Sedentary lifestyle is one of the biggest threats to mental health. These include sedentary work, lack of regular exercise and sedentary lifestyle in general. Over time, this can be a catalyst for the appearance of IBS symptoms or anxiety disorders. In fact, it’s often the case that people who have been physically active have similar problems when they reduce their physical activity. In this article, we will try to puzzle out how doing sports effects our physical and mental health. the main factors that affect sports and mental health.
Benefits of doing sports for keeping mental health
The first essential point to say is any kind of sport training always helps to relax. For sure, while workouting you feel the muscle pressure, but after every part of your body is relaxed and distressed. to accustom the body to training.
Not so evident effect which doing sports causes is stimulating and controlling of your natural fears. For example, being under panic attacks or severe anxiety, a person experiences many frightening symptoms, such as:
- sudden palpitations;
- a racing pulse;
- tense muscles in the arms, legs;
- confused and shallow breathing;
- and so on.
Feeling this way many anxious people begin to constantly take their pulse rate, as a result, anxiety builds up, which further occupies all the body, thereby provoking a panic attack. After all, this endless circle leads to a serious neurosis, the appearance of many phobias and other unpleasant health consequences.
However, you may notice that many of the symptoms are similar to those that the body experiences when exercising the sport. Therefore, regular physical activity eliminates the main reason for the appearance of anxiety syndrome. While doing sports, like running or cycling, you are not afraid of the rapid heart rate. Therefore workouting helps to prepare the organism for such stress and provide a normal human organism functioning (it’s obligatory for health).
Also such pros can be defined:
- increasing self-esteem;
Weight loss, a slender figure – that’s a reason to be proud of yourself. If you have complexes about the defects of your figure, this is a great opportunity to get rid of them. - stress management;
It’s a great way to relax and relieve stress. The adrenaline released during stress causes muscle tension, the urge to move and even aggression. And exercise allows you to deal with the effects of stress situations naturally. - improving mood and making you feel happy;
Regular physical activity produces endorphins, the hormone of happiness. That is why doing sports can cause a kind of addiction, when a person really wants to exercise more and more. - increasing mental activity;
Actually, fine blood circulation increases brain activity, thus makes the person more efficient and helps find solutions to difficult problems. - etc.
What are the advantages of training for physical health?
Obviously, doing exercises makes us stronger, but there is more to come. Among the general pros are:
- increasing resistance to physical exertion;
- stimulating cardiac and cardiovascular activity; Exercise is a great way to prevent heart attacks and strokes and many other serious illnesses.
- increasing muscle tone;
The abdominal wall and leg muscles tighten, which causes our figure to tune. Toning of the muscles of the legs, to prevent varicose veins and ensure that the legs always look good. - burning extra calories;
- making a sculpted body;
- Tight muscles and excess weight are just what you need to have a sport body.
- strengthening the immune system;
People who exercise regularly get sick less often and are much better able to cope with illness. Training also delays aging and reduces dystrophic processes in the musculoskeletal system. Strengthening of muscles reduces the load on joints, eliminates pain and stiffness of muscles, reduces the manifestations of osteochondrosis – a very young and widespread problem nowadays. - improving the quality of sleeping;
Tired muscles and the release of hormones effect resting as well as sleeping. - etc.
The best types of sport to try
Though there are a heap of sports worth trying, the most common and effective ones are:
- running;
- swimming;
- cycling.
Running is, first of all, a great way to lose weight. You can start by simply walking for half an hour 2-3 times a week. Then gradually increase your speed and distance until you reach several kilometers per workout. If you regularly run (or jog), then after a couple of months you can easily reach 7-10 kilometers per day.
The main thing is not to forget to regularly take the pulse rate to keep controlling your physical well-being. Fast running and walking is very beneficial for your blood vessels, as it minimizes the risk of atherosclerosis, strokes and heart attacks.
In its turn, swimming is more than just a sport, that’s a good lifehack on how to keep a perfect shape too. It takes only 2-3 times a week for an hour of training, which burns up to 400 calories per hour.
When swimming, all muscle groups are stretched evenly. But thanks to an aquatic environment that balances gravity and reduces human weight, the effort of the musculoskeletal system is the most gentle of all sports. The increasingly popular aqua fitness and aqua aerobics classes benefit everyone, from children to the elderly. You are able to strengthen your muscles, tone the skin and eliminate cellulite there. One of the advantages is joint health and perfect posture.
By the way, cycling is also very useful, especially if you choose pleasant routes in parks and panoramic walks, because such ‘walking’ has a beneficial effect on the nervous system. Cycling should also be good for the calf and hip muscles. Therefore, this sport activity trains and tones almost all muscle groups, effectively removing excess weight from all parts of the body. Practicing these sports will protect you from depression and the stress of modern life, from sensitivity to weather surprises, and will strengthen your body and willpower.
Not wait and start workout today
So you can see that doing sports has a range of benefits. You are free to take profit both for your mental and physical health. There is no time to waste – just try and enjoy.