Exercising for mind and muscle

You already know how good exercise is for your physical health, but you might be surprised by how good exercise is for your mental health. The body and mind are closely linked, and when your body feels better, so too, will your mind. Exercise pumps blood to the brain which can even stimulate the growth of new brain cells and help prevent age related memory loss.

Exercise could be the answer to improving your physique and trimming your waistline, but many find that these aren’t what motivate them long term to stay active. Don’t get us wrong, exercise can be about these things, but you will find that on the road to changing your physique, you will change your mindset even more. It isn’t just about building muscle, it’s not even about going to the gym if you don’t want it to be, and exercise most of all shouldn’t be seen as a punishment. It should be about wellbeing, connection and self-acceptance. The body and what it can do is incredible.

If you’re not enjoying exercise, then you haven’t found your way to exercise. It doesn't matter if it's a bike ride or walk, yoga or a sport, F45 or the gym, swimming or boxing, taking a dance class or a martial arts class, keep looking until you find one you enjoy. Here at the Grow Club we believe that health is an ongoing learning adventure, and you don’t find the “answer,” you find what works and fits into your life at each life stage. The best part about exercise is that it doesn’t have to be expensive or time consuming if you don’t want it to be. Don’t be surprised though, if you find a way to exercise that you love and all of a sudden you want to spend more time doing it.

The saying better late than never is definitely true if you haven’t been one to exercise regularly. Ensure that you are careful to begin gradually and avoid overdoing it. Start with smaller achievable goals and reasonable expectations and build up from there. The more you exercise, the more energy you’ll have, so eventually you’ll feel ready for a little more. The key is to commit to some moderate physical activity—however little—on most days. The bonus on top of all this is that your sleep with also improve.

Start making a conscious effort to move your body more and it can:

Promote the release of feel-good chemicals in your brain, like endorphins and serotonin.

Exercise can benefit the symptoms of anxiety and depression, but to get the full benefits of exercise, try and not just zone out, but be mindful of what you are doing and how your body feels. Whether that is the feeling of your feet hitting the ground on a run, feeling the sun on your skin when you walk or the muscle contraction when you push a weight. You will find when you have found a way to exercise that you enjoy this will come a lot easier.

Help you sleep better so you rest fully at night and feel more energised during the day.

Studies have shown that exercise can help you fall asleep more quickly and improve sleep quality, being a great natural medicine for those impacted by insomnia. The great news is that the benefits of exercise don’t take months to positively impact sleep but can even help that night. Regular exercise can help regulate your sleep patterns and increase your time spent in deep sleep.

Give you a more fulfilling sense of accomplishment and help build resilience.

The sense of achievement you get as you progress and achieve even just smaller exercise goals will be rewarding long term, imagine where you could be in 6 months from now. Have you always wanted to run a marathon or even just be able to play with the kids without getting puffed? Don’t put off starting, set smaller goals and you might be surprised where it takes you. Exercise can also help you build your resilience by learning to cope with challenges in life in a healthy way and reducing the impact of stress.

Change your perspective of yourself and help foster self-acceptance.

Exercise can help you change your perspective of yourself, and when you shift placing value and self-worth on a number on the scales or looking a certain way, to trying to learn and master a new skill it will be more fulfilling and beneficial long term. As you progress it can help change your perspective to see your body in a positive light instead of a critical and negative light and appreciate it for all it can do for you.

Get the added benefits of social connection as exercise is usually a shared activity with others.

Exercising with a friend, a loved one, your furry friend or even your kids, will not only make exercising more fun and enjoyable, it can also help motivate you to stick to a regular routine, especially in the early stages when you are trying to build the habit. You’ll also feel better than if you were exercising alone. In fact, when you’re suffering from a mood disorder such as depression, the companionship can be just as important as the exercise.

The recommendation in Australia for adults is 30 minutes of moderate physical activity on most or all days of the week. This isn’t pushing yourself until you can’t physical move, but at least getting the heart rate up, you’ll notice this by the laboured breathing but you should be able to still hold a conversation, and this 30 minutes can be made up of smaller 5, 10 or 15 minute blocks of exercise. 

Food is your fuel, and exercise is a time to appreciate and be amazed at how incredible the human body is and see what it can do. Regular physical activity is an investment in your mind and body, make it your challenge to find a way to exercise that you enjoy and try to move your body just 30 minutes a day to get some of those benefits!