You might feel sweaty, breathless, and exhausted after a workout, but chances are you’ll also feel a lot better from your burst of activity. In addition to building muscle, burning calories, improving flexibility, and other physical benefits associated with exercise, working out also helps reduce stress and improve mood thanks to the release of neurotransmitters like dopamine and endorphins. , it also has a huge impact on mental health. (And sleep too!) and many other positive effects on overall health.
In short, exercise is win-win for the body and mind. But if you want your workouts to have an even greater impact on your mental health, read on to find out how experts recommend adjustments. From finding a running buddy to swapping the gym for the outdoors, here’s how to make your fitness routine even more comfortable.
🧠 practice mindfulness
Dr. Ulric Vu, a sports psychiatrist at Hackensack Meridian Health, tells Yahoo Life that to get the most mental health benefits from your workouts, you need to practice mindfulness. Ta. Mindfulness is the act of staying mentally in the present moment. “When you’re not living in the moment and worrying about the future, cortisol increases and anxiety increases,” he explains, noting that over time this type of stress can lead to chronic diseases such as high blood pressure. It has been pointed out that the possibility of developing the disease may increase. .
One way to practice mindfulness while exercising is to take a walk, which Vue says most people can do for exercise. He recommends making time for his 150 minutes of exercise per week (this is also a recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). This may include walking, and you are free to divide up those 150 minutes to suit your schedule. During your walk, you can practice staying in the present moment by looking at your surroundings and focusing on the emotions and sensations you are experiencing, as opposed to the long to-do list waiting for you when you get home. can.
🏃🏾♀️🏃🏾♀️ Make your workout social
Research shows that people who have bonds with others tend to be happier, and if you want to enrich your social life, you need to cultivate it. If you find yourself constantly changing plans with friends to sneak in a workout, why not combine your social time with exercise? “1 Way to Motivate People to Keep Working Out” One is to find a walking group,” says Vue. “Or, if you’re meeting a good friend, why don’t you ask them to walk together?”
Walking is an easy way to keep up and match your steps, but there are other ways to combine working out and socializing. Maybe instead of having dinner with a friend, you take a yoga class together and chat over a smoothie after class.
If you don’t have a lot of friends who want to be active, Rachel Goldberg, a Los Angeles-based certified marriage and family therapist with a background in personal training, tells Yahoo Life that finding someone to exercise with can also be rewarding. Told. . “Workout partners and group settings foster a sense of togetherness and shared interests that you might not experience with other friends or family,” she explains. To find a group to work out with, you might chat with regulars at your fitness classes or use the Internet to find exercise social groups.
🧘 try yoga
Research has shown that yoga has numerous mental health benefits, from reducing stress and anxiety to improving mood, sleep quality, and overall health.
If you’re a regular yoga enthusiast looking to try something new, hot yoga has been proven to have a particularly positive effect on people with depression. Plus, you get the added bonus of increased flexibility because your muscles are pre-warmed from the heat.
🥵 Raise the bar for your workout
Exercise doesn’t necessarily have to be relaxing to improve your mental health. “Introduce high-intensity exercise two to three times a week,” Goldberg said, pointing to studies that have found that high-intensity exercise is more effective at relieving symptoms of anxiety and depression. They point out that this can improve mental health.
However, you don’t have to do burpees or tuck jumps to count as a high-intensity workout. It can be as simple as taking the exercises you’re already doing to the next level. For example, “accelerate on a recumbent bike to get your heart rate up during intervals,” she says.
🌳 exercise outdoors
Multiple studies have discovered the benefits of spending time in nature, from reducing stress to reducing negative emotions. Simply spending time in green spaces such as parks has been shown to have physical benefits, including slowing down the aging process.
“Exercising outdoors, such as jogging, cycling or walking, is a great way to stimulate your body by getting vitamin D from the fresh air and sun, and observing a change of scenery,” says Dr. , says Bradley Donahue, a distinguished professor at the university. University of Nevada, Las Vegas told Yahoo Life. “These factors help form a positive mindset and encourage efforts to engage in moderate-intensity physical activity, which we know is essential to a healthy life.”
