Studies have found that neurological changes may make the positive effects of exercise on the brain more sustainable. People get additional benefits from workout discipline. The very act of continuing to work out when you don’t feel like it strengthens your ability to deal with unpleasant emotions without avoiding them.
“Exercise can help in itself because it teaches people how to endure pain in a way that mimics high levels of arousal similar to anxiety,” says Norginia. This exposes a person to unpleasant sensations in a safe way, she explains. In the field of mental health, this practice of addressing the sensation of fear in a therapeutically controlled manner is called interoceptive exposure, and it improves the ability to tolerate unpleasant sensations that one would otherwise avoid. Raise.
This can be depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance use disorders, personality disorders, or indeed any mental health condition that prevents a person from feeling discomfort. Norginia says it could help address the challenges of specific emotions.
4. Strengthen the mind-body connection
Experts say a fundamental shift away from thinking of the mind and body as separate entities is needed to truly understand how exercise benefits the mind as well as the body. It says.
“Fundamentally, there is not as big a distinction between mental health and physical health as our culture and language sometimes leads us to believe,” says Marina Merlin, a clinical psychologist at the city-based Mental Health Innovation Center. Weiss says. New York University School of Public Health and Health Policy.
The brain and body are connected in many ways, such as through the vagus nerve. The mother of all cranial nerves descends from the brain through the spinal column and carries signals from the brain throughout the body, including the heart, lungs, and digestive system. It also sends feedback from the whole body to the brain.
Stimulating the vagus nerve through exercise has been shown to strengthen the mind-body connection and help treat everything from treatment-resistant depression to PTSD.
5. Increased heart rate variability
One measure of health is the range in which your heart rate can safely vary from resting to exercising.
Heart rate variability is also considered an indicator of the complex interactions between the brain and body, indicating the strength of that connection. Exercise improves heart rate variability.
Increased heart rate variability can protect us from mental health problems such as depression, even in the face of other stressors such as a cancer diagnosis, Weiss said.
High-intensity interval training (bouts of intense effort followed by slow, low-intensity intervals) can increase this heart rate range in particular. HIIT training is also useful for adults who haven’t reached the recommended 150 minutes of exercise per week. Journal of Exercise Science and Fitness found.
Always talk to your doctor before starting any new treatment and start with peace of mind.
