Beyond The Physical: The Additional Benefits of Regular Exercise
More Than Just Physical…
When most people think of reasons to exercise, they immediately think of losing weight or staying healthy. However, there is more to fitness than just the physical benefits. There are tons of mental, emotional, and other life benefits that result from regular exercise. Here are just three of the many additional benefits you can get from working out!
1. Decrease Stress
Everyone deals with stress, whether it be minor issues at work or a major life event. Either way, continued stress takes a toll on both our emotional and physical well-being. Exercise is one of the best documented methods of reducing mental and physical stress. Consistent workouts puts the body under physical “stress” on a regular basis, teaching the body how to recover and adapt to stress both physically and mentally.
Exercise releases certain chemicals in the brain that help moderate stress, and many of our clients report feeling less angry and stressed after regular training sessions.
2. Increase Happiness
Not only does exercise decrease stress, it also promotes positive moods. Physical activity can even alleviate mental health issues such as depression or anxiety. Exercising releases neurotransmitters (such as dopamine and serotonin) in your brain. Neurotransmitters help regulate one’s emotions, while also helping the body function properly, allowing you to feel better as a whole.
Exercise also increases the release of endorphins, which have been shown to reduce depression and increase feelings of “euphoria” after a workout. Because of this, many personal training clients report that they feel better after their sessions. Feeling “better” can encompass many things, such as feeling happier, more satisfied, more alert, energized, or relaxed. Having an increase of these positive feelings allow our clients to have a more positive outlook on life!
3. Improved Self Confidence
Not only can regular exercise change the way you perceive daily life, it can also change the way you perceive yourself! Working out consistently will help to grow more comfortable with your body, and more confident about your self-image. Not only will you increase your perception of your own self-worth, but this confidence will carry over to other aspects of your life–such as in your career and social life. Exercise is not just about looking good. It’s important to feel good about yourself as well!
How To Stay Accountable To Regular Exercise
So you can see that exercise stimulates both the body and the mind, which enables people to fight feelings of sadness, stress, anxiety, and low self-esteem. We’ve already established that regular exercise can improve your life with a multitude of benefits. But how many times have you told yourself you would “start going to the gym more”, only to go for a week or two before dropping off? Or told yourself that you would wake up early to workout before getting ready for work–only to hit the snooze button to get more sleep instead of exercising?
Forming good fitness habits in order to reap its many benefits can take weeks, or even months. It’s not enough to workout intermittently–you must be consistent with your workouts to see long-term results.
A personal trainer can keep you accountable to being consistent with your exercise. If you’ve made an appointment to meet with your trainer, you are far less likely to skip out on your scheduled session than you would be to skip going to the gym on your own. A personal trainer is like a workout buddy who ensures that you commit to reaching your fitness goals. They can also help with motivation and choosing the best exercises for your particular fitness journey.