EXERCISE EFFECTS ON MENTAL HEALTH

 

INTRODUCTION

If you ever find yourself stressed out experiencing some creative roadblock or maybe you feel like you're in a mental fog. The solution could be as simple as a quick run it's no secret that exercise is an important part of maintaining a healthy body but what isn't talked about nearly as often are the positive ways exercise impacts your brain. 

EXERCISE EFFECTS ON THE BRAIN

So let's take a look at the science of exercise in the ways it attacks your mental health let's start with the basics when you exercise your heart rate goes up and your breathing increases this leads to a rise in blood flow and more importantly oxygen to your brain, it's no surprise that your brain needs oxygen but few people know just how much oxygen needs the brain.

Accounts for only 2% of a person's weight but it needs roughly 20 percent of the oxygen in your body to function properly when exercising you should be practicing correct breathing techniques these include breathing in through your nose and breathing with your diaphragm. By doing these things you can more effectively circulate blood oxygen and nitric acid which will ultimately lead to your brain receiving the oxygen and needs in a more efficient and timely manner alongside supplying your brain with the oxygen, it needs exercise may change the physiology of your brain for decades.

 It was believed that your brain cannot create new neurons which are the cells in your brain that allow it to do pretty much everything that brains do it's known that if your brain is injured neurons will be able to learn the tasks that were performed by damaged neurons but some research indicates that with the help of exercise entirely new neurons could be created which would greatly improve the neuroplasticity of the brain as well as help in recovering from brain injuries and even slow or reverse the progress of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's if your brain hasn't experienced any physical damage and is simply stressed-out exercise can help you.

When you exercise you reduce cortisol levels in your brains cortisol is a hormone associated with feelings like stress and anger when you exercise your dopamine levels are increased and your cortisol levels go down which leads to a noticeable difference in your mood and mindset allowing you to feel more positive several studies indicate that starting your day with exercise helps you to maintain a creative and positive mindset throughout the day because the effects exercise has on your brain can have lasting impacts.

CONCLUSION

Besides first impressions are important including your attitude towards your day if you exercise early in the day you are more likely to approach the situations you face with positivity as Mark Twain once said to eat a live frog every morning and nothing worse will happen to you for the rest of the day instead of eating a live frog maybe settle for a run or doing some push-ups the moral is still the same though challenge yourself early and everything that follows will feel easier and less stressful as a result.