The Mental Health Benefits of Exercise

18 Apr The Mental Health Benefits of Exercise

How exercising can impact your mental health positively.  

You almost certainly already know that exercise is good for the body. But exercise is also one of the most effective ways to improve your mental health. Regular exercise not only helps to maintain a healthy BMI, ward off diabetes, heart disease, and cancer, but it also relieves stress, improves memory, helps you sleep better, and boosts your overall mood. Believe it or not but you don’t have to a fitness fanatic to reap the benefits. No matter what your age or fitness level, you can learn to use exercise as a powerful tool to feel better.

Studies show that exercise can treat mild to moderate depression as effectively as antidepressant medication but without the side-effects. When you exercise, your brain releases endorphins, which are powerful chemicals that energize your spirits and give you that mood-boosting effect. What’s more, exercise serves as a distraction, allowing you to find some quiet time to break out of the cycle of negative thoughts that feed depression.

Exercise Is also a natural anti-anxiety treatment. It relieves tension and stress, boosts physical and mental energy, and enhances wellbeing through the release of endorphins. When you next exercise, try to notice the sensation of your feet hitting the ground or the rhythm of your breath. This mindfulness exercise is a mental exercise that allows you to be in the moment and interrupts the flow of constant worries.

There are other mental health benefits of exercise, including:

• Sharper memory and thinking
• Higher self-esteem
• Better sleep
• More energy
• Stronger resilience

While you focus on improving your physical and mental health through exercise, allow the insurance professionals at Dougherty Insurance to secure the right policies for your needs. Contact us today for unparalleled insurance in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Indiana.