People understand a mind and body connection exists. Fitness is about being in the moment and focusing. That focus affects both physical performance and mental health. Stress, which emanates from the mind, causes the brain to release hormones that trigger changes in the body to prepare it to fight or run. Those hormones cause changes in blood flow and can create brain fog. Exercise can reverse those changes. If not reversed, they can create serious illnesses. Learning to calm the mind can also improve overall health. Ensuring the mind and the body are fit is imperative to good health.

Physical activity boosts brain health.

When you increase activity, you increase nutrient and oxygen-laden blood circulating to the brain. It improves cognitive functioning and can slow the advancement of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease. Those diseases cause the progressive loss of neurons. Exercise increases the creation of new neural pathways or slows the progressive loss. The increased blood flow also helps clear waste from the brain as it nourishes the cells.

Exercise makes the body stronger.

You’ll reduce the risk of many diseases when you exercise. You’ll also reduce the risk of injury from accidents. It helps improve balance, builds strength, promotes flexibility, and increases endurance. Exercising helps ease chronic pain. Chronic pain affects cognitive functioning and mental health. It also improves posture, which can boost self-confidence and lead to others treating you as more confident. Exercise helps improve your digestive system by increasing the variety and quality of your gut microbiome and aiding food to travel through the digestive system.

Exercise helps mental health disorders.

Many mental healthcare professionals use exercise as an adjunct therapy instead of medication. It’s proven better than many medications without any harmful side effects. It’s especially beneficial for people with anxiety and depression but has also been helpful for ADHD, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress syndrome. The microbes in the digestive system become more diversified and more beneficial. Many create enzymes that trigger improved mental health.

• When you exercise regularly, you sleep more soundly and better at night. When you sleep, your brain does housekeeping. It reorganizes and flushes the brain with cerebrospinal fluid to remove toxins through brain channels that expand when you sleep.
• Studies show that changing the gut microbiome can help treat many mental health conditions. Exercising helps make those changes.
• Even if your joints hurt, mild exercise may be helpful. It increases synovial fluid circulation. The synovial fluid then lubricates the joints, bringing relief. Exercise also builds the tendons and muscles around the joints to reduce the pressure.
• Exercise can help lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of cancer. It lowers the risk of diabetes by increasing insulin sensitivity. It helps prevent and reduce inflammation and strengthens the body to prolong your life.

For more information, contact us today at Team-ISC