating appetite: Running

After a pounding pavement, you would think that runners would stuff themselves as a reward after a run. 

Scientists say it’s actually otherwise. 

In a study conducted post running and walking, the participants dined in a buffet to check the difference in appetite between runners and walkers. 

As it turns out, the runners ate 200 calories less than what they burned running. Walkers on the other hand, consumed 50 calories more than they burned. 

They believe it’s because of the YY peptide, but concede that the difference between the two was down to how walking and running changed the appetite-regulating hormones. 

They’re quite the same

While running may be better for weight loss, it turns out that doing either of the two is just as good for your health for a workout. 

When studying the difference in health benefits of walking versus running, results show that they produced similar risk reductions for hypertension, hypercholesterolemia and diabetes mellitus when expending the same amount of energy. 

Walk or run?

So do you choose to walk or run? You have to consider that while everyone can power walk, not everyone can run.

If you’re older than 50 or have a history of knee injuries running might not be the best choice for you. Regardless of age or medical history, running can pose several risks. 

A hamstring injury where the muscles on the back on the back of your leg is stretched too far and is torn. Shin splints is also pretty common, with 20% of runners afflicted by it, and the most common being runner’s knee, which are both overuse disorders meaning they are caused by repetitive stress. 

The way to avoid these injuries is proper warm-up and gradually increasing intensity. 

Conclusion

Walking and running are the cardio exercises that anyone can do, unhampered by equipment or training. Looking at the facts, running has additional value over walking, but at the heart of it all they’re both good for you. 

But why ponder so much over to run or walk, when you can run, then walk then run again? 

You just have to get out there and do it.

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when-you-are-pregnant

Can You Get Adjusted When You Are Pregnant?

Can You Get Adjusted When You Are Pregnant?

You can get adjusted when you are pregnant, but the focus of the appointment will be completely different from what you would normally do. You should talk to your chiropractor about how your appointment will go. Ask the chiropractor if they can help you with certain aches and pains that you experience every day. Look at what can be done once you have your first appointment.



How Many Aches And Pains Are You Feeling?

The aches and pains that you are feeling every day could include joint pain, pressure on your pubic bone, and back pain. The chiropractor can adjust you based on where you feel pain. They will be much more careful with you because you are pregnant. It is very simple for you to adjust for these aches and pains. You could ask the chiropractor to adjust you differently at each session.

Can You Be Adjusted For Delivery?

You can be adjusted for delivery. Talk to your chiropractor about how you can open up your hips and improve your delivery experience. Of course, the chiropractor will not be in the delivery room, but the chiropractor can help you get ready.

Natural Medicine

Many different people will need natural medicine to take care of themselves and their families. It is very easy for you to invest some time in natural medicine when you are in the chiropractor’s office. Use these natural remedies with the adjustments that you get. Natural medicine is the safest way for you to care for yourself when you are pregnant. Remember that your body can recover faster after you deliver.

You Cannot Take As Many Appointments

You must be careful at your chiropractic appointments because you do not want to decrease blood flow in your body. When you are pregnant, there are some adjustments that your chiropractor will not do because they do not want to release any blood clots that you might have in your legs. You also need to be careful with adjustments of your neck because you do not want to be injured just before you deliver. The best thing that you can do for yourself is to ask the chiropractor what is safe when you go to each appointment. Yes, you need to be honest about your pain and suffering, but you also do not want to injure yourself or induce labor accidentally.



Conclusion

Contact your chiropractor when you are ready to go in for your first adjustment. Let the chiropractor know that you want to get adjusted even though you are pregnant and ask the chiropractor if they can handle certain aches and pains. It is easy for you to prepare for your delivery to protect your body, and even to protect your baby. You will feel much better because you do not have all the pain that is brought on by pregnancy, and you can even prepare for labor with help from your chiropractor. Check out our YouTube video to see a video testimonial about getting adjusted while pregnant.

