Banish those demons: The science behind how exercise can affect your mental health
Did you know that there is scientific evidence supporting how and why exercise can help your mental health? Having a regular routine of exercising can be the boost you need to improve your wellbeing. From hormones to feeling your best, let’s explore how exercise can affect your mental health…
Combat depression
It’s scientifically proven that exercising releases endorphins and serotonin, which are the hormones responsible for making us feel good. Exercise can also suppress hormones that cause stress and anxiety. In some cases, exercise can work just as effectively as anti-depressants. However, finding the motivation to start is not always an easy task. Download the Banish app to help with your journey. No matter how you’re feeling, where you are or how long you’ve got there are 100s of workouts to choose from, tailored around you!
Improve your confidence
It’s no surprise that when you workout consistently that you will start to see physical progress. You will even start to feel stronger and fitter. This leads to us feeling more confident and therefore our best self. We’re all beautiful and are different shapes and sizes but that workout high is a great feeling!
Social benefits
We all have bad days… and that’s okay! The thought of leaving your house may seem like a big step but we promise you it’s worth it. When you’re feeling isolated and alone, getting a workout in can really help, especially when you can get a friend to join you! Movement helps us to bond. Through the engagement of muscles and getting your heart rate up, your brain chemistry changes, making it easier to connect with people. On the Banish app, we have workouts for all levels of fitness. All workouts are time based so you can work as hard as you want to. So, grab a friend, choose a workout, put those tunes on and let’s banish those demons!
Lifestyle benefits
On top of your mental wellbeing, there are a lot of lifestyle benefits from exercising regularly. Let’s take a closer look at some of these improvements…
- Let’s get those Zzzz’s! Do you try to get the standard 7-9 hours? That’s a great start if you do. However, exercising can help you reach a new level of REM sleep. Just make sure you don’t exercise too close to bedtime otherwise you’ll still be feeling energized.
- Get that spark. Sex can be important to your relationship, it’s completely natural to want that level of connection. However, getting “in the mood” can be difficult when you’re just not feeling yourself. Exercise will not only help your self-esteem but improve your energy levels. For women, regular exercise can increase arousal and men are less likely to have erectile dysfunction.
- That extra boost – Is walking up a flight of stairs sometimes a struggle? Exercise will not only help strengthen your muscles but will also help improve your cardiovascular system, meaning your heart and lung health will improve!
Now that you’re armed with all the benefits of exercising you may be thinking what now? If only there was an app with 100s of professionally developed workouts that fit around you and your mental wellbeing. Oh, wait… that’s Banish!
Banish those demons
Our aim is to help as many people as possible both mentally and physically. We know first-hand that keeping active provides a huge boost to mental wellbeing. 78% of our Pilot app users said they felt more in control of their mental demons after just 6 weeks of using Banish. We have a unique mood tracker, so you can see for yourself just how much the workout has impacted your mood. Exercise those demons with Banish – download today!