For things like depression, anxiety, motivation, outlook. I’m talking things like neuro-chemically, hormonally, etc and not just right after an exercise session but over time.
ETA: and those of you who have improved your mental health primarily with exercise, how does that affect the natural baseline or everyday quality of life even when not immediately after an exercise session?
In: Biology
Can only comment on the personal experience part.
Exercise gives me the feeling of having achieved something. I feel better about myself (physical and psychological).
Before I saw myself as a lazy person, everything I hated about my body dragged me down the second I saw it.
I’m still overweight, I still have major flaws on my body but in my brain a switch flicked from “you are lazy” to “you are doing something against it”.
That mentality translates into different areas in life aswell. Instead of being angry about the current state of things, I’m very happy about the rate they are changing!
Example: seeing 120kg on the scale felt really bad, seeing 118 isn’t considerably better on its own, but the fact that it’s improving has HUGE impact on mental health.
I started running a few days a week a few months ago.
I think simply being in good shape improves my mental health. I have a bit more energy throughout the day. I don’t feel so stiff after sitting at the office all day. Sex is much better, which boosts confidence. It just eliminates some things that might bring down my mood.
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