🍁Today was a gorgeous autumn morning, so I headed out for a quick run after biking my kids to school
🍁It's hard to get motivated sometimes on cold days, but I love the endorphins you get, it sets the mood for the rest of my day!!
🍁Exercise is an incredible tool for managing stress, you can literally feel the stress levels drop within minutes 😊
🍁It works several ways :
👉 Reducing adrenaline and cortisol levels (stress hormones)
👉 Boosting endorphins (feel good hormones ie the runners high)
👉 Increasing the size of your hippocampus (part of your brain involved in regulating emotions)
👉Stimulates brain growth/connections
👉Reducing inflammation
🍁It can also work as a form of meditation /mindfulness - the simple act of movement and focusing on breath /steps and deep breathing helps with nervous system regulation
🍁Regular excerise improves Vagus nerve function which helps with stress along with blood pressure /heart function (ie why resting rate and blood pressure improves with fitness)
🍁Exercise in nature has a bonus effect, as simply being in nature causes cortisol and stress levels to drop
🍁People who exercise at least 150min/week are 30% less likely to experience depression/anxiety (this effect even occurs in kids)!! Even 10min/day has been shown to improve brain function
🍁If you don't currently exercise much, try setting a goal for 10-15min/day of an exercise you enjoy, and see how you feel after 2 weeks. Exercise often has a ripple effect - starting small leads to great gains 😊
https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/a-20-minute-nature-break-relieves-stress
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/exercising-to-relax#:~:text=Exercise%20reduces%20levels%20of%20the,natural%20painkillers%20and%20mood%20elevators.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-exercise-affects-your-brain/