Scientists have managed to find a connection between your fitness level and physical exercise and your mental health. If you would like to beat the blues or manage your mood swings, maybe have been struggling with depression for a while, you might consider skipping the medication and starting a plan to exercise more. After all, you will be able to benefit more than one way and you have nothing to lose.
Below you will find a few tips on setting up a fitness routine for a happier life:
Image via Nellis Air Force Base
Create a Routine
Some people say that a good daily routine helps you make the most out of your time and gets you into the habit of effectiveness. It is not enough to promise yourself that you will be more active: you need a detailed plan and a weekly and monthly routine. No matter if you just do a short yoga practice ever morning and night, you will have to stick to it for a couple of weeks, until the routine becomes a habit and exercise becomes natural.
Make Small Changes at a Time
If you overwhelm yourself with big changes and drastic lifestyle shifts, you will never get to where you want to be. That is why you have to make small changes at a time. You cannot go from being inactive to winning your first marathon. Things simply don’t happen like that. Set yourself smaller attainable goals that will lead you to where you want to be. If you try something and don’t succeed, your mental health will suffer.
Get Others Involved
Image via Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst
Combining socializing with exercise is a good way of feeling more confident and motivating yourself. You need to overcome your fears and get out there. Start with finding a hiking or biking club, and exit your comfort zone. Later you can find local spinning classes that will help you stay focused on your goals and make the most out of the social aspect of exercise, too.
Focus On Your Diet, Too
What you eat has a huge impact on your mood and mental health. If you are feeling guilty over snacking before dinner, or eating ready made food, you will need to possibly enroll for a nutrition and cooking class to shift your focus from immediate satisfaction to treating your body as a temple. Once you have studied nutrition and diet, you will get better at planning your meals according to your exercise routine, and get some vitamins and minerals that will protect your nervous system and your mental health.
Reward Yourself
To avoid burning out and adopting a negative attitude, you will need to make the most out of your own friendship. Whenever you reach a new stage in your fitness, you need to reward yourself with something you enjoy doing.
Staying focused on your mental health is a challenging task. Make sure that you combine physical exercise with meditation and self-hypnosis, so you can reap the long term benefits without giving up.
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