Exercise Makes you a Happier Person and Improves your Mood
More and more evidence suggests that exercise can help ease the symptoms of both anxiety and depression leading to a happier and healthier you!
Being inactive or sedentary is bad for your health and studies also show that along with bumping up your happiness level, regular exercise also helps to protect against many diseases.
(Can you say win-win.)
We all know that endorphins are those magical feel good hormones that make us feel happy or a little more positive.
So when you combine the rush of good self-esteem with the rush of endorphins after completing a difficult exercise, like running or walking your first 5K, you are rewarded with the feeling of complete happiness.
Trust us, we’ve been there and felt that!
But it still works on a much smaller scale as well. Imagine the feeling of not being able to walk for more than five minutes and then how happy you would feel when you accomplish a full thirty minutes!
The human body was not designed to lay on a couch or sit on a chair all day. We are made up of bones, muscles, heart and organs that need exercise to stay healthy.
Those of us that exercise on a regular basis have a healthier immune system preventing us from getting sick as often as our non-exercising counterparts.
This means that we spend less time recovering on the couch and more time out there having active fun, and yes you guessed it, being happy!
Being happy leads to more positive experiences and more positive experiences leads to more happy. It’s a fun and vicious circle.
Exercise also promotes better sleep and better sleep makes us feel good throughout the day. Feeling good and having control also leads us to less destructive food behaviors like eating processed foods or greasy fast foods.
Being physically active with lots of exercise slims your chance of being obese and unfit. This leads to a greater level of happiness because you are able to do more of the things that you love to do.
Being physically active lets you see more of the world because you tend to seek out activities that would lead you to beautiful parks or beautiful trails. (Happy trails.)
What’s the recommended amount of physical activity?
At least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity five times a week or at least 20 minutes of vigorous activity three times a week, or a combination of the two.
If you haven’t exercised in awhile then start small. Even five minutes of exercise can change someone’s life if the intent is there. Build a snowball that will eventually become a snowman.
Set a timer and build your will-power to stick with it. Make yourself do that five minutes of walking without stopping. Healthy habits start by building up your will-power and confidence at the same time.
Look for Social Exercise Activities where you can be part of a fun group:
- Hiking (our favorite) – Read More About Hiking in the Woods Here
- Walking
- Biking
- Dancing
- Golf
- Ice Skating
- Jogging
- Swimming
- Tennis
- Volley Ball
Finding someone that encourages you and keeps you going when you feel like quitting is important to staying active. It’s hard to be depressed and anxious when you are riding a bike down a beautiful trail with fun people. (Food for thought.)
Feeling a little low on happiness? Well, put your shoes on and get out there and get moving!
Try some Be Well Teas Today for a Better Mood!
