Boosting Your Mental Health with Physical Exercise
The benefits of physical exercise are well known. With physical exercise, you can improve your general health, body appearance and reduce the risk of developing some diseases. However, the physiological and anatomical effects of physical exercise are not the only benefits. With physical exercise, you can boost your mental health.
Working out regularly stimulates some hormones in your body. Therefore, you can relieve stress and anxiety through exercise. Apart from boosting your mood, exercise can help you get to sleep. According to a study, you can reduce the risk of depression by 30 percent by exercising at least three times a week.
Types of Exercise to Reduce Stress and Anxiety
Despite the several benefits of physicals exercise, only a few people meet the expected levels of work out. For adults, our mental health specialist in Richardson recommends being active daily. When you are working out, you can take up to two and a half hours for optimum results.
However, physical exercise does not mean slogging at the gym. Below are some of the ways you can move your body and boost your mental health.
Walks and Runs
If you are not motivated to take runs or walks, the expansion and clarity you feel after running or taking a walk should do. Taking runs or walks every morning gives you an environment to reflect. Therefore, you can consider running and jogging for at least 30 minutes and improve your brain function.
According to a study, running and walking work in a similar way as taking antidepressants. When you run, adrenaline levels rise in your body, making you think and analyze situations. Sometimes you can make clear decisions after a run than when you are sitting on the sofa or behind your desk at work.
Yoga
Yoga entails exercise such as stretching for relaxation. During a yoga session, you integrate your body and mind. However, you can integrate meditation and talk therapy during the yoga sessions to improve your brain function.
Although some people might find it difficult to sit down and look at their minds, yoga can help boost your mental health. During the yoga session, continued focus brings into the present and stimulates a parasympathetic response. The parasympathetic response from the nervous system helps us experience relaxation.
Resistance Training
Lifting weights and other aggressive cardio exercise have an impact on how you feel. Such physical exercises help build your muscles. Therefore, you feel confident and less conscious about your body. With resistance training, you can feel less anxious due to the confidence you gain.
Apart from boosting your self-esteem reducing anxiety, resistance training activities can improve the cognitive functions of your central nervous system. For mental health exercise, you can sign up with a trainer or visit a gym near you.
Spinning
Today many spin classes can help with your mental health. Modern spin classes are furnished with strobe lighting and bespoke playlists to help people have fun in their fitness journey. Apart from motivating you to keep fit, amenities at the spin classes can help your leave your worries behind.
According to recent studies, exercising regularly stimulates the growth of brain cells. As new brain cells grow, you can focus and think faster. Also, exercising gives you an energy boost, improving productivity.
Boxing
Finding an outlet for your stress can be healing. Therefore, when you let out your aggression on a punching bag, you can achieve stress relief. A short and sharp round of punching followed by rest stimulates the production of endorphins. The production of endorphins in your body then facilitates relaxation and stress relief.
If you want to relieve stress, you can join a local boxing club or spar with a friend.
Pilates
Pilates skills might be traditional. However, Dr. Syed Quadri recommends such physical exercises since they provide integration of the body and mind. With the integration of your body and mind, you can achieve stress relief since you tend to think clearly.
Takeaway
Physical exercise boosts your mental health to some degree. Therefore, if you are still experiencing stress and anxiety you can consult your psychiatrist in Richardson. Your psychiatrist will listen to your concerns and develop an alternative treatment plan. However, you can keep exercising for other health benefits.
Therefore, if you want more advice on how to boost your mental health, you can visit us at Texas Psychiatry Associates.