Easy exercise that can help your mental health

Many people turn to fitness as a way to reach their physical health goals, but what about the impact it has on your wellness too? Exercise plays a crucial part on your mental health.
Walking is great exercise and a good way of boosting your mental healthWalking is great exercise and a good way of boosting your mental health
Walking is great exercise and a good way of boosting your mental health

It is an excellent way to let off steam throughout the week, release those feel-good endorphins into the brain and allows you to carve out time to reconnect with your mind.

Over time, fitness offers long-term mental health benefits too, such as increased self-confidence, improved sleep, and general healing from the inside out – allowing you to feel strong both physically and mentally.

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Exercise reduces the stress hormone cortisol, which in turn stimulates our mood-boosting endorphins helping us to relax, and can even lower mild symptoms of depression and anxiety.

If you’re looking for the ideal exercises and movements to reduce your stress levels and benefit your mind, Dean Zwech, product development manager at Total Fitness, has shared his expert advice.

Swimming

Swimming is a low-impact exercise that is suitable for people of all ages and physical abilities – water buoyancy reduces the impact on the body, allowing you to relax and work out without feeling overexerted.

Water is also known for its tranquil qualities. The colour blue has been proven to naturally promote relaxation.

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At Total Fitness, there are both swimming and hydrotherapy pools – hydropools in particular aid recovery as they raise your temperature and improve blood flow.

Yoga

The calming effect that yoga offers is through its focus on conscious breathing, or as yogis (a practitioner of yoga) call it, pranayama. Breath work is integral to not just exercise, but to our everyday lifestyle.

Breathing techniques used in yoga are common exercises used for relieving stress or anxiety – being able to focus on your body allows you to detach from external stresses and helps connect the mind to more positive thoughts.

Walking

Taking time to enjoy a new environment and breathe in fresh air will help to clear your head as walking provides a space where you can separate from the world while being on the move.

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Level up your walks by taking the time to incorporate mini exercises, such as shoulder rolls, into your regime. These movements will help to alleviate tense muscles and improve your posture.

Squash

Squash is a game of strategy and requires great focus, making it the ideal outlet for letting go of any worries because you’re focus is on the game and your opponent. It’s also a sport which can be played in pairs, making it a fantastic excuse to catch up with a friend or family member.

As you build up your skill, you’ll also improve your balance, coordination, speed, and flexibility. This enhanced physical state will help to boost your confidence and positively impact your mental health.

Tai Chi

Commonly known as a form of martial arts, tai chi has evolved into a relaxing form of meditative exercise. Akin to yoga, tai chi promotes calmness through the use of gentle, flowing movements accompanied by deep breathing. The combination of slow, mindful breaths and movements help to improve sleep and is also beneficial to the nervous system as it creates mood-boosting hormones.

T ry out one of these exercises to boost your mood. Make sure to find an exercise you really enjoy as this will help you to make time and schedule it.

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