Exercise is a great way to lift your mood and feel better. When you exercise, your body feels more relaxed and calm. Here are some of the reasons, the best exercises to lift your mood, and tips for sticking with a new routine. Why exercise improves mood:When you exercise, your brain releases endorphins, adrenaline, serotonin and dopamine. These chemicals all work together to make you feel good. Cardiovascular exercise and aerobics are great for creating the intensity required for a mood-raising chemical boost. Another benefit is that after exercising, you may feel a sense of accomplishment and your muscles will relax deeper because of the workout - easing tension and strain.
While exercise is not, on its own, a treatment for clinical depression, studies show that exercise can help improve mood temporarily in depressed individuals. In fact, for people with mild or moderate depression, 30 minutes of intense exercise can be as effective as medication for improving mood. What kind of exercise is best?The word "exercise" may make you think of running laps around the gym. But there are so many ways to increase your activity level and feel better. Certainly running, hiking, swimming, lifting weights, playing basketball and other fitness activities that get your heart pumping will help. But so will gardening, washing your car, or walking around the block. Anything that gets you off the couch and moving is exercise that can help improve your mood. Yoga has been shown to reduce tension and stress while improving mood. Yoga focuses on a range of stretching, breathing and motion that creates a release of negative emotions in the body. Yoga, interestingly, has been shown to be particularly effective for men (compared to other exercises like swimming). Starting and sticking with an exercise routine can be a challenge. Here are some tips: - Identify what you enjoy doing. Figure out what type of physical activities you're most likely to do, and think about when and how you'd be most likely to follow through. For instance, would you be more likely to do some gardening in the evening or go for a jog in the morning? Go for a bike ride or play basketball with your children after school? Do what you enjoy to help you stick with it.
- Set reasonable goals. Your mission doesn't have to be walking for an hour five days a week. Think realistically about what you may be able to do. Tailor your plan to your own needs and abilities rather than trying to meet unrealistic guidelines that you're unlikely to meet.
- Address your barriers. Figure out what's stopping you from exercising. If you feel self-conscious, for instance, you may want to exercise at home. If you stick to goals better with a partner, find a friend to work out with. If you don't have money to spend on exercise gear, do something that's virtually cost-free, such as walking. If you think about what's stopping you from exercising, you can probably find an alternative solution.
- Prepare for setbacks and obstacles. Give yourself credit for every step in the right direction, no matter how small. If you skip exercising one day, that doesn't mean you can't maintain an exercise routine and may as well quit. Just try again the next day.
Talk to your doctor to make sure you know which activities, how much exercise and what intensity level is best for you.
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