The Effects of Exercise on Your Mood
Exercising has the ability to improve your health in a variety of ways. Strength, stability, and endurance are among the most well-known advantages.
However, we know very little about the psychological effects of exercise. Exercise, according to some studies, helps alleviate stress and even sadness and anxiety.
People frequently claim that physical activity “releases endorphins.” This helps to explain why you feel so terrific after running a mile or doing a set of squats. But what exactly does that imply, and how does exercise contribute to these long-term mood improvements?
Exercise and Happiness
Happiness is created by a long list of hormones. Those most commonly recognized are:
- Serotonin
- Dopamine
- Oxytocin
- Beta-endorphins
Fortunately for you, some of those compounds are also released during exercise. Serotonin and dopamine, popularly known as “happy hormones,” are among them.
What are the functions of these hormones? Dopamine works with your brain’s “motivational salience” system. This controls the intensity with which you behave in order to achieve or avoid a goal. Serotonin has the ability to counteract the dopamine-induced impulse and is the source of consistent drive. They increase your mood by balancing and complementing each other.
Endorphins also help you push through discomfort when you’re exercising. This is accomplished by numbing the body. However, neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin are responsible for the feel-good euphoria of “runner’s high,” as well as the enhanced drive you experience during and after your run. It may not feel great the whole time you exercise, but once you hit your stride, you’ll feel those “happy hormones.”
It makes little difference if your preferred form of exercise is a brisk walk, a long bike ride, or a trip to the gym. Physical activity has the ability to make you feel wonderful on the inside and out. All you have to do now is get going.
Why not hire a professional instead of trying to come up with an exercise regimen on your own? Contacting a local physical therapist is a good first step to take, and you should do so by calling or texting us at 949.716.5050