With the new year around the corner, thousands of people inevitably make the resolution to exercise more in the upcoming year. However, according to US News, 80% of all people that make this resolution fail within a few months. While this may seem like an astounding percentage of people, the reason is fairly simple. Many people tie their goals of exercising to their superficial goals of weight loss. While this may seem like a sound goal, weight loss is a slow and tedious process that takes months on months to show results. After not seeing much physical progress from exercising initially, many people quickly give up.
- Regular Exercise Helps Relieve Anxiety and Stress
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A study conducted by Harvard University found that 63% of first year college students feel some sort of anxiety, whether that is social anxiety or debilitating chronic anxiety disorder. The same study found an inverse relationship between anxiety disorder in college students and their activity level, meaning that the greater one’s anxiety was, the more sedentary their lifestyle was. Exercise has actually been proven to help relieve anxiety and stress. The most simple explanation is that engaging in physical activity can divert your attention from the thing that is causing you anxiety. In addition, anxiety and stress are often caused by something in one’s life that they feel they have little to no control over. While exercising, you have complete control over your body. You can tell it when to start, stop, go harder or slow down. That feeling of control over something can help reduce anxiety levels. Lastly, by working out, you are reducing muscle tension, a physical response to anxiety and stress. By exercising your muscles, you are physically reducing these negative feelings.
- Exercise Improves Your Mood
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When you exercise, you release neuropeptides called endorphins. Endorphins, which are also known as the happy hormones, can create a huge shift in mood. Scientists call this the endorphin effect: once endorphins are released, they activate opioid receptors in your brain that help bring about feelings of euphoria and joy. Basically, exercising your body not only makes your muscles happy, but it makes your brain happy as well!
- Exercise Fosters Community
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Exercising and trying out different exercise classes is such a good way to build a community of people that have similar values to you. Exercising with other people can really create a bond, whether that is through a virtual class or a socially-distanced outside studio. In addition, having someone to keep you accountable and motivated will help you continue exercising, even after the initial spark of trying something new is gone.
- Exercise Empowers You and Promotes Self-Confidence
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Getting physically active has immense benefits for your confidence! When you make the choice to push yourself physically, you are building both a stronger body and a stronger mind. The stronger you get physically, the more that you realize you are capable of stepping out of your comfort zone and trying new things. By pushing through hard workouts, you will realize that your body and mind are capable of amazing and powerful things. This feeling of pride and appreciation for your body’s strength can immensely boost your self-confidence.
- Exercising Boosts Brain Power
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When classes get tough, many people turn away from physical activity because they start studying 24/7. But, exercising has been proven to boost brain power. When your blood begins pumping oxygen faster, glucose and hormones flow up to the brain at a much higher rate and essentially rev up your brain for action. So, next time you feel like you are too busy studying to workout, get up and do some quick cardio exercises, then reap the renewed energy that it gives your mind.
Every time we run a little further or lift a little heavier, the confidence and focus that we are gaining outweigh any physical change that exercising may produce. While physical changes are an amazing way to track the progress of your hardwork, there are so many other amazing benefits you should focus on, because exercising is not just about the way you look.