Exercise and Mental Health - An Integral Part Of Your Memory Improvement Program

You have probably heard repeatedly that exercising regularly is good for your heart and can help you tone your muscles, but did you know that exercising can also improve your mental health and enhance your memory improvement program? It has actually been proven scientifically by Duke University that regular exercise can in fact lift depression, and further studies show that it can lower the risk and even protect you from developing dementia in your older years.

As you exercise, your brain increases the production of endorphins, which may lessen anxiety and depression. Anxiety and depression are two major mental health issues that afflict many people.

In fact, the Centers for Disease Control estimates that roughly 15.7 percent of patients reported depression to their doctors and another 11.3 percent reported feelings of anxiety to their healthcare professionals at some point in their lives. This is a lot of people afflicted and many of the mild to moderate cases of both depression and anxiety can be significantly helped by a regular exercise regimen.

Additionally, exercise can also help with stress and emotional issues. Millions of people everyday are overworked and over-stressed and this stress can quickly lead to emotional problems and even physical ailments. Exercising regularly is a natural stress reliever and relieving stress can help you with a whole host of mental health issues. When your mind is bogged down with stress, your body reacts to it negatively.

Exercise can also help with your sense of well-being, and of course, when you feel well, you begin to see the world in a brighter way, thus relieving mental despair and increasing mental health.

Researchers have also found that not only does exercising release endorphins, it also releases three different hormones dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine. These can work to improve mood, reduce mental depression, and give the feeling of calm. It is no wonder why including a regular exercise routine can indeed help your mental health.

Lastly, there is a psychological component to exercise and mental health, when your body feels good, your mind also feels good. For instance, if you have tight muscles from stress and begin to stretch and engage in gentle exercise, you find your muscles relaxing, you breathe easier, which in turn makes your mind feel clearer.

If you have ever thought about beginning an exercise regimen for your heart or to tone your body, now you have yet another reason because it improves mental health.

The four major mental health benefits from exercising include:

• Decreased depression,
• Stress reducer,
• Anxiety reduction, and
• Reduce the onset of dementia

All of these on top of feeling clear-minded and looking better ... and giving your memory improvement program a turbo boost! ... are all great reasons to begin an exercise routine.

Finally, If you are not used to exercising, begin where you are. In other words, you can't expect to run a marathon if you have never ran around your block. Begin slow, and take small steps and increase according to your body's fitness level. As you become more fit physically, you become more fit mentally.

As we said at the start exercise and mental health go hand in hand - but do make sure you find an exercise that you feel is fun otherwise you are unlikely to keep at it

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