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working-out-at-night

Why Working Out At Night Is 100 Times Better

Why Working Out At Night Is 100 Times Better

In the pursuit of healthy living we’ve fallen into thinking that working out is the best way to start the day. Newsflash: Morning workouts are not for everyone.  Do you know anyone who’s never hit snooze on their morning exercise alarm? Those who are working out at night!  If you’re the type who takes their time waking up, and thereby missing the precious time for gym before work, why not consider going in the evenings?

Here are the reasons why an evening gym session can be the workout that sticks for you:

When Working Out At Night You Have the Place to Yourself

Some do manage to fight the morning blues to stick to a morning exercise routine. They’re the early worms who gets dibs on the choice of treadmill, weights and equipment that it almost feels like you’re encroaching on their territory. At night though, they’re not peering over your shoulder or judging you for using the bench press for so long. And as you’ve got free rein on the place, you have more leeway with the rules. Your fellow night owls are a small bunch that you can get away with using the cardio machines for more than half an hour. 

Now you can actually use the 15 separate equipment that’s needed in the circuit workout you’ve been wanting to try!

It’s the perfect way to destress

What’s a better motivation to jump on a treadmill to let out the frustrations of a long day at work? Turn negative emotions from an overbearing boss, a slacking co-worker or the ungodly traffic into a beneficial destress session by sweating it out in the evenings. Unlike going out for a drink, it’s free from hangovers or bad decisions. 

The Mayo Clinic says that working out when you’re stressed pumps up your endorphins – the “feel good neurotransmitters” – that a few rounds of racquetball or laps in the pool will immediately make you feel better, the day’s irritations forgotten because you’re focused on getting your body to move.  After an evening exercise session, you’re feeling calmer, think clearer and mentally setup for a good night’s night sleep.

Wake up to calmer mornings

Succumbing to your morning alarm’s incessant wake up call at the last minute so you can squeeze in some gym time before work will leave you starting the day frazzled.  Starting your day in such a hectic manner will truly take out the motivation you have to stick to your morning exercise. When you’re leading a stressful lifestyle, don’t you think you deserve at least a proper breakfast? With your mornings fully devoted to get you ready for work, you don’t look like you’ve been struck by a hurricane when you arrive at the office – a thing you won’t miss from the gym’s low power hair dryer. Maybe this time you can finally use the sauna without having to share an awkward conversation with strangers.

Get 100% attention from your trainer

The gym at night is much more relaxed that it is in the mornings, with less people around your trainer can spend more time coaching your form or answer your questions. Your fellow night owls will be friendlier in the evenings because they’re aren’t too trying to be late for the office. And besides, with less people around it’s easier to strike up a conversation. 

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mental-health

6 Unexpected Mental Health Benefits of Exercise

6 Unexpected Mental Health Benefits of Exercise

Who said that working out is only good for your body? You better believe it’s not the case when scientists say that working out is good for your mind as it is for your body. They’ve found a link between improved physical fitness and good mental health, proving that “Look good and feel good” is more than just a catchphrase.

Boost endorphins

While you’re working up a sweat on the treadmill, you’re also releasing endorphins, which create the feelings of happiness and euphoria, which is good for your mental health! People suffering from depression or anxiety are prescribed by their doctors to hit the gym frequently because studies have shown that exercise can alleviate symptoms among the clinically depressed. As little as 30 minutes spent exercising a few times a week can get rid of the blues. In another research, it was found out that exercise is just as effective as antidepressant pills in treating depression.

Improve self-esteem

Knowing that you’re sticking to your gym schedule is enough to feel better about yourself. You’re working towards your goal – staying fit, losing weight, bulking up – can boost self-confidence and self-image. This extends beyond the gym and into your mental health. When you’re feeling good about yourself, you can be a positive ray of sunshine for people you interact with. 

