There are many reasons why physical activity is good for your body but did you know that it is beneficial for your mental health and wellbeing?
It is recommended that the average adult should do between 75 and 150 minutes of exercise a week. This doesn’t have to be vigorous and includes exercise such as walking or riding a bike. Any activity that raises your heart rate, makes you breathe faster, and makes you feel warmer counts towards your exercise 💪
💥What exactly is Mental wellbeing?
✨Feeling good about ourselves and being able to function well individually and in relationships.
✨The ability to deal with the ups and downs of life, such as coping with challenges and making the most of opportunities.
✨The feeling of connection to our community and surroundings are all feelings that contribute to our mental wellbeing.
In turn this helps us have control and freedom over our lives and gives us a sense of purpose and feeling valued. This doesn’t mean we are happy all the time or that we won’t experience grief or failure but being physically active can help you to lead a mentally healthier life and can improve your wellbeing.
Below, we have listed the top ways exercise can enhance our wellbeing 👇
💚Impact our mood: Participating in regular physical activity can increase our self-esteem and reduce stress and anxiety. It also helps to prevent the development of mental health problems and improves the quality of life of people experiencing mental health problems.
💚Impact on our stress: The most common physical signs of stress include sleeping problems, sweating, and loss of appetite. Symptoms like these are triggered by a rush of stress hormones in our body – otherwise known as the ‘fight or flight’ response which raise our blood pressure, increases our heart rate and increases the rate at which we perspire. Physical exercise can be very effective in relieving stress.
💚Impact on our self-esteem: Self-esteem is how we feel about ourselves and how we perceive our self-worth. It is a key indicator of our mental wellbeing and our ability to cope with life stressors. Physical activity has been shown to have a positive influence on our self-esteem and self-worth.
💚Dementia and cognitive decline in older people -. Physical activity has been identified as a protective factor in studies that examined risk factors for dementia. For people who have already developed the disease, physical activity can help to delay further decline.
💚Impact on depression and anxiety- Physical activity can be an alternative treatment for depression and can reduce levels of anxiety in people with mild symptoms and may also be helpful for treating clinical anxiety. Physical activity is available to all, has few costs attached, and is an empowering approach that can support self-management.
This week. try to increase your physical activity, even a short burst of 10 minutes’ brisk walking increases our mental alertness, energy and positive mood.