This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Exeter chapter.
Realising fresher’s flu is never going away? Feeling the strain of the essay you’ve left to do until the night before? Getting tired of feeling constantly hung-over? We’re all beginning to feel the mid-term blues, but a little exercise could help you feel a lot more healthy, refreshed and happy!
Her Campus has come up with 6 reasons why exercise can leave you feeling fabulous:
- Exercise boosts energy: Feeling constantly tired and run down? Regular exercise helps to strengthen your muscles and increase your stamina, meaning that you’ll be able to carry out more day to day activities without feeling tired and your whole body will feel much stronger. Exercise sends oxygen around your body, helping improve your cardiovascular system, enabling you to have more energy throughout the day.
- Exercise improves happiness: Physical activity helps increase our brain’s dopamine (often known as the ‘happy-chemical’) production, necessary for feelings of pleasure and happiness.
- Exercise helps us keep in shape: If your body is looking healthy and happy, you will automatically feel much happier. You don’t need to spend hours a day performing an intense workout routine, just 30 minutes of exercise a day will help you look and feel a lot better.
- Exercise helps you de-stress: Whether it’s a run along the Quay, or an intense workout in the gym, physical activity can help you release any worries you have and focus on something else for a while. Exercise is also proven to reduce stress in the long term too.
- Exercise helps with depression: Roughly 1 in 10 adults suffer from some form of depression, so if you’re feeling a little down why not try exercising instead. Exercise is said to mimic the effects of antidepressants on the brain, improving our mood.
- Exercise helps you get a better sleep: Having trouble sleeping? Feeling constantly tired and run down? Regular exercise can help improve sleep patterns, making sure you wake up feeling refreshed each day.
So next time you’re feeling a little down and need a pick-me-up, try getting some fresh air and going for a run, take an exercise class with some friends, or sweat out your worries with an intense workout in the gym!
Photo Credits: www.pinterest.com