Working out can seem like extra stress on top of everything else you have to do in your day, but it doesn’t have to be.
Exercise of any kind can actually help to reduce stress levels and make you feel more energised. Regular exercise is important for both your mental and physical health.
Doing exercise releases endorphins that interact with the receptors in your brain, triggering a positive feeling in your body, similar to that of morphine. But, endorphins are not the only neurotransmitters that are released during exercise. Serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine are also released, all of which play a very important role in regulating your mood.
Raising your levels of serotonin helps to boost your overall sense of well-being and can help to improve your appetite and sleep cycle. Dopamine is responsible for regulating your mood and muscle movements. As well as this, it helps you to feel pleasure, especially after you have completed a task (such as working out). Norepinephrine helps your body to respond to stress and exercise. It is produced at the nerve endings of the adrenal glands, responsible for producing adrenaline. Norepinephrine also increases your alertness and your reaction time while also playing a vital role in a person’s ability to concentrate.
Not only does exercise release these happy chemicals into your brain, but doing exercise for any length of time allows you to escape from reality and take your mind off the things that are causing you stress or worry.
Exercise can reduce the risk of heart attacks, lower your blood cholesterol level and lower the risk of type 2 diabetes and some types of cancer.
In addition to this, exercise has many aesthetic benefits, and who doesn’t love those? Regular exercise tones your muscles, promotes antioxidant protection for your skin and can help with weight management. It can also enhance flexibility and improve blood circulation, both of which can improve your sex life which isn’t to be sniffed at.
If you feel as though your lifestyle is too busy to worry about working out, I can assure you there are ways that you can incorporate exercise into your day-to-day life. You can walk to and from college! If it’s way too far, try hopping off a stop earlier on the bus or park a little further away. Take the stairs, have a dance party, the possibilities are endless. Even just adding some more elbow grease into your household chores is a great way to get some exercise into your day.
Another suggestion would be to follow along with YouTube videos. Some great people to subscribe to are Chloe Ting, Pamela Reif, Move with Nicole, and Yoga with Adrienne. Chloe Ting is great for cardio and weight loss. Her videos range from 10 minutes up to an hour.
Pamela Reif focuses more on muscle growth using basic compound movements such as squats, lunges, and plank variations. Pamela’s workouts are short in duration and are sure to get you sweating. Move with Nicole and Yoga with Adrienne focus more on the Pilates and yoga side of fitness.
So why not give yourself a little pep in your step? You deserve it.