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.

Relieve Stress and Anxiety with Exercise

In your busy, stressful life full of deadlines and meetings, it’s hard to find time to get to the gym every day.  Well, what if I told you that not only will daily exercise make you look better and even lose some weight; it can also make your life less stressful?  Getting aerobic exercise can actually reduce anxiety by up to 50%.  Imagine having half the stress you normally do, just because you took a morning run.  While a workout can’t get rid of all the things you need to do during the day, it can help you cope with your stress better.  Here are some of the many reasons exercise is great for lowering your stress and anxiety.

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

* Exercise improves your mood.  Aerobic exercise produces chemicals that make you feel happier and more ready to face the day.  It also increases blood flow to the brain; furthering this happy, energetic feeling.  The better you feel about life, the less stress will weigh on you and get you down.

* Exercise gives you more energy.  Stress makes you feel run down and tired during the day.  If you exercise in the morning, you’ll get a great energy boost to keep you going in the late morning and afternoon.  You may feel fatigued during the first few weeks of exercise, especially if you haven't been exercising regularly before.  Be persistent and the energy will come. 

* Exercise helps you sleep.  There is nothing that reduces stress more than a good night’s sleep.  Sleep not only recharges your tense, achy muscles; it also refreshes your mind and allows you to process information from the day.  Getting more, higher quality sleep on a regular basis will help you cope with the stresses of everyday life.  Just remember to do aerobic activity well before bedtime.

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

* Exercise gives you time to think.  A lot of the stress we face is from our own mind.  Instead of doing work and fixing problems, we’re worrying about doing work and fixing problems.  Exercise gives you time alone to focus on your thoughts and clear your head without a bunch of distractions.  That way, after your work out, you can get to work on fixing a problem instead of worrying about it. 

If you can’t do an aerobic workout, or just don’t think it’s enough; try yoga or stretching.  These exercises are great for soothing sore, tense muscles, clearing your mind, and relaxing you.  Plus, if you have no free time in the morning, these exercises can be done at night without keeping you from your sleep (they’ll probably even help).  Just find a book or DVD (we review and recommend many on this blog), or take a class.  You should be able to find poses and movements that relate specifically to stress reduction and relaxation. 

So make a plan and start a regular workout routine.  If you stick with it, you’ll start feeling less stressed, less anxious, and more relaxed - plus your body will be healthier and less prone to pain and injury.

For ideas on fun ways to exercise that can help relieve stress, visit http://www.newholisticliving.com/exercise.html.

Reduce Your Holiday Stress with Exercise

Even though exercise may not be the most exciting word in your vocabulary, it sure is a word with a lot of benefits.  Participating in daily exercise will not only make you healthier in general, but it can also diminish the effects of stress on your body (and mind) as well.

Think about all the times you have heard someone say "the doctor says it's stress related".  Normally people will laugh it off, concluding that doctors say that when they don't know the real answers or diagnosis.  The truth of the matter is that too much stress can play a role in many diseases.

To help increase your immune system and decrease your stress level as well, try exercise, as movement is the key word here.  Bending, stretching, reaching and walking.  There's really no need to buy any expensive equipment either, as you can simply implement more movement into your daily routine and reap the benefits.

Image by colorblindPICASO via FlickrIf you like aerobic exercise, you can grab a partner and have a blast with one of the basic aerobic videos. (There are a number of fun ones on our website at http://www.newholisticliving.com/exercise.html.)  Or, you can simply go out for a walk and enjoy spending time together with a friend, your spouse, or your children.  As you may have heard, walking really is one of the best overall exercises you can do for your health.  As long as you have a pair of walking shoes, you can utilize this method of healthy stress relief.

As you go through your daily activities, make it a point to walk a little farther, bend down and pick something up without using a pick up stick or moving the item towards you with your foot.  This will stretch and exercise muscles that are often neglected. While you are sitting, you should also do some simple and quick stretches for your neck and shoulders.

If you enjoy sitting around watching television, you may want to consider buying a jogging board.  These padded boards will make running, jumping, or walking in place less stressful on your knees and joints.  They are easy to store as well and also very portable.

In many people's opinions, jogging boards are the best pieces of equipment you can buy.  They are also far cheaper than bulky treadmills and stationary bikes.

There are several different exercises that you can do to help you eliminate the stress in your life.  Walking is by far the best, as you can easily lose yourself and your troubles by walking in nature and immersing yourself in your surroundings.  Even if it is just around the block, walking can do wonders for your overall health as well as stress levels.

Image via WikipediaIf you have a lot of stress in your life, you may want to consider a gym.  Working out hard, then sitting in the sauna is also a good way to relieve tension.  If your gym has a pool, you may find swimming to be very beneficial as well, as it provides a good, relaxing workout, but is less stress on the joints.

Regardless of the method you choose, fitness and flexibility is definitely a case of "use it or lose it." Getting some form of exercise on a daily basis is not only great for your body, but also for your state of mind as well. During the busy holiday season, be sure to take a break to fit in some form of exercise - your body, your mind, and your family will thank you!