The sun is out, the weather is warm and all of life is outside and moving. Now is the time to “catch” the natural rhythm of summer and there is no better way to do it than getting physically active. Human beings were designed to move! Movement instantly increases your energy level. Movement causes a cascade of physiological and chemical events to occur, which triggers an energy boost. You instantly increase your metabolism. It doesn’t have to be large movements even small movements will help. We tend to hit the gym to build muscle mass or promote our cardio health, but exercise has benefits that can go beyond benefiting just the muscles. Move your muscles and your brain gets perks too!
Produce Happy Hormones
Do you ever feel extra down on a day when you’ve just been laying around? Sometimes it’s hard to see the bigger picture and it’s easy to chalk that up to a bad day. But, if you exercise just a little bit, you can release some endorphins and feel the oncoming happy feelings as a result. It works every time and your down day can become that much better. Just get moving for 30 minutes a handful of times per week elevates your emotional energy and your mood will improve drastically. Exercise is one of the ‘pleasure’ activities that makes your brain release dopamine and the more often you do it, the more you’ll consistently keep a steady level of happiness flowing through your body.
Reverse Aging
Our brain naturally begins to decline with age, and certain diseases like Alzheimer’s actually makes us lose out on some of the most important processes. It might sound scary, but we can be proactive against those declines before they happen. Exercise also can build your brain to be stronger, just like your muscles. A number of research sources showed that cardio exercises are able to create new brain cells and boost the brain’s cognitive abilities overall. It’s been speculated for years that the brain still has the power to regenerate new cells even as we age, as long as the body is taken care of properly through regular exercise and activity. The main focus as you age shouldn’t be the fear of aging or decline, but rather valuing health and being proactive every day.
Relieve Anxiety & Insomnia
Your natural instinct to relax is to lie down on the couch or draw a warm bath, right? Those seem like far more relaxing options than jogging. But the truth is, moderately intense aerobic exercise can actually lower anxiety. So it’s better for more than just shedding extra weight. Moderate exercise can even have the same effects as sleeping aids for those who have trouble sleeping at night. An ideal time to workout is five to six hours before you sleep. Your core temperature will go up and by the time it drops back down, your body picks up on the signal that it’s bedtime.
Sharpen Memory
Keeping consistent with exercise and movement as a routine can strengthen your memory and learning ability, even as an adult. Sweat-inducing activities raise cell production in your hippocampus that regulates your ability to learn new information and skills.
Research has seen a connection between brain development and kids who are active—kids who were deemed “physically fit” had 12% larger hippocampus region in the brain. But that connection isn’t limited to younger people. Exercise in any form can benefit adults as well.
Yourphysical energy body is the foundation of your overall energy system and there is more. To live the life you dream to live and be your best self in all areas of your life, you must learn to effectively manage and grow your emotional, mental and spiritual energy too.