As we get older and busier in our lives, we tend to give our well being a backseat. This rings true especially when it comes to staying fit. What’s important for us to realize is that our physical well-being DOES affect our mental well-being as well. Everybody knows that exercising is good for your health. Working out affects each person differently, but always in a positive way.
One way in particular that exercising can be extremely beneficial is that it can boost one’s memory and thinking capabilities. It has been scientifically proven that those who exercise find it easier to think more clearly and have better memory skills, especially in the long run, than those who do not exercise. In case you were looking for another reason why exercising is extremely good for your health, here is why working out has many positive effects on the brain.
Releasing Happy Hormones
We’re always looking for ways to get a quick fix to depression or to break our creative blocks. The best way to do this is to find a genuine and effective source of happiness. Working out is known to improve mental health as exercising helps release dopamine, which is better known as the happiness hormone, into the body. When you exercise regularly, dopamine continues being released in large amounts, which can help the mind relax and focus on happy thoughts and, in turn, have improved thinking capabilities. A clear mind, free of any stress or anxiety, is one that can think better and come up with better and more creative ideas when needed. Reduced stress levels and happier thoughts lead to improved memory skills as the brain does not get overwhelmed and overworked too often or as easily. The more one exercises, the more happy hormones are released, the better their brain health becomes and, as a result, their memory and clear thinking capabilities see dramatic improvement.
Regulating Blood Circulation
It’s important that you are aware of how imperative your circulation is to the way you function. When you have poor circulation, it affects every single aspect of your body and ultimately, your mind as well. When you exercise regularly, your blood circulation can improve massively. As mentioned by FitBug.com, if you monitor your bodily functions before and after you exercise, you can quickly notice how your blood circulation and blood pressure become better regulated and maintained at normal levels. That balance in circulation and pressure conditions lead to noticeable improvements in brain functions, meaning you can think more clearly and have improved memory in the short and long run. Having a healthy blood circulation in your brain directly impacts how strong your memory is, and how clear your thoughts are.
Reducing Inflammation
Inflammation comes as you age, because you are idle, or due to a prior injury. Whatever the cause is, it certainly doesn’t feel good at all and affects your thought process and muddles your mind. Staying physically active is known to reduce internal inflammation found in any of the blood vessels or arteries, especially those found in the brain. Having internal inflammation in your brain is a sign of poor blood circulation, which working out helps prevent and reduce. When the inflammation is gone, your brain activity increases, and, in turn, your brain functions with the ability to think better and more effectively. Additionally, your memory starts getting noticeably better. It all comes down to having all the veins and arteries in your brain working healthily to boost your memory and improve your overall brain wellbeing, making one think clearer and more creatively.
Staying Socially Engaged
Many people often exercise outdoors or in gyms, which allows for a chance to socialize with others and connect with nature. By staying socially connected and engaged with other people in your community or local gym, or even if you go out and see nature’s beauty every day, your mental wellbeing can improve massively as a result.
A healthy brain comes from reduced stress levels and as it is human nature to network with others and with the environment around us, this boosts our brain’s functions and drives it to do better. While this may not be as easy to carry out given circumstances such as the onset of having to quarantine, there are always different avenues. You can join an online class, or encourage your friends to have daily video meetings where you work out together- the point is- it’s extremely important to keep up the social factor within your workouts as this surely does have an effect on your memory and thinking as well.
Improving Sleep
Not everyone is aware of the fact that fitness plays a vital role in sleeping patterns, and also how well and deeply you sleep. Sleep plays a huge role in how well the human brain functions and how one’s overall mental health and memory can be. When you exercise regularly, various hormones and chemicals are released into the body to help it regain its balance and, as a result, get better sleep. Once your sleeping patterns are improved and the quality of sleep is boosted, you can quickly start seeing results in memory skills and overall brain functions and thinking capabilities. When the body gets sufficient amounts of sleep after exercising routinely, it boosts the brain’s health which helps people be more productive and think in a more analytical way.
In this day and age, the majority of us are so caught up in trying to fit everything we need to do in our days that we tend to neglect both our bodies and our mind’s health alike. This is why it’s so important to take a step back and organize your day in a way where you make it a point to fit in at least 30 mins of exercise on a daily basis. A healthy mind lies only in a healthy body. When you exercise regularly, you basically exercise your brain in the process, but instead of building brain muscles, you get improved thinking capabilities and boosted memory skills as a result. Exercising balances the whole body and helps people stay fit, both physically and mentally. Make sure that you do some research on different exercise routines that can particularly help with brain activity and boost your memory so that you can make your workout experience more worthwhile. Remember not to overwork yourself and take breaks every now and then to rest your body and mind.
Photo by Jonathan Borba on Unsplash
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