Helps control addiction

Along with dopamine, the brain also releases dopamine, the “pleasure” chemical that’s released due to pleasure from high addictive stuff like drugs, exercise, sex, alcohol or food. Because dopamine is also released during exercise, studies have tried to find a way for addicts to derive pleasure from this instead of alcohol or drugs. And it works, at least in the short team. Short bursts of exercise distracted drug and alcohol addicts and curbed their cravings. And because alcohol disrupts the sleeping patterns,  alcoholics resort to drinking to sleep. Exercise reboots the body clock so it instinctively knows when it’s time to hit the hay. 

Slows down cognitive degradation

As we get older, diseases like Alzheimer’s kills off brain cells that perform vital brain functions. Such is the way of life. However, frequent exercise and a healthy diet can slow down the decline that happens after your 45th birthday. Working out between 25-45 is crucial because it boosts the hormones that prevent the degradation of hippocampus, the brain’s center for memory and function.

Stress relief

After a bad day at the office, the best way to let off some steam is by hitting the gym. Getting yourself to work up a sweat increases the presence of norepinephrine, the brain’s natural response to stress. Plus, unlike eating out or a round of drinks, working out won’t cost you much or give you a hangover the next day. How’s that for benefiting your mental health? 

Be more productive

How has a walk around the block solved the question that stumped you at work? Exercise gets your brain juices flowing because of a simple reason: when you’re working out you’re pumping oxygen-rich blood throughout your body, especially to your brain. And that’s not just it. 

According to research, people who take the time to exercise regularly are more productive and energetic than those who don’t. If you find it hard to squeeze in gym time before leaving for work, doing it in the evenings might be better for you.

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water keeps your body healthy

Ways Water Keeps Your Body Healthy, Part 2

Ways Water Keeps Your Body Healthy, Part 2

Read Part 1 here (Link to Part 1)

If you can’t commit to drinking 8 glasses of water a day, that’s alright. Hydration by way of water-rich fruits contributes to attaining fluid balance in your body. Ingesting water aside, interacting with water, being near water keeps your body healthy. We hope that these encourage you to make water a big part of your daily life.

A Warm Bath Makes You Feel Less Lonely

Have you ever wondered why you feel so much better after soaking in a warm bath? Research has found out that the reason why we find comfort in a warm bath when you’re lonely is because it substitutes for the physical interaction and emotional connection. The warmth triggers the release of oxytocin, the hormone responsible for putting you at ease and connected. It’s similar to the rise of temperature when you’re physically close with someone, an event that also triggers oxytocin.

Less Intense Hangovers

Remember dehydration-triggered headaches? That’s similar to what happens during a hangover. On a night out, drink a glass of water for every glass of alcohol. It’ll lessen the pain of a hangover when you wake up the next day. You’ll be visiting the bathroom more often, but it’ll pay off in the end and it keeps your body healthy.

Think More Clearly

Proper hydration can go as far as affecting your brain – not just dehydration-triggered headaches, but the shrinking of brain tissue too. When you’re dehydrated you brain has to work twice as hard to perform at its best. That was observed in a study involving students who were to take exams – those who bought water with them got better results than those who didn’t.

It’s a Natural Cleanser

Water constitutes the biggest part by volume in any natural cleaning material – whether for your home, clothes, dishes, body or your face. They pack cleansing power without the toxicity. Better for your health, your pets and the environment!

Gargle – It Keeps You Healthy

In a study conducted during the cold and flu season involving  400 participants, it was found that those who gargled with water have fewer chances to get their upper respiratory tract infected and their symptoms were mild during instances that they did.

Water-Rich Fruits Can Hydrate You Too

Fruits like cucumber, watermelon, strawberries and vegetables like cucumbers, lettuce and celery have the most water content. These are a great way of replenishing bodily fluids in an appetizing way. The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommendation is for adults to eat 2 cups of fruits and 2.5 cups of vegetables per day.

