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Exercise and Your Mental Health

The benefits of exercise are well documented. Cracking out some cardio on the treadmill, bike or rowing machine will help to lose fat, building a healthier heart and more flexible joints. Crunching out few sets of reps on benches and machines will get you higher muscle mass, along with a generally more toned appearance. But one of the overlooked aspects of exercise is that they extend beyond the physical, and in fact reap a whole series of mental benefits, helping deal with stress, depression and anxiety.

Heading down for a workout may feel like the last thing you want to do when you're feeling stressed or under the weather, but it's absolutely worth it. A brief run releases endorphins into your system, immediately lifting your mood. They're natural opiates, and create a lift in mood not unlike morphine. Getting hot and sweaty in an accommodating environment helps too, since an increased body temperate is proven to have some calming effects, so long as you're in a location where it's not undesirable.

These are immediate, physical effects. But the boost in self-confidence over the long-term has a tangible impact. Those getting involved in muscle building workouts will experience a brief swell of pride seeing themselves bulk up over the course of a workout. Muscles swell up after intensive exercise, and even if the size is only temporary the effect they have on morale is effective. Over time exercisers see their body improve and take shape, providing a massive change in mood. People often feel depressed or anxious due to the perception that they are incapable or useless, and it can be difficult to shake these feelings. Setting reasonable yet definite goals and then hitting them dispels unhealthy thoughts, while the improvement in physical appearance provides permanent growth to their self-confidence.

It's worth noting the distraction exercise offers. The reason depression is so prevalent among the unemployed is that boredom and a lack of direction leads to dwelling on your own thoughts. Having planned workout sessions brings a welcome degree of structure to the day, allowing individuals to remain intently focused on a single task for an extended period of time. Structure breaks the day into more manageable chunks, while only permitting thoughts about the immediate matter at hand.

Exercise has an immediate and significant effect on your mental health, though it doesn't have to be intensive. Even a moderate level of exercise, perhaps only 30 minutes a day, is more than enough to increase fitness and raise spirits. The number is an estimate, and doesn't have to be done all in one go, splitting it into 10 or 15 minute increments is both reasonable and feasible.

Moderate exercise for lengthier periods is the best way to raise spirits, intensive workouts are productive but also more stressful. Judging moderate exercise can be done via a quick and simple method, the 'sing talk test'. Being able to sing indicates the exercise is too easy to reap genuine benefits. Being unable to talk means the workout is too intensive. Ideally it should be possible to hold a conversation for an extended period, but not to control the voice in the manner singing requires.

Arnold Nevsky has spent enough time testing equipment and browsing discount protein shakes to recognise the importance of exercise to body and mind, and intends to do his best to spread the word.

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