Happiness and Exercise are a wonderful duo.
When you’re having a bad day, or are feeling down, one of the best ways to make you feel happier, is simply to exercise. There is a strong link between exercise and an improvement in mood and wellbeing. Give it a try. Go for a 30 minute walk whenever you’re feeling sad, unhappy or depressed. You’ll notice your mood beginning to increase throughout the walk. When you get back, you may notice that you’ve feeling a little happier.
Happiness and Exercise
This increase of happiness and wellbeing after exercise is caused by two different mechanisms in our body. The first is that exercise causes the release of brain chemicals like endorphins and other mood enhancers. This happens during the time you are exercising and the effect can last for a good 12 hours afterwards. The second part to the equation is that exercise also helps reduce the levels of stress hormones ~ cortisol and adrenaline in the body. This means that there’s a very good chance you’ll begin to feel less stressed. This one-two punch can have a powerful effect on how you feel. Something as simple as a brisk walk can help you feel better almost immediately.
To achieve the best results from exercise, you will want to make it part of your routine. Try to schedule it in at least three to four times per week. It doesn’t matter what you do, as long as you start moving around and getting your blood pumping. Pick activities you enjoy that you will stick with, and then vary them. This will help prevent becoming bored. There really is no excuse anymore for not exercising. The internet has really helped with this. I love to dance. When I find that I don’t have a lot of time to walk, I’ll go to Youtube and search for videos that include dance and exercise. I turn the video on, and dance for 15-20 minutes.
In addition to the everyday mood booster you get from exercising regularly, there are quite a few additional long term benefits. Exercise is good for your health and you will start to feel fitter and more toned if you stick with it. This in turn will improve how you feel overall, and how you feel about yourself. This added self confidence can be a great additional mood booster. {There are many more health benefits to exercising that I will go into in a future article}.
For double the pleasure, double the benefit, try to get as much exercise as you can outside. Fresh air and sunshine add to the feeling of wellbeing. Come up with some simple things you can start doing right now. Maybe it’s going for a walk each afternoon. Maybe it’s taking up dancing or going for a bike ride. Perhaps it’s signing up for an exercise class at your local community center, or maybe it’s joining a tennis or pickleball team. It doesn’t matter what you choose to do as long as you make it a goal to get more active and move around. Switch it up and plan a group hike for the weekend, or go dancing. There are a lot of fun ways to move around and enjoy the world around you.
There are different types of exercise and each one has different health benefits. We will go into these in other articles, but for now the important thing is to get your body moving!
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