Living Near Bodies of Water is Good For Your Well Being

Some people find their health improving during a stay near the coast. It might be the relaxing sound of the water. Ambient sounds are the trend these days with gently pouring rain, beach waves and the bubble of fountains among the most popular options. For some people it’s easier to focus on work with these sounds in the background. Whether that or the view, the smell of the sea or the sun, spending time near water will do you some good.

Swimming is Good For Your Mind and Body

In a study conducted over 8 months, swimming was found to improve a person’s physical and mental health. It’s a very physical activity impacts free cardio that burns a lot of calories. Plus, there’s the feeling of solace in the pool when the rest of the world recedes in the silence.

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Ways Water Keeps Your Body Healthy, Part 1

Ways Water Keeps Your Body Healthy, Part 1

Water is around us, within us, and in a way, we too are water. The human body is ⅔ water. Its presence and absence influences 100% of the processes in our body. Here 7 ways why you should bring a bottle of water with you to keep your body healthy.

Help you lose weight Which Keeps Your Body Healthy

It’s not that it does something covert like inducing hormones in your body that water is so good at helping you lose weight. It simply makes you feel fuller thus curbing your appetite, even more so if you drink water before meals, which in a study was found out that those who drank water before eating lost weight faster than those who didn’t. And sometimes, you’re probably dehydrated and mistook that feeling for hunger. The next time you need a bit of boos, drink some water.

Helps you exercise during warm weather

Working out in the heat is usually fine, but a very important precaution should be taken: before getting out there, make sure to hydrate yourself. You’re losing that water to sweat so always make sure to replace those lost fluids. 

Keeps your digestive tract moving

Eating foods with lots of fat and fiber requires a lot of water to break down. Your trips to the bathroom will get easier and faster if you’re not constipated, and instead of looking for a quick and dirty solution, treat the cause: just drink more water. If you’re dehydrated, you’re pushing more stress on your kidneys and liver when it these waste products could easily pass through the urinary system with enough water.

You might avoid bladder cancer

Bladder cancer might be uncommon, but it exists. It is preventable, through – increased fluid intake – that fluid being water – reduces the risk of contracting it. Again, it’s not doing anything extraordinary – drinking water frequently, and resulting in frequent urination prevents the buildup of carcinogens. Hydration may also reduce the risk of colon and breast cancer. 

Hydration prevents headaches and Keeps you Body Healthy

Newsflash: constant headaches are a sign that you’re probably dehydrated. It’s also a migraine trigger. Headaches caused by dehydration can quickly be cured by drinking 2 cups of water and you’ll feel relief within 30 minutes. You’ll have to do more if it occurs frequently: drink 2 to 4 cups within 1 to 2 hours for relief.

It keeps your kidneys healthy

These bean-shaped organs do a lot to regulate your body’s waste, blood pressure and keep your bodily fluids, so give them a lot of love! Again, it doesn’t take much. Just remember to drink water as much as you can, avoid hard drinks and don’t hold your pee!

It gets you energized

Another sign of dehydration is fatigue and lethargy. Just like dehydration-triggered headaches, the only cure is to drink water. If you’re wondering why caffeine, tea or energy drinks don’t work for you, it’s probably because you just need water. 

Your joints and cartilages are lubricated

Water helps keep bodily connections like joints and cartilages are lubricated, hydrated and supple. Cartilage, the material that coats the edges of the bones and prevents them from banging against each other, is 85% water.

Want more benefits of drinking water? Check out Part 2 here!

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Corrective Chiropractic
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Non-Fitness Related Benefits of Working Out

Non-Fitness Related Benefits of Working Out

You’ve probably worn your ears off listening to the predictable drone of the benefits of exercise. Yes you’ll get healthier, but is that enough to motivate you to run more miles on the treadmill? Does the thought of sweating it out for a slimmer waist or leaner muscles not cut it anymore? Maybe you haven’t heard of the non-fitness related benefits of working out!

