Exercise and your Mental Health

By: Kayla Pinkerman

There are many reasons to exercise; maybe you want to lose weight, improve your strength or endurance, or you might just want to stay active. Whatever your reason is, there are some serious benefits that come out of making exercise a part of your schedule. 
When you’re walking, you may not realize you are actually not only helping your body, but your mind as well. Walking, particularly outside, is a natural aid for depression and PTSD. That doesn’t mean if you walk to the mailbox and back into the house you are suddenly healed of all mental illnesses. Regular exercise has been found to have a positive impact on mental health. 
Exercise is also a good anti-anxiety treatment. It can relieve stress and boost physical and mental well-being through the release of endorphins. You don’t have to do any particular exercise, just anything that will get you up and out of the hazy state. Try to focus on your movements. If you decide to go for a walk, try counting your steps. If you’re doing an at-home workout, focus on your breathing as you do the movements. 
If you find that you’re struggling with depression or anxiety on a particular day and you don’t feel like you can exercise, here are some tips. 

1. Celebrate the little things. It's ok to be tired. We all have those days, and it’s perfectly normal. If you can accomplish the hardest task, getting yourself out of bed, that is a win. 
   
2. Set small goals. Once you’re awake and out of bed, try challenging yourself to go for a five minute walk. Who knows, maybe you can actually go for 10. You’ll find that if you accomplish what you thought was impossible at first you will feel so much better. 
   
3. Reward yourself. Now that you’ve gone and done what you thought wasn’t possible, go reward yourself with some self-care. Take a hot shower. Eat some breakfast. As silly as this sounds, give yourself a pep talk. Tell yourself all the things you want to hear.
   

Therefore, exercise isn’t just about going to the gym to lose weight. It’s a great natural medicine to help many health conditions.

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