Fitness
The (Importance) of exercise!
Exercise can make you feel happier.
Exercise has been shown to improve your mood and decrease feelings of depression, anxiety,
and stress.
It produces changes in the parts of the brain that regulate stress and anxiety. It can also
increase brain sensitivity to the hormones serotonin and norepinephrine, which relieve
feelings of depression.
Additionally, exercise can increase the production of endorphins, which are known to help
produce positive feelings and reduce the perception of pain.
Interestingly, it doesn’t matter how intense your workout is. It seems that exercise can
benefit your mood no matter the intensity of the physical activity.
The effects of exercise on mood are so powerful that choosing to exercise (or not) even
makes a difference over short periods of time.
Other benefits of exercising:
Exercising can help your brain health and memory:
Exercise can improve brain function and protect memory and thinking skills.
To begin with, it increases your heart rate, which promotes the flow of blood and oxygen to
your brain. It can also stimulate the production of hormones that enhance the growth of
brain cells.
Regular physical activity is especially important in older adults since aging, combined
with oxidative stress and inflammation promotes changes in brain structure and function.
Exercise has been shown to cause the hippocampus, a part of the brain that’s vital for
memory and learning, to grow in size, which may help improve mental function in older
adults.
Lastly, exercise has been shown to reduce changes in the brain that can contribute to
conditions like Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.