Exercise is secret to happiness, good health
Here’s an easy way to put a smile on your face: Exercise.
Yes, working out has been shown to not only reduce anxiety and depression, but it makes people happy and more resilient. So how does exercise make you happier?
Happy body chemistry
Aerobic exercise — walking, running, biking and swimming — significantly increases serotonin production in the body. You need about 30 minutes to get the serotonin “high.” Other exercise like yoga, Pilates and weight-lifting increases serotonin, too, just not as much. Serotonin is an important brain chemical that improves mood, as well as improves your sleep/ wake cycle. Exercise also increases tryptophan, an amino acid used to make serotonin in the brain.
Physical activity results in the release of endorphins, also known as happy hormones, which reduce pain and inflammation. Exercise also helps increase production of dopamine, a neurotransmitter in the brain, which improves feelings of pleasure and happiness.
Working out reduces anxiety, stress and depression.
Exertion decreases inflammation by modulating important chemicals and nerves. Improved vascular function helps blood flow to all the essential organs of the body. The chemicals released during physical activity put us in a high state; recovery programs that treat substance abuse often prescribe exercise.
Improved self-image
Exercise can often distract you from things that are stressing you out, and it can boost your self-image and self-confidence. It improves psychological, physiological and immunological functions. This is referred to as the distraction hypothesis, or self-efficacy hypothesis.
Improved sleep
Exercise can improve the quality of your sleep, and improved sleep is associated with a stronger immune system and a reduction in mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. Good sleep is associated with less weight gain, lower blood pressure and improved energy and mood.
Improved memory
Aerobic exercise stimulates brain-cell growth in the hippocampus, which is associated mainly with memory and spatial navigation. A 2014 Stanford University study found that aside from memory improvement, walking also increases your creativity by 60 percent; getting your creative juices flowing also improves mood. Improved memory and creativity leads to higher productivity at work and at home, which frees your time for exercising. It becomes a virtuous cycle.
Less screen time
When you exercise, especially outdoor, it is challenging to multitask on your computer or smartphone. This actually is a good thing since having less screen time has been associated with improved mood, sleep, as well as more exposure to sunshine. Sunshine exposure leads to increased levels of serotonin, the brain’s chemical that is most directly linked to mood, and correlates with feelings of satisfaction, calmness and a better mood. Exposure to sunshine also will boost levels of melatonin, a hormone that helps you sleep and reduces seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a type of depression people can get in the wintertime.
Meditate on the go
“Exercise is meditation in motion,” according to a Mayo Clinic study. Indeed, exercise can declutter your mind and help you regain inner peace, which is crucially important in the hustle and bustle of life.
In the long term, exercise helps lower your blood pressure and reduces depression by about 25 percent. Physical activity changes chemicals in your body over time that will result in reducing inflammation, which means fewer heart attacks, strokes or vascular disease. And it can boost your immune system, which means less infections and cancer.
The benefits of exercise go far beyond toning muscles and shaping curves. The science supports the findings that exercise could make us happier. If you are still searching for tangible ways to be happier, why not put on your running shoes and start with a walk?