Believe it or not, exercise is as beneficial for your physical body as it is for maintaining psychological wellness. Several people are familiar with the physical benefits of exercise like weight loss, and increased flexibility/range of motion, including therapy for many illnesses.
However, recent studies reveal that exercise is vital for psychological wellness and overall mental health. Whether you are a fan of aerobics, weight training, or mind-body exercises like pilates and yoga, this blog post will enlighten you on the mental health benefits of exercise. Now, let’s get started!
Exercise reduces your anxiety and stress levels
Regular exercise offers one of the most effective ways to deal with stress and anxiety by putting you in high spirits. It creates an emotional buffering system that decreases your response to physical and emotional stressors. The elevated heart rate, sweating, and fast breathing associated with exercise mirror your natural stress response. The difference is in the dominant hormones and neurochemicals.
While stress and anxiety-inducing situations cause the release of epinephrine, exercise stimulates the release of norepinephrine. In other words, exercise adds to your psychological wellness by counteracting stress agents biochemically.
It helps psychological wellness by improving your sleep and energy levels
Better sleep is the end product of the stress-reducing effect of exercise. Regular night sleep is highly recommended for proper cognitive skills. Hence the relationship between exercise and better quality of sleep. Also, people who are unable to get some shuteye are prone to several cardiovascular diseases like high blood pressure.
Exercise raises the body temperature to stimulate a resultant cooldown relaxing effect. However, you should beware of exercising close to your bedtime as it can have the opposite effect and keep you awake for much longer.
Exercise contributes to your psychological wellness by building a sharper memory
The brain is one organ that runs on increased oxygen supplies. When you engage in exercise, your heart pumps more blood, thus enriching your brain’s supply of nutrients and dissolved solute materials.
Also, the increased blood supply invariably means increased oxygen supply. The reason is that the red blood cells are the oxygen-carrying component of the blood. The mental health benefits of exercise include but are not limited to improved memory, concentration, creativity, and relaxation.
It balances your mood and boosts your self-esteem 
If you’ve been having mood swings, exercise can be an excellent mood stabilizer the reason is that the brain produces a feel-good hormone called endorphins after exercise. Endorphins also trigger the release of oxytocin and together create the uplifting mood you feel after exercise.
It is also the reason behind the runner’s high or yogi’s calm you feel after each practice, leading to psychological wellness.
Studies show that people who engage in regular exercise are less likely to exhibit aggressive and passive-aggressive responses.
Additionally, exercise bolsters your self-confidence levels. Essentially, you feel good about your creative abilities to move your body at will and perform incredible actions. Since exercise helps with weight loss and management, you are less likely to worry about your body image because of exercise— Talk about psychological wellness!
Bottom Line
There is no overstating the relevance of exercise. Hopefully, this blog post succeeds in exposing you to the benefits of exercise for maintaining psychological wellness besides its physical benefit.