Working Out Can Improve Mental Health

You just get home from a work out and you're exhausted. You body feels like it's being weighed down. With each step gravity is pulling you down more and more. Every muscle and bone in your body aches immensely. While physical exhaustion is what you're facing at that moment you are thriving mentally. It's crazy to even fathom that being active can improve your mind. 

According to The New York Times, “Physically fit young adults have healthier white matter in their brains and better thinking skills than young people who are out of shape.”  This one sentence could be the key to helping so many young adults concentrate, think, and have an overall better memory. 

 How do we know that that being physically fit helps shape our mind and cognition? There have been a number of studies and tests done to prove that. For example, they have mice and rats run on a wheel and compare them to other sedimentary mice and rats. The animals that run on the wheel produce way more neurons and do better on the intelligence test that is given to them. I know what you’re thinking, rats and mice aren't the same as humans, and you’re right. They are not exactly the same but they are extremely similar. According to ScienceNews, “Human brains and mice brains do have roughly the same number of cell types in the cortex, the outer layer of the brain that handles many sophisticated jobs like planning, decision making and even consciousness…” neuroscientist Rebecca Hodge at the Allen Institute for Brain Science in Seattle and colleagues found. 

There was also testing done on humans by scientists at the University of Münster in Germany. They had young adults do a physical and mental test. Each person walked on a treadmill for two minutes and also took a multiple choice test. Generally people who traveled more distance scored higher on the test and have more white brain matter than the others. 

I've asked some students if they feel that working out helps to increase their concentration. Kyrah Mulling responded to this question by saying, “Yes, working out clears my mind which allows me to focus more.” Ashley Walker said, “I feel like my mindset is better after I work out because with a clear mind I can get back to work a lot easier.” Finally Alexa Tobias stated, “Of course, it makes you gather your thoughts in the most efficient way and calm you down.” This all not only complies with the data and research in this article but it shows how people in real life feel about the wonders of what working out can do.

Now let's fast forward later in these young adults’ lives. When people start to age their brains start to falter and contract. So how do we slow the aging process down? If you are physically active it can slow this downhill slope and keep brain tissue relatively young and healthy. 

We all need as much concentration, memory, and thinking skills as we can get. What about people who are set back even more than others in these strengths? Can staying physically active helps people with mental illnesses? 

According to HelpGuide, “Regular exercise can have a profoundly positive impact on depression, anxiety, ADHD, and more.” This is the news that many people struggling need to help them cope with the obstacles life throws at them. If you push yourself mentally then you can cascade into a pool of mental strength and stability.

 If you want some exercise ideas, NCBI says, “Aerobic exercises, including jogging, swimming, cycling, walking, gardening, and dancing, have been proven to reduce anxiety and depression.” These are all relatively simple things that can improve your life greatly.

There are reasons why working out gives us all these benefits. “In your brain, exercise stimulates chemicals that improve your mood and the parts of the brain responsible for memory and learning,'' says Health Direct. This information gives a clearer picture as to what is going on in the inside while you exercise.

Staying physically fit by working out is a win-win situation. You will not only be physically healthy but also mentally. Working out makes you not only feel better about yourself but also help you concentrate and remember things more easily. So why don't you hop on the exercise train and ride it all the way to success!