The Importance of Exercise for your Mental Health

Women in today's society put a lot of stress and focus on being thin and beautiful. There is a lot of pressure on us to look as perfect as the women we see on television and in the magazines, but whats really important is our health. Aside from physical health, our mental health is something we often put to the side. The stresses of life can become overwhelming, but a little exercise can clear the mind and work wonders on reducing stress. The root of  improvements in mood are proposed to be caused by exercise-induced increase in blood circulation to the brain and by an influence on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which is the physiologic reactivity to stress. This physiologic influence is mediated by the communication of the HPA axis with several regions of the brain, including the limbic system, which controls motivation and mood, the amygdala, which generates fear in response to stress, and the hippocampus, which plays an important part in memory formation as well as in mood and motivation. Exercises such as Aerobics, jogging, swimming, cycling, walking, gardening, and dancing, have also been proved to reduce anxiety and depression. Exercise is actually a treatment used on the mentally ill. It is also proven that people who exercise had significant increases in self esteem, social activity, and cognitive function. Small amounts of exercise can help your sleeping habits become more normal, and sleep is important for the body to function properly in every way.

Aside from the fact that exercise can keep us sane, in can even increase sex drive, and of course improve weight loss!  Any exercise is better than none! The only workout you will regret is the one you didn't do. Not having time is no longer an excuse, make time for at least 20 minutes a day to increase your heart rate and break a sweat. Sometimes that walk into the gym and onto the treadmill can be dreadful, but NOTHING compares to the amazing feeling of accomplishment and instant boost in self esteem when you are finished.