The 10 psychological benefits of practicing physical exercise

The benefits of practicing sports to improve quality of life and overall health.

Many people join the gym to improve their Cardiovascular health, to gain muscle or to have a great body. However, there are other positive effects that we can achieve by practicing regular physical activity, such as the psychological benefits.

Psychological benefits of doing sport: exercising is healthy for your mind!

Over the past decades, researchers have been discovering how exercising can improve our cognitive functions. exercise can improve our cognitive functionsRegardless of age or physical condition, studies have shown that taking time to exercise also has many benefits for our mental well-being. produces many benefits for our mental well-being. "Exercising regularly is good for mood, memory or learning," explains Harvard Medical School psychiatrist John Ratey, author of the book "The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain.".

If you are used to exercise on a daily basis or if you are one of those who find it difficult to put on your tracksuit, pay attention to the following lines. Next, from Psychology and Mindwe present the 10 psychological benefits of exercising.

1. Produces happiness chemicals

Running a few miles can be hard, but it's worth it! Exercise promotes the release of endorphinschemicals that produce feelings of happiness and euphoria.

Studies have shown that they can even alleviate symptoms of depression. For this reason, psychologists recommend that people suffering from depression or anxiety improve their quality of life by including exercise in their lives. If you are not one of those people who practice physical activity on a daily basis, by exercising 3 days a week for half an hour you can instantly improve your mood.

2. Reduce stress

After a hard day's work, there's nothing better than unwinding by playing paddle tennis, hitting the gym or running on the beach. One of the psychological benefits of physical activity is that it reduces stress.

In addition, exercise also increases the production of norepirefrin (noradrenaline), a chemical that can moderate the brain's response to stress. So put on your sports clothes and sweat a little, because exercise improves our body's ability to deal with the tension that stress produces after so much office work and so many day-to-day worries.

3. Improves self-esteem

Looking better physically will make you feel good. Continuous exercise will improve your self-image and improve your self-esteem. Regardless of weight, age or gender, physical exercise can raise the positive perception of one's attractiveness of yourself, and consequently, make you value yourself more.

4. Improve your social relationships

As your self-perception and emotional health improve, your social relationships can also improve, your social relationships may also improve.. Because of your increased self-confidence, you will be more likely to reach out to others, and if you participate in classes or group sports, you can expect to meet new people.

5. Relieves anxiety

Neurotransmitters released during and after exercise can help people suffering from anxiety to calm down. A bike ride or some medium- or high-intensity aerobic exercise can reduce the symptoms of anxiety. anxiety symptoms that anxiety produces. Sport and exercise, therefore, are not just for burning fat or gaining muscle.

6. Prevents cognitive decline

As we get older, the risk of suffering from degenerative diseases increases. degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, especially after the age of 45. Doing physical activity mainly between 25 and 45 years of age increases brain chemicals that prevent the degeneration of neurons in the hippocampus.

In addition, regular physical exercise, adapted to the needs of the elderly, is associated with a lower risk of mortality. Mainly as a consequence of a cardiovascular protective effect, physical activity decreases the risk of stroke. cerebral infarction and improves cognitive function, reducing the risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

7. Improves your memory

Regular exercise improves your memory and ability to learn new things by increasing the production of hippocampal cells that are responsible for memory and learning. Research in this field positively relates children's brain development to their physical condition.

This is not only true for children; older children can also improve their memory by training. A study by Winter and Breitenstein (2007), showed that performing sprints improves vocabulary acquisition and retention in adults.

8. Increase your brain capacity

By exercising your brain produces more neurons and more connections between them, a phenomenon known as neurogenesis. Therefore, your brain will gain shape and increase its ability to learn.

In research by Vaynman, Ying and Gomez-PinillaIn research conducted by Vaynman, Ying and Gomez-Pinilla, it was shown that intense training increases the levels of a protein known as BDNF (Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor) found in the brain, which is believed to positively influence decision making, thinking and learning. To learn more about this topic, we recommend you to read the article "5 tricks to improve your intelligence", by psychologist Bertrand Regader.

9. It helps you to be more productive

A research by Schwarz and Hasson (2011) concluded that workers who engage in regular exercise or sport are more productive and have more energy than their sedentary peers.

In addition, if we practice sports at midday, during the lunch break, or before going to work, the activity will help us to remain more active throughout the day, avoiding moments of slump or lack of attention at work.

10. Helps control addiction

The brain releases dopamine (the reward neurotransmitter) in response to a pleasurable stimulus such as sex, drugs or food. Unfortunately, some people become addicted and dependent on substances that produce its release in large quantities. The practice of exercise can help in the addict's recovery, since short exercise sessions have a positive effect on those addicted to alcohol or drugs by postponing the "carving" (at least in the short term).

Alcohol abuse, moreover, prevents normality in the addict's life. A negative consequence of excessive consumption of this substance is that disrupts circadian rhythmsAs a result, alcoholics have difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep if they do not consume alcohol. Exercising can help reset the biological clock. biological clock and help people fall asleep.

Concluding

In summary, physical exercise is natural, it's easy, it helps you improve your quality of life, increases your self-esteem, prevents disease and improves your learning. After reading this, are you still going to want to give up these benefits?