Sports and mental health
Sport and exercise play an important role in our mental and physical health. Regular exercise not only prevents diseases such as depression or diabetes, but exercise also helps you to cope with stress and improve your mood. Exercise also helps your brain to regenerate itself regularly, leading to better receptivity.
In the following blog, we explain the 5 most important facts why you should do sport for your mental health and what this does for you.
1. Sport as therapy for depression or burnout
Burnout and depression are among the most well-known mental illnesses and affect many people.
Sport is used today as a supporting tool for such diseases to promote mental health.
But not only that - studies have shown that weekly physical activity even prevents the occurrence of depressive symptoms and bad mood and that recovered patients had a lower relapse rate.
To understand how exercise can affect your psyche, it's important to know that science distinguishes four chemicals that positively affect your mood:
- seratonin
- endorphins
- dopamine and
- oxytocin
As soon as there is an imbalance of these substances in your body, this can have dire consequences.
In order to have a positive influence on your psyche again, it is therefore important to restore this balance. But how do you do it? We have good news:
Not only sour makes fun, but also sport!
Physical activity can release happiness hormones – i.e. endorphins, seratonin or dopamine. Your brain recognizes this change in your chemistry and your well-being is enhanced as a result.
At the same time, the stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol are reduced in your body so that nothing stands in the way of your happiness.
So that you feel balanced and the sport is really good for you, you have to find a sport that feels right for YOU and helps you to simply switch off.
Whether running, strength training or yoga - nowadays there are a variety of exercise options, so that you too are sure to find the right style for your well-being.
You should also adjust the intensity of the sport to your needs. It is recommended to exercise at least 3 times a week for at least 30 minutes, but it may well be that your body needs longer sessions to feel balanced.
In order to intensify the positive effect of the sport a little, we would recommend taking vitamin B or vitamin D3+k2 , as these have been proven to help against depression or a lack of which can lead to depression.
2. Exercise to manage stress
Stress is your body's reaction to an unfamiliar, stressful situation. Your body is used to using familiar coping strategies when it comes to stress. For example, if you're set in your response to lack of sleep, binge eating, etc., exercise can help you move around
to train
This is because when your body learns to deal with the stress you are exposed to during exercise, it can automatically apply this to future stressful situations.
This is because when your body learns to deal with the stress you are exposed to during exercise, it can automatically apply this to future stressful situations.
Furthermore, sport offers you the possibility of distraction. You can use the time to forget your problems and concentrate fully on yourself or your team in team sports.
You can give your brain a break and just switch off completely and think about other things. After that it will be easier for you to focus again.
So that you don't stress yourself and your body even more than it already is, it is important to find the right amount and the right intensity of training. Again, you should focus on the sports that you enjoy yourself.
3. Sport increases your self-esteem
Continuous exercise leads to greater self-esteem. On the one hand, because we are proud of ourselves to conquer our weaker self, on the other hand, of course, we feel much more comfortable in our bodies. Even small changes that you notice make you happy and make you want more.
Of course, you also radiate this inner well-being to the outside world.
Try it yourself: assume a proud, upright posture. Doesn't that automatically make you feel safer, more confident and better?
No, you're not imagining it. Depending on your posture, your spine automatically sends targeted impulses to the mood center in your brain.
4. Sport for better sleep
If you find it difficult to fall asleep or stay asleep, then exercise is the perfect solution for you because exercise is a natural sleep aid. Some studies show that exercising makes you fall asleep faster and improves sleep quality.
Exercise also supports the phase of sleep when your brain recovers and memories are formed.
5. Sport for more energy
Do you feel tired and drained at the end of the day? It may sound strange, but this is exactly the right time to exercise. Exercise helps you to replenish your energy reserves, lifts your spirits and improves your energy level.
You will notice that after a training session, your energy stores are significantly replenished and you can concentrate better again.
A little tip: If you do sport in the evening, give your body enough time to relax and prepare for the rest phase.
You need time to break down the adrenaline that has built up and to adjust to your sleep.
Shortly:
Exercising brings you a wide range of benefits. It not only promotes your muscle building, but also improves your cardiovascular system and influences your physical perception in a positive way.
As you just learned, exercise also supports your mental health significantly. The most important thing here: do what is good for you. It doesn't matter whether it's regular running, strength training several times a week or team sports - as long as you feel comfortable with your choice of sport and manage to "let go" you will quickly notice an improvement in your psyche.