Mental Health Benefits of Exercise
As a fitness company, we know the benefits of exercise are not reserved for just your physical body and that they also extend to your mental health—which is why our mission is making members stronger, physically and mentally. With May being Mental Health Awareness month, we wanted to tell you more about the incredible mental health benefits of regular exercise, so you can see why fitness is a fundamental way to take care of yourself not only physically, but mentally as well.
Mood-Boosting Endorphins
Exercise can often turn a bad day around with some incredible mood-boosting endorphins. Your mood is greatly affected by the chemical balance inside your brain, and when that balance gets out of line, your mood can decline. Luckily, it’s well-known that exercise can help improve your mood by promoting the release of important mood-boosting chemicals and stress hormones, including serotonin. As you probably know, serotonin is one of the key endorphins that helps elevate your mood, and it also helps you feel more relaxed throughout the day, which means regular exercise may help you feel happier and less anxious as you go about your week.
Regular Stress Relief
Stress is simply a part of life, and it’s always going to be there—but regular exercise is a great way to manage your stress to help improve your mental health. According to the Mayo Clinic, “the reward for learning to manage stress is peace of mind and perhaps a longer, healthier life.” Therefore, it’s incredibly important that you find ways to manage your stress before it becomes overwhelming and leads to a breakdown.
9Round offers a fun and effective way to literally punch and kick away your stresses from the week while also taking care of yourself and releasing those mood-boosting endorphins we talked about earlier.
Boosted Confidence and Self-Esteem
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle and working toward a fit body can lead to greater confidence and self-esteem. Of course, this newfound confidence builds as you make improvements in your physical appearance, but it also can come from the healthy eating habits that go together with your fitness routine to help you feel better from the inside out. These tools combined help you look and feel your absolute best, so you can conquer anything with confidence.
Increased Energy Levels
When that morning cup of coffee (or two) isn’t brewing your excitement for the day, maybe a morning workout can do the trick. Most people feel more energized following a workout, and of course, there’s some science behind this. Exercise supports an increased flow of oxygen and nutrients throughout various parts of the body; therefore, it can help your cardiovascular system function more efficiently. This boost of nutrients and oxygen provides more energy to help you tackle your day.
Better Relaxation and Sleep
Multiple studies have examined the relationship between regular exercise and sleep quality, and what most of these studies have found is that focusing on your fitness can help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer when it’s time to hit the sack. If you’re struggling to get a good night’s sleep, then you might want to see if adding a few workouts to your schedule helps you out. However, it’s important to note that the timing of your workouts matters here, as you may not want to exercise too close to bedtime, as that increased energy we mentioned above might prevent you from falling asleep in a timely manner.
We understand that exercise alone may not be the answer for your mental health needs. If you or a loved one are struggling with mental health, we encourage you to get the professional help you need by reaching out to your healthcare provider or calling the National Suicide Prevention Helpline at 1-800-273-8255.
