Sunday, December 21, 2008

Does exercise to make yourself feel better?

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. Irrespective of whether it is using the treadmill or short walk around the block, staying fit and healthy does not seem to be a driver for us to leave the comfort of the couch.

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.

It's a lot easier to talk someone into exercising in order to pick up their spirits. As little as ten minutes of moderate exercise can make you feel less fatigued and more optimistic. On the other side, you can not expect to get good results from exercise (health along with physical fitness) for however long it takes, unless you commit to at least thirty minutes of moderate but regular exercise a day. You will be doing this for the rest of your life, as to stop exercising will have an adverse effect on your healthy and physical well-being.

Research has shown that exercising exerts its effects on the brain in several ways, including something called neurogenesis the development of nerve tissue) and endorphin release, which is believed to enhance a persons mood. Your body warns of stress and pain through the release of endorphines from your pituitary gland. which is precisely what exercise means to many people. Sense they stop the transmission of pain signals going to the brain and give off the same feeling of euphoria, endorphins which are all said to be natural feel good chemicals. An improvement in the moods of patients experiencing depression who have been given Beta-endorphin injections has been reported by researchers. Serotonin, adrenaline and dopamine, which are all released by your body when you perform exercises, these all work together so that you naturally boost your mood - almost instantly.

"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 best part is that you dont need to run a mile or to spend an hour at the gym. Your mood with be significantly improved if you exercise moderately. 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. - 15995

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