A Guide To The Mental Benefits Of Running

Exercise, in general, can have many emotional benefits, but running has one of the most powerful impacts on your mental state. If you are a runner, you know the feeling – before your run you may have felt tired or stressed about certain life events, then after your run you feel fantastic!  It's what they call the "runner's high."

Our minds are very powerful. Our minds control our thoughts and actions, which can often influence our physical health. Of course running is a great exercise for losing weight and building your cardiovascular health, but it also has benefits to the inner essence of our being. Here's how:

1) Decreases Stress
Stress is a mental state of mind. No matter how you may hate to admit it or believe it, you do cause your own stress. When you allow the situations in life to affect you internally, you have given power to that particular situation by feeling stress.

Running allows you to focus more on your breathing and the scenery around you. The deep breathing soothes the feelings of fear and/or anxiety that are associated with stress. Running is like a release button to the stress that accumulates in your body.

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

2) Increases Self-Esteem

When you are running on a regular basis, your self-esteem slowly starts to increase. You start to feel good about yourself, whether it is the weight loss, weight maintenance, or the health benefits that you receive.

As you have the energy and endurance to run, it gives you a sense of needing to take care of your body, so you are less likely to eat foods that are not good for you, or partake in any unhealthy behavior. You see the benefits that running gives you, and you have a sense of pride and respect for your body.

3) Increases Feeling of Freedom

Running is a great way to feel free – free from all the challenges and obstacles that life sometimes delivers. When you are running, there is a sense of freedom. You can go where you want at the speed you want, and no one and no thoughts can hinder this freedom.

You automatically feel a sense of release from the demanding boss, nagging children, or pushy creditors. Even if for only a moment, you are free and in your own place of silence and calmness that is soothing to both your body and mind. Sometimes it takes physical activity to really quiet our minds – something that is not easy to achieve in modern society.

4) Decreases Depression
When you are running, your brain automatically releases beta endorphins. Beta endorphins are neurotransmitters in the brain that are affected during depression. In depression, the neurotransmitters are not firing properly, and a feeling of overall wellness is decreased.

This is the reason why many feel a “runners’ high” after a run. It is a complete feeling of peacefulness and happiness, as if all the problems of the day have actually disappeared.

Running not only is great exercise, it also has a lot of mental benefits too! As the weather gets warmer, get out and run if you can. If not, try a good treadmill training program that keeps your indoor runs fun and interesting along the way. Yuri Elkaim's Treadmill Trainer is a good one to try.

Why Exercise Can Help Fight Teen Depression

Are you a parent who is worried about your teen?  Has their behavior changed recently and you think they might be depressed?  If your teen is depressed, you’ve probably looked into antidepressants and found yourself even more concerned, and you should be.  Drugs designed to fight depression in adults can actually increase the incidence of suicide and other destructive behavior in teens.  There are other options.  While seriously depressed teens should visit a therapist, some symptoms can also be alleviated through regular exercise.  Exercise works directly and indirectly to help relive many of your teen’s depression symptoms.

(Photo credit: Eddi van W.)

While there are other benefits, exercise itself can directly improve the mood of your teen.  Exercising produces chemicals in your system that work to improve your mood.  While the effect is short term, regular exercise can help improve your teen’s mood even when they’re not exercising.  As an added bonus, many children and teens in this country are overweight and obese.  Regular exercise will help fight these diseases and leave your child healthier as well.  And when you’re healthy you feel better and are less worn down.

A major factor in teen depression is low self esteem.  By helping your child improve their physical appearance, you can help improve the way they feel about themselves.  Regular exercise will help your child look and feel better.  Even if physical results are minimal, exercise can help make your child feel better about the way they look.

As I already said, low self esteem is a big factor in teen depression, but it’s not entirely determined by how they look.  A lot of teens opinions about themselves come from how they think others feel about them.  There are plenty of exercise opportunities for teens that involve socializing, such as team sports.  These will allow your child to meet new people and make new friends.  Even if they’re not good enough to make their school’s team, there are plenty of other opportunities through the YMCA and other sport clubs.

 (Photo credit: Spree2010)

One big factor in determining whether or not a teen will become depressed is whether or not they have a depressed parent.  A teen with a depressed parent may be up to 6 times more likely to become depressed than other teens.  This may be caused by genetics, or simply by becoming depressed through exposure.  Whatever the reason, there’s great news.  All the depression fighting benefits of exercise for teens also apply to adults.  So if you’re feeling a little down, why not take your teen to the gym or out for a run around the block.  You’ll not only be exercising, you’ll also have some quality time to spend with your child. 

So talk to your teen, and then get them up and moving.  With regular exercise, there's a good chance your son or daughter will soon be feeling much better.