Gain Actual Work-Life Balance

Your job and personal life gets a boost from the aptly-named industry journal Human Resource Management found out workers who found time to exercise during the work week found more work-life balance more than others. It’s all thanks to the boost of endorphins during exercise – they’re less stressed about facing their work life.

It Makes You Better at Sex

If you’re still procrastinating on hitting the gym, then maybe knowing how it’ll spice up your sex life will make you think twice. Pumping iron, doing squats and planks improves your performance in bed and it’s not all about your physical form. Experts and studies say that regular physical exercise heightens your arousal, even if you haven’t had any in a while. 

You Can Get Better Pay

Remember how you’re required to undergo a full physical exam before you’re hired? The HR managers want to know if you’re healthy enough to hire. Once you’re in there’s a chance that you’ll be paid much more than those you aren’t. In a study conducted by the Journal of Labor Research they discovered that employees who regularly  exercise made 9% more than those who didn’t. 

Reduce Your Risk of Developing Lifestyle-Related Diseases

Warding off diseases is a no-brainer benefit that you get from exercise. The most common illnesses you’ve heard of – breast cancer, heart attacks, high blood pressure, stroke, hypertension, diabetes – those are preventable by hitting the gym.  Physical activity is most natural and cost effective way to stay away from getting those illnesses.

Boost Your Brain Power

If you sit in front of a computer for long hours try to move around every once in a while. An article in Neurology suggests that high levels of cardio activity when you’re 18 to 30 years old improves your brain power. Blood is pumping faster in your body during exercise, feeding your brain so it’s able to think better.

Ward Off Wrinkles

If you’ve spent a fortune on face creams that don’t work, maybe it’s time to try another approach to look younger. The American Medical Society for Sports Medicine suggested that frequent exercise for people in their 40s had skin similar to people in their 20s and 30s.

You’re Happier

Elle Woods said it best: “Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don’t shoot their husbands, they just don’t”.

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benefits-of-tea

Benefits Of Tea For Your Mind And Body

Benefits Of Tea For Your Mind And Body

Tea, coffee’s older, more sage has survived the wave of trendy new drinks that we’ve seen come and gone. And yes, there have been exciting new twists on tea lately on its own is still a popular beverage.

But aside from being older than coffee, millions of drinkers have a reason why it’s their chosen cup of poison.

It’s two-fold effects benefits both the mind and body to achieve the state of Zen.

EGCG: For the body

Tea, regardless if it’s black, green, yellow, or white is loaded with polyphenol antioxidants that help fight against free radicals.

Let’s take matcha green tea for example.

Its main polyphenol is EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate) is three times greater than regular green tea. But how does this impact your health? What are free radicals anyway?

If you can still remember high school chemistry, atoms are surrounded by electrons that orbit in layers called shells. The inner shell has a required number of electrons per shell that needs to be met before going into the next layer.

When an atom has incomplete atoms in its outer shell, they go rogue and bond with other atoms (“oxidation”) to complete the needed electrons.

When certain parts of a cell are oxidized, it fails to function normally. If enough functions are impaired, the cell dies. These microscopic events can have serious ramifications to your health, from aging, cancer to Parkinson’s disease.

This is where antioxidants come in. Known as “free radical scavengers” they seek free radicals and neutralize them by donating an electron before it oxides other atoms. Once the shells are filled, it stabilizes and stops being toxic to cells.

The abundance of antioxidants can benefit your health in the following ways:

  • Reduce the risk of developing diabetes, heart disease, and cancer, the whole lot of them: breast, colon, colorectal, skin, lung, esophageal, stomach, pancreatic, ovarian, liver, prostate, head and neck, and oral
  • It may support heart health by alleviating the risk factors of heart disease – reducing blood pressure, cholesterol and the accumulation of plaque in the blood.
  • Promotes weight loss, especially if taken in conjunction with the caffeine in tea.
  • Recent research suggests that EGCG plays a role in improving neurological cell function and preventing degenerative brain disease. There’s also a link found between a higher intake of green tea and the reduced risk of age-related brain degeneration along with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

L-theanine: For the mind

What makes tea amazing is that it does so by doing much for your body, it does amazing things for the mind. The L-theanine amino acid is found in both green and black tea. It’s found in a limited amount of food, mostly tea and mushrooms.

