As many of you might know by now, I am super passionate about staying active. The world is brimming with distractions. stresses and demands that can take us away from appreciating the present moment and looking after ourselves. In fact, taking care of our mental and physical health often gets relegated to the back burner. However, amidst the chaos of daily life, there exists a potent elixir that can uplift our spirits, boost our happy neurotransmitters, sharpen our minds, and invigorate our bodies: exercise. Beyond its physical rewards, regular exercise boasts a plethora of benefits for overall wellbeing, making it a cornerstone of a fulfilling and balanced lifestyle.
Physical Health:
Let’s begin with the most apparent advantage of exercise: its positive impact on physical health. Engaging in regular physical activity has been linked to a myriad of health benefits, including:
- Weight Management: Exercise helps burn calories, making it a crucial tool in managing weight and preventing obesity-related complications. Being active can also help us to focus on being strong, as opposed to being slim, which is a much healthier goal both physically and mentally
- Stronger Muscles and Bones: By stimulating muscle growth and bone density, exercise fortifies the body’s infrastructure, reducing the risk of injuries and conditions like osteoporosis.
- Enhanced Cardiovascular Health: Aerobic exercises such as running, swimming, or cycling improve heart health by strengthening the heart muscle and lowering blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
- Improved Immune Function: Moderate exercise has been shown to boost the immune system, reducing the risk of illness and promoting faster recovery if you do get ill.
Mental Wellbeing:
Beyond its physical perks, exercise is a potent tonic for the mind, offering a plethora of mental health benefits so let’s explore these:
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- Stress Reduction: Exercise triggers the release of endorphins, neurotransmitters that act as natural stress relievers, promoting feelings of relaxation and euphoria. Regular physical activity can also reduce levels of cortisol, the body’s stress hormone.
- Mood Enhancement: Ever experienced a “runner’s high” or the high after a good workout of any sort? (I know I do multiple times a week and I love it!) That euphoric feeling after a good workout is the result of increased levels of endorphins. Exercise is a natural mood booster, alleviating symptoms of depression and anxiety.
- Improved Cognitive Function: Physical activity has been shown to enhance cognitive function and protect against age-related decline in mental acuity. Regular exercise can sharpen focus, enhance memory, and boost overall cognitive performance.
- Better Sleep: Regular exercise can improve sleep quality and duration, helping individuals fall asleep faster and enjoy deeper, more restorative rest. Better sleep is a game changer!
- Achievement: The sense of achievement that comes from overcoming challenges in physical exercise whether they are distance, time, technique or number challenges (for example progressing from run/ walk to running consistently, upping the weights in strength training or making it from your knees to your toes in a press up) can give you not only an endorphin and serotonin boost but a HUGE dopamine lift (our reward neurotransmitter or brain chemical). This keeps us going, achieving and striving!
Emotional Wellbeing:
Exercise transcends the physical and mental realms, profoundly impacting our emotional wellbeing:
- Increased Self-Esteem: Achieving fitness goals, whether it’s running a certain distance or mastering a new yoga pose, boosts self-confidence and fosters a positive self-image. Better self-esteem can foster a sense of peace within us that cannot be rivalled.
- Sense of Accomplishment: Setting and achieving exercise-related goals provides a sense of accomplishment, reinforcing the belief that we have the power to effect positive change in our lives. This is another dopamine boost!
- Social Connection: Group fitness activities such as team sports or exercise classes offer opportunities for social interaction and support, fostering a sense of belonging and camaraderie. There is a growing community of online coaching services and forums in which people can also access this support, encouragement and connection in a different way.
- Stress Relief: Physical activity serves as a healthy outlet for pent-up emotions, providing a constructive way to manage stress and channel negative energy. Whether this is going at it on a punch bag to manage anger, working it out on the road after a stressful time or finding your zen doing yoga or Pilates, it all helps you be in control of your emotions (rather than the other way around!).
In essence, exercise is a holistic tonic that nourishes the body, mind, and spirit, enriching our lives in profound ways. By making physical activity a priority, we can reap a myriad of benefits that extend far beyond the confines of the gym or the running track. Whether it’s a brisk walk in nature, a heart-pounding cardio session, or a rejuvenating yoga practice, finding activities that we enjoy and incorporating them into our daily routine can lay the foundation for a life filled with vitality, resilience, and wellbeing.
If you have not been active for a while or life has taken you on a path that has meant that you are not where you want to be it can be hard to get started. But, wherever you are today is your starting point. Accept where you are right now and focus where you want to get to. Set yourself some mini stepping stones on the way to your goal. When I first started running, I could not run a mile and I was about 3 ½ minutes slower per mile than I am now…yet, I have now run countless half marathons, 10ks races and a few 5k races to add into the mix. I never would have dreamt when I started running (or when I was recovering from injuries) that I could run a metric marathon and yet I have now run a couple and am training for my third. Even though you may feel like you are a long way from your goals, setting those mini stepping stones and noticing when you achieve them can give you the boost you need to keep going when it feels too hard.
So let’s lace up our trainers, get on those goggles, stretch our muscles, and embark on a journey of self-care and transformation—one step, one breath, and one workout at a time. You can do it!
Chrissy, Founder
