Everyone knows that exercise is good for your body, but did you know that exercise is also good for your mind and spirit? That’s right! Exercise has more benefits than just helping you lose weight and stay fit. It can also stimulate your mind and help feed your spirit.
In fact, neuroscientist, Wendy Suzuki, in her TED Talk titled, The Brain Changing Benefits Of Exercise, tells us that “exercise is the most transformable thing you can do for your brain today!” That’s amazing if you think about it. It is unfortunate however, that not everyone takes advantage of exercising and all of its benefits.
In her talk, Suzuki tells us that exercise has many powerful benefits and talks about her own experience and how it changed her. Like many other people these days, she spent a lot of time working and sitting. Living a sedentary life-style can take a toll on your body, as well as your mind. I am sure many people can relate. It is easy to get stressed out from work, taking care of children or just having too much to do. While some people may think they don’t have enough time for exercise, it is exercise that can help relieve stress and make you feel more alive and alert.
Powerful Effects of Exercise
Exercise can have some powerful effects. It not only can make you feel stronger and help you lose weight, but can help you focus more. In addition, exercise can boost your mood, give you more energy and improve your memory. Some other effects include the following:
- Immediate effects on the brain—Exercise increases the neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin, which make you feel good. (e.g. Think of a runner’s high). It also improves your reaction times.
- Increases Lon-term memory—Exercise helps improve your attention, which benefits your long term memory.
- Long lasting effects of good mood—Exercise has protective affects on your brain and makes it stronger.
How to Reap the Benefits of Exercise
There are many ways to reap the benefits of exercise and it all starts with a making a commitment and taking an initiative. Some ways to feel the benefits of exercise include:
- Consistency—While it is ideal to exercise everyday, make sure you exercise at least 3-4 times per week. Consistency matters and it is important to develop a routine. When you establish a routine, you get into a habit of exercising and it will naturally become part of schedule. Also—When you are consistent, most likely you won’t feel right if for some reason you have to miss a day or time and will be eager to get back at it.
- Get your heart rate up—Exercise is good for your heart and mind. Make sure you incorporate some sort of aerobic exercise in your exercise routine. It’s important to get your heart rate up to take advantage of those feel good hormones.
- Make it worthwhile—To reap the full benefits of exercise, make sure you exercise and stay active for at least 30 minutes at a minimum. Taking 30 minutes to exercise, allows you enough time to get an energy boost, as well as strengthen your heart, mind and muscles.
Thanks for reading!
Barb
Source:
TED. “The Brain-Changing Benefits of Exercise | Wendy Suzuki.” YouTube, YouTube, 21 Mar. 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHY0FxzoKZE.