By influencing nerve impulses in the brain, it causes the release of hormones that bring a sense of calm over you. It’s recommended that your drink tea if you want to improve your mental focus. Specifically it improves the entirety of your mental health:

  • You’ll sleep better. During the metabolism of l-theanine, it encourages your brain to produce more alpha waves and reduce beta waves, which keeps your head clear so it’s easier for you to relax and fall into sleep.
  • Have you been offered a cup of warm tea to “help you relax”? There’s an actual scientific study conducted on this, the results of which lead the researchers to conclude that it’s not a placebo effect. Rather, l-theanine reduces a person’s resting heart rate to bring about the feeling of relaxation.
  • Increased cognitive performance. L-theanine on its own can improve a person’s attention span and reaction time. Together with caffeine (which tea also possesses), it keeps you focused and alert which can lead to the improvement in number skills.
  • Lose weight. The physical wellness bought by l-theanine is its ability to curb hunger and prolong the feeling of satiation. The result of eating less will lead to weight loss.
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Science-backed ways to reduce Stress PT 2

10 More Simple, Science-backed ways to Reduce Stress

Stress comes in many different forms and burdens your life in different ways. The methods to combat stress are just as abundant. After 10 Simple, Science-backed Ways to Reduce Stress, we’ve listed out more ways for you to reduce stress. If your stressors are your environment there’s a way for you to feel better.

Consider Supplements to Reduce Stress

Certain supplements can reduce stress and anxiety. There are more exotic options that promise to reduce your anxiety, but you can never go wrong with green tea. It has been scientifically proven that green tea promotes calmness because of L-theanine. This is an amino acid that stimulates relaxation in you.

Light a Scented Candle

The atmosphere of a room with a lighted candle is warm and soothing. The added scents can also decrease anxiety and improve the quality of your sleep. Some of the calming scents in aromatherapy include geranium, ylang-ylang, sandalwood, neroli, bergamot, rose, lavender, vetiver, roman chamomile, frankincense & orange or orange blossom.

Stop Procrastinating

Slacking off work is a bad habit that leads to a negative reaction e.g., scrambling to stay on top of your piling workload. The thought of putting in more hours than you should just add more to your plate considering playing catch up is stressful enough. Get in the habit of maximizing your productivity so you get more done on time and work doesn’t eat out of your relaxation time. Achieving work-life balance is the key to managing work-related stress.

Enjoy the Outdoors

Studies show that being a shut-in increases the chances for depression and that the occasional stroll in the outdoors reduces the risk for it. A 90-minute walk through a natural environment was found to lower the repetitive negative thinking compared to those in a city setting. Aside from the mental benefits, a healthy dose of fresh air and sunlight will do wonders for your body. Even if you’re not an outdoor person but a homebody, the change of environment will do you some good.

Take a Vacation

How many unused vacation days did you have last year? Make the most out of your allotted vacations to get away from the stress of work and home and be energized, increase productivity (for when you get back of course), increased happiness and heightened sex drive. Don’t think of vacations as a luxury because they’re crucial to your happiness and health, both physical and mental. If you’re in a relationship, it’ll benefit from a getaway too: 80% of people who vacation at least once a year say that romance is still alive in their relationship.

Proper Sleep Can Help Reduce Stress

Don’t overlook sleep in your quest to conquer stress. A night out or an all-night scramble to meet a deadline will leave you groggy and lethargic the next morning. Keep this up and you’ll develop a full-blown anxiety disorder. How to have the right amount of sleep? Time management: get done what you need to do at work, so you don’t bring them home and keep the nights out at a minimum.

