How to Improve Your Physical and Mental Health with Exercise and Diet
Exercise and a healthy diet are key to living a long and happy life
Most people understand the importance of exercise, but many struggle to make it part of their daily routine. Exercise allows your body to function at its peak and boosts your mental health, which can lead to a better life overall.
In this guide, we’ll go over how to improve your physical and mental health with exercise and diet so you can get the most out of your workouts and your diet.
First, Identify your health problem
If you’re physically unhealthy, look for ways that exercise might alleviate those problems. For example, if you’re overweight, go for a walk every day; even just 30 minutes a day of brisk walking can help alleviate back pain. If your problem is depression or anxiety, ask your doctor about exercise therapy as a possible treatment option.
Decide how you want to improve your health
Do you want a healthy body or a healthy mind? Research has shown that regularly exercising your body helps improve brain function, so it’s possible that improving your physical health can help improve your mental health as well.
Getting enough sleep, eating foods high in omega-3 fatty acids, and staying hydrated are three other simple ways you can keep your physical health up. If you don’t have time for all of these things, prioritize whatever comes naturally to you.
Create a plan for improving your physical and mental health
If you want your body to be in top shape, you must create a plan for improving your physical and mental health. That is because without having a plan, you are unlikely to achieve your goal of reaching optimal fitness.
If you know that getting more exercise is good for your health, but only engage in exercising now and then, then it is unlikely that you will be able to maintain an active lifestyle. To benefit from exercise regularly, you must take action by creating a plan for regular exercise sessions.
Once you have established a routine of engaging in physical activity on a regular basis, it will become easier for you to find time each day in which you can commit yourself to stay fit.
Visualize yourself on the path toward achieving your goal
If you’re trying to improve your health, a great place to start is by visualizing yourself on a path toward achieving that goal. For example, if you want to lose weight, try picturing what your body would look like at its ideal weight. What would it be like taking care of it, exercising regularly, and sleeping well?
If visualization isn’t your strong suit and let’s face it: neither is mine, then consider recording yourself talking through exactly what you’d need to do to lose 5 pounds or 10 pounds (or whatever number you have in mind). You can listen back while working out.
Take Action
Remember that old cliché, If you don’t use it, you lose it? That doesn’t just apply to your muscles, it applies to your mental skills, too. In fact, that’s why so many people have trouble remembering things as they get older: their brain has gotten physically smaller. It’s called cortical atrophy.
You can see for yourself by looking at a picture of an MRI scan through something called MRIcro. Even if you don’t have access to an MRI machine, though, there are a number of changes you can make in your life (including some simple exercises) that can go a long way toward keeping your brain healthy and happy.
Keep it up
You must establish a workout schedule (it doesn’t have to be complicated, we promise) and stick to it. Experts recommend working out at least four times a week. If you can only manage three sessions per week at first, that’s OK; just make sure you do something every day.
A regular fitness routine will not only give your body some much-needed exercise but also ease stress and help boost your mood. What’s more, exercise is known to have positive effects on mental health as well as your physical health.
After all, there are few better ways of relieving stress than an invigorating workout. To top it off, regular exercise helps ward off illnesses like heart disease by promoting healthy cardiovascular function.
Celebrate each achievement
When you see a small success, celebrate it. The brain releases dopamine in response to any form of reward, says Michael Phelps, Olympic gold medalist, and 23-time Olympic medal winner. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that activates our motivational systems (reward, motivation, pleasure).
Each time we do something that gives us a reason to celebrate, be it a new personal record or finishing up an important project at work — our brains release dopamine as part of our reward system. To feel good, then get more accomplished in your day-to-day activities.
Here are three questions you can ask yourself:
What did I achieve?
What was difficult?
How can I improve?
Conclusion
What is your goal? Is it to lose weight, stay in shape, get more energy or improve a certain aspect of your health? Whatever it is you are trying to accomplish, give yourself a time frame.
In four weeks, what difference will you see in your body if you follow these strategies for eating healthy food, exercising regularly, and getting enough sleep each night?
Whatever goal you set for yourself will be worth it when you begin seeing results. You might even inspire others by showing them that it can be done.
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