Exercise Your Head
佚名 / Anonymous
It goes without saying that exercise is good for your body， but what many don’t realize is that it’s also good for your mind. No， we don’t mean that weight training will suddenly turn you into an Einstein—but study has found that working out regularly improves your mood， boosts your sense of self-esteem and even enhances the function of your brain.
As with other aspects of the health connection between mind and body， scientists are only beginning to understand why physical workouts also provide a mental and emotional boost. But many possibilities are already known， and new research is continually going forward. For those in search of mental as well as physical motivation， here are 12 extra reasons to begin a workout program for the new millennium.
1. Working out can give you a sense of exhilaration and accomplishment， and the increased self-esteem that results from doing something you know is good for you.
2. Exercise causes your body to produce endorphins， the chemicals that dull pain and help produce what’s known as the exercise high.
3. Weight-bearing exercise particularly raises your testosterone levels， which can help improve your mood， especially if your levels are naturally on the low side.
4. According to Harvard psychiatrist John J.Raety， M.d.， coauthor of a book on psychological disorders called Syndromes， a single workout can raise your brain’s levels of antidepressant chemicals， such as dopamine， serotonin and norepinephrine.
5. If you are feeling down， exercise may help pick you up. Although researchers disagree on this issue， one review of past studies found that long-term exercise， especially when it includes long-lasting， strenuous training sessions， has about as much of an effect on depression as psychotherapy. ( Of course， this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t seek therapy. If you believe you may be suffering from depression， the first thing to do is to consult a mental-health professional. )