If you are among the ones who hate going to the gym early in the morning or those who think of numerous excuses to make to avoid going for jogging, aerobics, or swimming, here’s happy news for you! Not only does exercise tone your muscles and your body, but it also makes you happier. How’s it possible?
Do you find yourself panting at the stairs or at the station when you run to catch a bus or train? It could be the lack of exercise. Not only does it land you in embarrassing situations, but like a slow poison, it also reduces your confidence, health, and lifespan. A regular exercise schedule makes you fit and helps you fight all sorts of mental and physical ailments. You are also able to sleep well, which is again important for good health. If these are some of the things that exercise does to your body, there is a lot more you need to know on what it does to your brain.

The Power On The Brain

Well, exercises boost your blood circulation. As a result, the pressure on your heart increases. The brain conceives this as a high-stress moment, and as a precautionary measure, releases a destresser protein called BDNF (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor). The reparative and protective elements of BDNF help our memory neurons too, and this is the reason we feel fresh and vibrant soon after exercising. Simultaneously, chemicals called endorphins produced by the central nervous system and pituitary gland help in reducing the perception of pain such as muscle aches, and just like morphine, elicit a positive vibe in your body.

Another curious fact – contrary to popular conceptions, it is not how much you work out in a day or what exercises you do in a day that really matter. You have to be systematic in your workout schedule. The researches at the University of Bristol point out that for an effective release of BDNF and endorphins, you need not do vigorous exercises for an hour twice daily; rather, the first 20 minutes of your day, where you might be just taking a walk or a jog itself is sufficient. This exercise schedule is also known to be the best way out whatever your aspirations are – prolonged life or a disease-free you.

Getting Started

Regular exercise improves your mood, tones your muscles, boosts your stamina, perk ups your immunity, and enhances your memory power. If you are still feeling lazy to make it to the gym or the park, try out these tips. Always arrange your gym time the same as that of your friends, hang your gym bag very close to your alarm clock, track your exercise, and log these at the same time after every exercise on some apps like Fitocracy or Runkeeper. The difficulty for lazy people is always to get started. Start with exercises for 10 minutes or even lower. You can thus convert your exercise time into enjoyable moments.

Moreover, just like drug addiction that induces the highest pleasure in the beginning, endorphins too induce the highest amount of pleasure in the beginning. We get so addicted to this pleasure in the long run that we may feel bad without it. Also, we automatically tend to increase the duration of our exercise schedules to meet our endorphin-happiness needs. So, it turns out to be benefiting cycle – the need for happiness makes us exercise and the need to maintain that happiness gets us to exercise more. The result? We stay healthy and fit.

So what are you waiting for? Start exercising today, if you haven’t started yet, and unlock the key to more happiness.

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by StyleCraze via STYLECRAZE