WHY EXERCISE MAKES US HAPPY
Most of us share a love-hate relationship with exercise despite knowing the benefits of it. Among the myriad benefits of physical activity, the positive psychological effects seem to be overlooked and hence deserve to be in the limelight by all means. Exercise is generally perceived to be a painful process and a lot of individuals dread going to the gym or stepping out for a run when in reality, the whole experience itself can be very rejuvenating. In addition to the physical benefits, exercise is proven to positively impact the happiness and mood profile of the individuals participating in it. Instead of going in search of happiness, If we understand that exercise itself can take care of our psychological and physical well-being, then it’s a huge step. Let’s try to understand how exercise makes us happy.
Hormonal responses
Of all the organ systems within our body, the endocrine system, which is responsible for the production of hormones plays an important role in our state of mind. Certain hormones like cortisol spikes up in the blood in response to stress. Scientific studies show that appropriately dosed exercise routines significantly reduces the level of stress hormones in our blood and elevate our mood. Care must be taken to not over train yourself as it favours the release of cortisol.
Endorphins
Endorphins are chemicals that react with our brain cells which gives us a sense of euphoria. The terminology ‘runners high’ refers to the action of endorphin after a bout of run or an aerobic steady state activity. Exercise probes our body to release endorphins which in turn makes us happy and energised. Initial few sessions of running or weight training might be challenging and will drain you. However, once you build the work capacity, your endorphins will do its job and exercise becomes a pleasant experience.
Psycho- social
Every training session takes you one step closer to your fitness or health goal. And this realization itself is good enough for us to be in a better headspace than before. The support groups within our society may also appreciate the fact that we are putting in efforts to keep ourselves fit and healthy. These support systems bring consistency and in turn keep us happy. In short, it’s a two-way relationship.
In a nutshell, rather than considering exercise to be a painful and unpleasant experience, seek out help from a professional to understand what type and intensity of physical activity suits your current fitness/health profile. Optimal dosing of exercise provides many benefits of which the ability to make us happy is a significant one. Go ahead and hit the gym the next time you feel low and let the results speak for itself!
Abhinav. M
