Keep On Moving

Welcome to part two of my series on lifestyle and wellbeing.  This time I’m focussing on the benefits of physical activity for wellbeing.  We all know about exercise releasing endorphins and all that stuff, so what I’m going to do here is take a closer look at how exercise benefits me personally and give some examples of my favourite activities.

First and foremost, exercise is essential in order to be physically fit and healthy.  This is one of the main reasons I do it, and the great thing about being physically healthy is you feel physically healthy too (and mentally of course!).  Of course a by-product of this is perceiving oneself to look good, which is great for self-esteem.  For general fitness and toning, one of my favourite things is the humble exercise DVD:  it costs little to buy one and you can use it time and time again in the space of your own home.  They usually have different workouts that you can pick and mix depending on how much time you have, what you feel like doing or which body parts you want to work on.  Personally I’ve used Mel B’s Totally Fit and a couple of Davina’s DVDs and can thoroughly recommend both!

Another huge benefit is that sport and exercise can give you an immense sense of achievement.  This is especially true if you’re training for something specific, but even if you’re not, you still get that notion of improvement that brings with it psychological benefits, and again self-esteem.  Unfortunately, it’s not the case with everything in life that you get out what you put in, but with sport/fitness, you will always get results when you do the work.  I’ve experienced this myself through my recent endeavours in track cycling, helped by having a coach and tracking my progress using online software TrainingPeaks.  If you are thinking of getting into sport seriously, I’m an advocate of hiring a coach or personal trainer to keep you on track and motivated, if you can afford it.

Depending on what type of exercise you choose to do, a further potential benefit is time spent outdoors.  We all know the sun is great for enhancing our mood, and I think there’s a lot to be said for the benefits of being at one with nature on wellbeing.  Try a long walk or bike ride in some woods or a forest.  This can also be great for clearing your head and having some thinking space if you’re alone; otherwise it’s a fantastic opportunity for socialising, the benefits of which I’ll discuss further in my next post!

In my previous post I looked at the psychological benefits of having fun and experiencing child-like states.  Discovering a sport can bring about these benefits and offers great opportunities for fun and trying new things.  During my time at uni I used to occasionally have a knock-around on a badminton court with my best friends.  I was terrible at it but it was great fun, got the blood pumping and offered a much-needed break from revision!  I always felt so good afterwards.  So, even if you think you’re no good at a sport or feel that you are inherently not suited to exercise, I strongly advise that you experiment a bit and find the sport for you.  I think there’s something out there for everyone!

Finally, physical activity provides distraction and the opportunity to release stress and have some time away from whatever pressures we may be experiencing.  My favourite example of this is climbing, a sport I was into at uni and have started to take up again in recent weeks.  Climbing requires real concentration, meaning it’s pretty much impossible to think about anything else whilst doing it: perfect if you’re struggling to switch off from the stresses and pressures of life or having a hard time for whatever reason.

So, that’s it: my summary of the benefits of physical activity on wellbeing.  This is just my take and I’m sure others have different examples of alternative sports and how these improve their lives; as always I welcome comments with open arms.  Thanks for reading; now go get exercising!