Mental Health : Physical Health

The idea that physical health influences mental health is not one that should be overlooked. In fact, I firmly believe it's how I got through high school the way I did.

I started working out at home my sophomore year in high school. Which is really when high school started to go downhill for me mentally. Even working out at home for 30 minutes a day kept me going. It felt so good to get my body moving even for little bit and it felt so good to watch my body transform. The positivity that it brought my mental health was astounding. It gave me confidence when nothing else did. But don't take my word for it.

"Studies show that exercise can treat mild to moderate depression as effectively as antidepressant medication—but without the side-effects, of course."

"Research has shown that physical activity releases chemicals in your brain that make you feel good - boosting your self-esteem, helping you concentrate as well as sleep, look and feel better."

These are two other blog posts that talk about the actual effects that physical health has on your mental health.

My favorite thing about taking care of my body is when people compliment it or mention something about it I can say, "I worked hard for that." It's so rewarding when someone sees the progress you've made and you can say, "I did that." Some people are naturally skinny and naturally look fit (I tend to be one of them), but the progress I've made and the difference that you can see is what I did for myself. And it only takes me 30 minutes a day.

The way I structure my workouts is 30-40 minutes a day of cardio intensive/ bodyweight exercises every day for as many days in a row as I can. I don't take a rest day because of the short amount of time I'm doing it for. Every once in a while I take rest days; maybe once every 2 or 3 weeks. I have struggled with my cardio health since high school and it's still something I'm trying to figure out, which is why I do cardio intense workouts.

People talk about how hard it is to carve out an hour and a half to travel to the gym, workout, and travel home and shower before moving on to their next thing on the to do list. I workout at home (no travel time), for 30 minutes, quick rinse off after cooling down (maybe 5 minutes) and I've gotten my movement in for the day.

The effect that that quick workout has on my mental health every day is amazing and it's so quick. I can't imagine who would turn that down. I highly encourage everyone to get moving for at least 30 minutes a day, even if it's just a walk.

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