Why does working out make you happy

According to research , aerobic exercise, even for 10 minutes, is helpful for a quick boost in your physical and mental health. If you're just starting, Knudsen suggests taking small steps. Gilliland suggests starting with the activity that you enjoy the most, the one that helps you forget about the stress of life. He also notes that for some, group exercise is more beneficial than working out alone because of the social element, as well as the encouragement and support of a leader and fellow participants.

If you want to make the most of a workout's mood-boosting effects, exercising on a regular schedule is your best bet. A review showed that aerobic exercise for an average of 45 minutes at a time, at moderate intensity, three times a week for over 9 weeks, had a major antidepressant effect. Exercise provides so many benefits that can help us live happier lives overall. For example, it can boost your mood, help you live longer, and improve your memory, among other benefits.

It has a powerful effect on your brain, helping it function better in many ways, especially to increase mood and memory. And the best part? You can start receiving some of those benefits with as little as 10 minutes of exercise a day. That's enough to put a smile on anyone's face. World globe An icon of the world globe, indicating different international options.

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More Button Icon Circle with three vertical dots. It indicates a way to see more nav menu items inside the site menu by triggering the side menu to open and close. Margie Zable Fisher. Exercise improves mood and boosts happiness in several ways including increased serotonin production, decreased stress hormones, and prolonged lifespan.

Even just 10 minutes of exercise is helpful for a quick boost in your physical and mental health, according to research. This article was medically reviewed by David A.

Your endorphins main purpose is this writes researcher McGovern:. These endorphins tend to minimize the discomfort of exercise, block the feeling of pain and are even associated with a feeling of euphoria. Overall, there is a lot going on inside our brain and it is in fact oftentimes a lot more active than when we are just sitting down or actually concentrating mentally:.

So, BDNF and endorphins are the reasons exercise makes us feel so good. The somewhat scary part is that they have a very similar and addictive behavior like morphine, heroine or nicotine. The only difference? Now here is where it all gets interesting. We know the basic foundations of why exercising makes us happy and what happens inside our brain cells. The most important part to uncover now, is of course how we can trigger this in an optimal and longer lasting way.

A recent study from Penn State university shed some light on the matter and the results are more than surprising. To get the highest level of happiness and benefits for health, the key is not to become a professional athlete.

On the contrary, a much smaller amount is needed to reach the level where happiness and productivity in every day life peaks:. You get prolonged life, reduced disease risk — all of those things come in in the first 20 minutes of being active. All you have to do is get some focused 20 minutes in to get the full happiness boost every day:. At end of the day, there is quite a lot of focus required to help you get into the habit of exercising daily. This means that daily exercise can pave the way not only for happiness, but also growth in all other areas of your life.

In a recent post from Joel, he wrote about the power of daily exercise for his everyday life. Coincidentally, he follows the above rules very accurately and exercises daily before doing anything else. He writes :. Put your gym clothes right over your alarm clock or phone when you go to bed: This technique sounds rather simple, but has been one of the most powerful ones. If you put everything the way you want it for the gym before you go to sleep and put your alarm under your gym clothes, you will have a much easier time to convince yourself to put your gym clothes on.

Track your exercises and log them at the same time after every exercise: When you try to exercise regularly, the key is to make it a habit. Tips for starting physical activity. Laskowski ER expert opinion. Mayo Clinic. June 16, See also Slide show: 5 smart exercise choices for psoriatic arthritis 6 tips for an active getaway you'll remember Accentuate the positive to make lasting health changes An appointment to exercise?

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