A lot of fitness articles focus on achieving goals such as fat loss, muscle gain, or a sculpted physique. While there’s nothing wrong with these aims, it’s important to consider how fitness can improve many other aspects of your life beyond the way that you look. For example, it can boost your mental health, improve your relationships and even help your career.
If you would like some expert guidance on your fitness journey, consider working with our Birmingham based personal trainer.
Supports cognitive function
Regular exercise not only tones muscles and strengthens the heart: it increases the flow of blood to the brain, which can improve mental focus, memory and cognitive function. Trials show that it may help to ward off mild cognitive impairment and dementia.
If you are studying or want to keep your mental faculties sharp for a work project, then kickstarting your day with a workout can help to improve your concentration and clarity of thought.
Boosts mental health
Exercise lowers the level of stress hormones in the body, such as cortisol, and releases endorphins, which are natural mood enhancers. This can help you to reset your emotional balance after a stressful day, or help to manage long-standing mental health issues such as depression and anxiety.
Improves quality of sleep
Good quality of sleep is fundamental to our physical and mental wellbeing, yet it’s estimated that around 30 per cent of adults in the UK have problems getting a good night’s sleep. Exercise helps to make us feel tired and ready for sleep, and also helps us to sleep more deeply and for longer.
When we sleep soundly, our heart rate and blood pressure naturally drop, reducing cardiovascular stress. It also helps to maintain a stable weight, because when we are sleep deprived, we tend to feel hungrier and crave more unhealthy foods. When we sleep well, cortisol levels dip, and we will wake up feeling more emotionally stable and positive.
Builds self-esteem
Getting fitter brings with it a sense of accomplishment as you notice that you can run further and faster, or lift heavier weights. This can improve your self-esteem as you see the results of your hard work and realise just how much you are capable of.
Your new sense of self confidence will carry over into other areas of your life, such as giving you the motivation to go for a promotion at work, or expand your social circle. You’ll also have developed greater resilience and patience, qualities that can help you easily move on from any hitches or setbacks.
Improves the quality of your relationships
Improving your fitness also boosts your mood and energy levels, which can feed into the quality of your relationships. It can make you more patient and present for loved ones, or give you the energy and self-confidence to seek out new partners or friends.
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