Workout Tips for Your Body and Mind

Sometimes your mind needs a bit of a workout just like your body. If you want to increase your energy, feel happier, relax more, sleep soundly, or sharpen your memory, keep reading to learn how!

Problem:
It’s 3 pm and you’re ready for a nap…on your desk!

Solution:
Taking a quick walk or even just standing up gets your blood flowing and pumps oxygen right to the brain. Whatever you do, fight the craving for a candy bar! Studies show that people who walk as an energy booster have sustained energy for up to two hours, while those who reach for the candy experience a crash within an hour.

Problem:
You’re in a funk and you can’t seem to shake it.

Solution:
Short bouts of exercise have been linked to greater levels of serotonin and norepinephrine in the brain, resulting in improved mood. Working out with a friend or while listening to music can also augment the antidepressant effect of exercise, so enlist a partner and get moving!

Problem:
Tension is high at the office, it’s not even 5:00 and you’re ready to scream.

Solution:
Yoga or even free weight training are great ways to calm the mind by emphasizing deep breathing.  After just 20 minutes, you’ll start to feel the tension ease.

Problem:
Once you fall asleep, you can’t stay asleep.

Solution:
Aerobic exercise like jogging on the treadmill or riding a stationary bike is great for improving the length and depth of sleep.  Shoot for 30 minutes of exercise that gets your heart rate going! It is best, though, to avoid exercise within 3 hours of your bedtime in order to let your body cool down and prepare for sleep.

Problem:
You’re mind is foggy and you have trouble recalling things.

Solution:
A study published by the National Academy of Sciences found that patients who exercised for one hour (including 40 minutes of cardio), four times a week for three months actually grew new brain cells.  These brain cells grew in a part of the brain called the hippocampus, which is important to memory.

Like this post? Share it!