When the end of March rolls around, it is time to slowly put away the sweaters and heavy coats and take out the floral skirts and light-weight jackets. Although spring is its own season, it is a friendly reminder that we are only three short months away from a favored season amongst many: summer.
While the lead-up to summer and warm weather is exciting, it also evokes the yearly trend of “achieving your summer body” before bathing suit season. This standard of achieving the perfect body during the spring season can hinder mental health, causing stress and anxiety due to the false indication that physical appearance matters more than well-being. Spoiler alert: it does not.
According to Mental Health America, individuals who exercise compulsively do not give their bodies enough time to recover after an intense workout, which can cause damage to muscles, especially if working hard and fast for a short period of time.
It is just as essential to obtain a healthy summer mind as it is to work on your physical health and there are ways to achieve both goals safely.
Here are three exercises that will keep you in shape, but prioritize a healthy mind:
Walking or Running
Walking or running to stay fit may be a given, but both forms of exercise have significant health benefits for the mind and are not too strenuous to the body. In a recent study conducted by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, running for 15 minutes a day or walking for an hour reduces the risk of major depression by 26%.
There are also ways to make these exercises more enjoyable and less of a chore. For example, instead of running on a treadmill in the gym, take advantage of the warm weather and find a place outside to go for a run. A nice park or trail can suffice. If the thought of running makes you tired and a nice walk is more your speed, grab a friend and walk around the neighborhood. You can have a catch-up and an exercise session all in one. Finally, pop in some headphones and blast your favorite playlist to make your run or walk go by faster.
Yoga
The primary purpose of practicing yoga is to strengthen and relax the mind and body. It is also considered “weightlifting for the brain,” according to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Yoga consists of controlled and elongated movements that are calming and help target specific areas of the body, such as arm and leg strength. While your body may feel the burn, yoga can improve your mood, sleep schedule, and digestive system. These improvements are vital for a healthy mind, especially for the change of the season.
There are many yoga positions to choose from, so you are hitting all areas of the body and not doing the same workout every day. Changing up positions keeps the exercise entertaining and your body movements diverse.
Pilates
Pilates is a little more of an intense form of workout and requires more effort than going for a walk or practicing yoga. Similar to yoga, pilates puts the muscles of your body to work but relaxes the mind in the process. Core strength is a key physical benefit of pilates, as it requires holding multiple positions and repeating many movements in a sequence.
One mental health benefit of pilates is better brain flexibility. With pilates, you are constantly learning new exercises and memorizing different sequences of routines. Heidi Johansen Berg, a member of the Plasticity and Disease Group at the University of Oxford Center for Functional MRI of the Brain, discovered that learning new activities increases the density of white matter in the brain (the fibers that let neurons communicate). Each workout challenges your memory and results in increased flexibility.
If you are interested in taking a pilates class, go for it. If you would rather stay in the comfort of your own home, there are many pilates workouts on YouTube you can try out on your own time. Stream the exercises on your phone, laptop, or television screen and enjoy the mind-body benefits.