Psychological Benefits of Exercise
We all know that physical fitness is important to our health. It allows us to burn fat, become stronger, increase our endurance and look good naked. The human body is designed (evolved) to thrive under physical stress and functions better when we work out.
The physical and aesthetic benefits of weightlifting and cardio training are obvious. However, the psychological and cognitive effects of exercise are often over looked…
Over-Medicated America
I personally feel that American society today is vastly over medicated. We have pills for anxiety, depression, fat loss, being tired, boner problems, pills to calm you down, to speed you up, to make you focus, ect. The list is endless.
The drug industry is a profitable one. Its obvious if you watch TV; there is a plethora of prescription drug commercials that list every symptom any person could reasonably have and offers a quick fix in a pill. And this marketing method works. They make money hand over fist.
Some of these drugs are valuable, save lives or make life better. However many of these symptoms stem from poor lifestyle choices.
Pharmaceutical companies do not want you to know that a nutritional diet, proper exercise and adequate rest can cure or prevent a vast majority of diseases and ailments.
I’ll stop my pharmaceutical rant there…
Reducing Anxiety and Depression
It’s no big secret that running and weight lifting can help you beat stress and feel better about yourself. You may have already heard of a runner’s high or a weight lifter’s pump.
Stress has been linked to many physical and mental ailments; including: immune system deficiencies, balding, sexual performance anxiety and many many more. The bottom line is that if you do not reduce or combat stress, it will hurt your quality of life.
Without writing a research report… exercising has been proven to combat stress in three ways:
- Rhythmic Therapy – Just about any type of exercise requires a repeated pattern of movement or cadence to be performed, especially cardio workouts. It is theorized that the rhythmic muscle movement calms your brain and quiets cognitive activity associated with anxiety.
- Thermogenic Effect – This phenomenon is triggered by the hypothalamus (in the brain). It detects the bodies elevated temperature caused by exercise, and triggers a reaction to reduce certain types of muscle neuron communication. In layman’s terms it allows you to “loosen up.”
- Beta-Endorphin Release – Your body naturally releases beta-endorphins when under physical strain. These hormones cause feelings of well being and happiness. This is the runner’s high people talk about after a good run. Due to the half life of this hormone, it sticks around a bit after your exercise.
Those are brief descriptions of how the body’s reaction to exercise can lower stress levels. Physical activity has also been thought to help prevent and treat depression.
Depression can be a very serious mental ailment and is generally treated by a physician. It has been found that in almost all instances that physical activity and exercise has provided some benefit to the depressed individual. Exercise is a good precursor to medical or pharmaceutical treatment because it is cost effective, noninvasive and has no negative side effects. It has been found that proper physical exercise appears to be as effective as medication for individuals experiencing clinical depression.(See: Effects of exercise training on older patients with major depression.1999.)
Depression is correlated with lowered levels of serotonin and norepinephrine. Exercise and resistance training has an anti-depressive effect by increasing these neurotransmitters. There are many other benefits of exercise that can help fight depression including: social interaction, increased confidence, and feelings of independence.
Improving Cognitive Performance
The cognitive benefits of exercise are mainly seen in aging adults. At about age 30, exercising can play a vital role in maintaining brain function. It has been found that reaction time, brain blood flow, dopamine levels, and frontal lobe performance begin to deteriorate with age.
Guess what? Physical activity and exercise promotes recovery of these cognitive deterioration and maintains current brain health!
Personally, I am very fond of my mental capacity and problem solving skills. The fact that physical activity will help me maintain my brain through old age is enough of an argument to keep me pumping iron til the day I die.
Get Off Your Butt and Move!
Work outs do not have to be complex or painful. You do not have to work yourself to complete exhaustion to see these benefits. The premise of effective training is consistent, gradual progression over time. Better yourself each day and you will see great results over the course of your life!