Any kind of physical activity does have a good impact on the body as well as on the mind. A good mental health, in short, is a result of the physical activities one indulges in. Most people are not aware of the fact that physical activity is related to many of the health benefits that we enjoy, including mental health. Physical fitness can help us from the risks like coronary heart diseases, cancers, diabetes, hypertension, being obese and more. Mental health benefits of exercise are many. A lot many of them are explained in this article.
According to the World Health Organization report, the fourth main risk factor that leads to the global mortality is physical inactivity. As per the Department of Health (2012), studies show that mental illness is a major cause of disability in the United Kingdom, and that there is a large connection between physical inactivity and mental health.
Major benefits of Physical Activity and Mental Health
Prevents Diabetes
When a person is inactive, there come the chances of diseases such as diabetes. When a person indulges in physical activities, he is able to burn out the calories in his body. This actually helps in preventing the body from the type 2 diabetes. This also helps in improving the mental health too.
Reduces the risk of heart diseases
It is a proved fact that physical activity as well as mental health is able to decrease the chances of gaining heart diseases or stroke. Physical activity and mental health do play a major role in maintaining a healthy cardiovascular system. Those people who do not indulge in any kind of physical activities will be experiencing high levels of stress and ultimately their heart functions will be affected in a very bad way. Many kinds of mental illnesses that include depression can lead to chances of coronary heart diseases.
Gets you out of depression
Mental illnesses can lead you to a lot of other physical diseases. Stress is one such mental illness that is very much harmful to the body. As per a study, exercising on a regular basis can reduce symptoms of depression. It is an interesting fact that physical activity acts as a healthy anti-depressant. When you do any kind of physical activity, the body releases stress relieving hormones like norephineprin, serotonin and dopamine. This can be the reason why people who do regular exercise are not affected by stress at all. The emotional benefits of exercise are yet to be known by a majority of the population. A good idea of how exercise benefits your mind will make many in taking part in physical activities.
Decreases Anxiety
Several studies prove that exercise is a good factor that acts as an anti-panic agent to those who do them regularly. This is proved by Strohle in the year 2005 in his study. Physical activities affect many systems in the body like cardiovascular system and even the hormones to a very large extent.
Treatment for Insomnia
A major sleep disorder named Insomnia can be treated with the help of physical activities. Those who are suffering from Insomnia are not able to sleep. It may happen when one follows an unhealthy lifestyle. It can also happen when one is affected by depression or stress. Physical activity will be able to improve the health of the mind, thus relieving stress from the person. It has a great effect on those who are affected by Insomnia. For a quality sleep, you can always trust exercising on a regular basis.
Other benefits
Physical and Mental benefits of exercise Physical activity are many apart from those mentioned above. Exercising helps in preventing Schizophrenia and bipolar disorders, it helps to maintain a good and healthy function of the brain, prevents Alzheimer, increases good mood, increases self confidence, gives you longevity and provides you a better social life.
