It’s not always about weight loss

If I hear someone say they are going to see a trainer, or join a gym, I guess I usually assume that they are on a mission to lose some weight. Or maybe build some muscle, become stronger, or improve their fitness.

But there’s one very special reason why many people make sure that exercise (and healthy food choices) is factored into their lifestyle, and it’s not always obvious.

It’s a big part of why I work out on a regular basis, and that is for my mental health and wellbeing. With the stresses of day to day stuff, children constantly testing boundaries and pushing our buttons, busy jobs, excessive time spent on social media, hectic schedules causing us to rush around – many, many people are not feeling as well as they could mentally. Of course there are many different degrees of being mentally unwell, and there are obviously some that will not be fixed with exercise alone. It won’t hurt, of course, but it’s not a cure-all.

However, sometimes we just have days when we might feel sad or down or stressed and get ourselves into a bit of a rut. One days like these we need to remember that exercise is incredibly powerful, and an important part of improving our state of mind. It’s not only the ‘happy’ hormones that are released during a workout which are a huge bonus, when your body becomes stronger and fitter, our confidence and self-worth grows and so does our feeling of empowerment. And that’s got to be good for us mentally. There’s also the wonderful social aspect about working out with others – hanging out with like-minded people trying to achieve their health and fitness goals!

However, when you’re feeling down and out, exercise is probably one of the last things you feel like doing, and I completely understand that. But try REALLY hard to remember that if you do force yourself to have a workout, or even just a walk around the block, it’s almost always going to help you to feel better, even if in a small way.

So exercise makes us feel brilliant mentally, but so can healthy eating. And again, if you’re feeling blue or wound-up and stressed, chances are you’re craving some sort of comfort food. But this short-term solution can leave you feeling worse, and obviously isn’t good for our physical state either. Go for something packed with nutrients, and feed your body well. Don’t get caught in a cycle of eating crap, then feeling even worse, and so on.

So remember this!! If you’re wanting to lift your spirits, don’t sit on the couch eating rubbish, even though this may be what you ‘think’ you need. Get your body moving and feed it with some great food – trust me, it will help!!

Have a great day!

Paula