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Four reasons why exercise is good for your mental health

Date: Nov 11, 2023    By: Genesis Fitness

We all know exercise has an endless variety of benefits for your body, but it also plays an important part in keeping your mind and soul in sync to ensure you're making serious strides in your fitness journey. In this blog, we'll share the top four benefits of exercise for mental health and why you need to prioritise the 'e' word as soon as possible.

1. Sweat more, stress less

There's no denying that hitting the gym feels great, but exercising has actually been proven to improve your outlook on life. It does this by increasing your endorphin production, which is also known as the feel-good neurotransmitter. Plus, when you're feeling good, you're more inclined to face stressful factors with a smile on your dial and a positive outlook on life. As exercise imitates the effects of stress (including your fight or flight response) and allows your body time and practice to determine how to respond to these stressors. 

Challenge: 

Consider your favourite workout? Maybe it's hopping on a treadmill or a BODYPUMP class. What, apart from the core muscle groups it's designed to, is it targeting? Perhaps in a Cycle class, it's your grip strength on the handlebars or your resilience after sitting on a bike seat for 40+ minutes. Thinking outside of the box helps you put why you're working out into perspective and gives you a whole new outlook on your fitness journey.

2. Build your muscles, boost your memory 

We all know exercise is great for your mental health, but it also does wonders for your memory. Many studies have found that parts of the brain that control thinking and memory are larger in people who exercise compared to those who don't. We don't know about you, but that's a pretty unforgettable reason to swap your scrolling for strolling and get moving. 

3. Improve your mood 

Still picturing your favourite workout? Now imagine the post-session high you experience after giving it your all. That feeling isn't only addictive (and highly memorable), but it can also do wonders for your sense of control, coping abilities, and self-esteem. Exercise has also been found to increase your energy levels because if you don't use them, you lose them, which is another great reason to prioritise movement. 

Tip: 

Open a new tab and find a local track you're yet to conquer. Then call a friend and ask them to join you for a walk. It doesn't have to be anything strenuous, but we highly recommend inviting someone along on your journey so you can *both* experience the benefits of getting up and going.

4. Meet new people 

Who else agrees there's nothing better than making a new friend? By prioritising movement, you can also open yourself up to a supportive fitness community who are just as passionate about improving their life as you are. This can be at the park, where you may strike up a conversation with a stranger or in a Group Fitness class. 

We also can't help but consider that the impacts of healthy friendships go up a notch when they're centred around health. Looking for a safe place to meet new people? Or want to invite your friends to get their sweat on? Find out more here. 

There's no doubt exercise has a huge range of advantages for your mental health, so we highly recommend *moving* and experiencing them firsthand.

Ready to start your fitness journey? Sign up for a free trial today.

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