Thursday, December 25, 2008

If you need to Improve your mood, why not try exercising?

By June Bell

People are always being warned about the health benefits of exercising, mainly the improvement and maintenance of physical fitness and the prevention of heart disease, blood pressure illness, and diabetes. Countless others do not,while many of us happily comply. For some reason, health and fitness do not seem to provide sufficient incentive to get us off the couch and unto the treadmill, into the pool - or even into a pair of sneakers to walk around the block.

I believe that if more emphasis were placed on the mental benefits of exercising, more people would exercise. If you tell someone that doing a little bit of exercise might improve their well-being, said person might be more willing to actually exercise in order to improve mood, fitness, and health. While this is not logical, it is the way peoples minds work. It is likely that when you are not feeling good about yourself, you are not motivated to take on any long term physical challenges and goals.

In order to help someone's mood, it is much simpler to get them to exercise. About ten minutes of moderate exercise will have a positive effect on a persons mental state, putting them in a better mood, making them feel more energetic and less tired. In all due reality, you do not really think you can achieve the traditional benefits of exercise (exercise along with healthiness) it's necessary to engage in regular, moderate exercise for at least half an hour daily, usually forever, since ceasing to exercise altogether is not good for your health or physical well-being.

Studies have demonstrated that exercising impacts the brain in a variety of ways, among them, what is termed neurogenesis the development of nerve tissue) which is believed to enhance a persons mood and release endorphins. Endorphins are chemicals or hormones that are released by the pituitary gland in response to stress or pain which is exactly what exercise is to some of us. Endorphins send a message to the brain that blocks pain and promotes feelings of euphoria. An improvement in the moods of patients experiencing depression who have been given Beta-endorphin injections has been reported by researchers. Adrenaline, serotonin and dopamine, which are also released by your body when you exercise, work together with endorphins to boost your mood naturally and almost immediately.

"Endorphin" literally refers to morphine that the human body manufactures. For what reason? The molecular composition of endorphins is comparable to that of morphine, meaning that both can help to relieve pain. Morphine and endorphins act upon the same brain receptors. Exercise has more of a role than just triggering the release of endorphins in your body present in one's bloodstreamlevels of the stress hormone cortisol are also lowered, leading to less tension and anxiety.

The most significant thing is that it's not necessary to spend large amounts of time exercising. A moderate amount of exercise will significantly improve your mood. In addition to these natural chemical processes, exercise can, of course, improve your self-image, boost your confidence and distract you from everyday worries, making you a happier person on the long run.

Switch of the television and go for a quick walk. When you are finished you will find that you feel a lot better and will probably try it again soon. You may even get to the point where your exercise will improve your physical well-being along with your all-important mental well-being. - 16083

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