Deep Breaths Help Reduce Stress

Breathing exercises where you take slow, deep inhales and exhales will calm down your body. It combats the physiological symptoms that stress brings on. There’s also the mental aspect of it: getting control of your breathing makes you feel that you have a grip on things and that makes you feel immediately better.

Set Realistic Goals

A part of what drives us into stress is the immense pressure we put on ourselves to achieve our goals by the deadlines you set. The failure to accomplish them brings on negative thoughts that cause a domino effect on your mental and physical health. The key is to set achievable goals and striving for excellence, not perfection.

Check Your Email Less Frequently

Constantly checking our inboxes is born out of the anxiety crucial e-mails and that being always at the back of your mind is not a good thing. A study found out that people feel less stressed when they check their email less often. Try setting up alerts so you know exactly when your bosses’ email, so you don’t keep checking.

Time Management

The habit of planning things through and seeing it get done is that stress management technique that works best according to a study. People who plan things ahead were fighting stress before it even happened, and thus reduced the onset of stress and frustrated. Get the more difficult things out of the way earlier on and save the easy ones for last so, at the end of the day or week, you don’t feel as rushed or stressed. Don’t be a deadliner.

 

Contact us today to get the best chiropractor to help reduce your stress!

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Mental Health Benefits From Exercise

Mental Health Benefits From Exercise

There are so many benefits you can get from exercise. Physically you can work towards a healthy body. There are also many mental health benefits from exercise as well. When you look in the mirror after an intense workout session, you’ll feel accomplished. You should know that you’re not seeing everything in the mirror. Up in your head, your mental space is so much better through exercise – that’s scientifically proven too. 

Get a Boost of Endorphins as a Mental Health Benefit

During the course of exercise, you’re releasing endorphins that create the feeling of happiness and euphoria. Doctors suggest that their patients suffering from depression or anxiety take up a sport hit the gym or spare a few minutes of their day for physical activity, which studies suggest are just as effective as antidepressant pills to treat depression. It doesn’t mean completely ditching your meds, it complements to your existing treatment. 

Maintain Mental Stimulation

A fact that comes with aging is that as we grow older, our mental capacity is decreased. It doesn’t help that we’re susceptible degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s kills off memory and eventually, one’s ability to live and function independently. Exercising may not cure Alzheimer’s, it can put off the mental decline that begins once you hit 45. Working out when you’re 25-45 boosts the chemicals that support and prevent the degeneration of the hippocampus, the center of the brain’s memory and learning.

Improve your Memory

It sounds weird, but getting sweaty helps improve your memory. Perspiration actually increases the production of cells responsible for memory and learning found in the hippocampus. Let your kid play during recess time – research actually found a link between the level of physical fitness with brain development. And it’s not just for the kids. You’re more likely to improve and retain vocabulary if you’re running sprints.

Another Mental Health Benefit: Curb Your Addiction

The feeling of pleasure washes over you during the release of dopamine, the hormone responsible for making you feel good- whether from sex, drugs, alcohol, food or exercise. Some people enjoy it too much they get addicted and end up getting dependent on a pleasure boost. While dopamine is released during exercise, it can help curb it too. There’s been a study conducted on alcoholics which found out that intense, short sessions of exercise are a good distraction from cravings. 

Unleash Your Creativity

Exercising comes in various forms, and much of these like sports get you to interact with people. Even if you’re at a gym you’re rarely exercising alone. Which is good for your mental health. Being better than your workout buddy – running more laps, having faster times  – the competition keeps you motivated. 

Enjoy the Fun of the Outdoors for Mental Health Benefits

When the stress of work and home life gets too much, sometimes all you need is a breath of fresh air and a change in scenery. Let the scenery distract your thoughts and soak up the sun –  the Vitamin D actually lessens your likelihood of developing depressive symptoms.

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