In our articles to date we have mainly focused on the physical benefits of an active lifestyle and regular gym regime. But it has also been proven that the benefits to your mental health and wellbeing are just as strong. And possibly more importantly, they are immediate too.

 

We all know that most physical benefits from a gym workout take time to materialise. In fact your body may often feel at its worst immediately after a good session. You’re tired, muscles ache, energy levels are low, and various bits of your body may even hurt! “Why do we do it?” is one of the most frequent passing comments as people pass in the corridor or changing rooms. We do it because of the medium and long-term benefits to our physical wellbeing.

 

It may well be true that while most people share in their ‘knackeredness’ post gym workout, they also share another tell-tale sign… they are smiling! This is in part because the session is over; over for another day, week or month. But they are also smiling because they are happy. And the reason for this happiness is down to a range of chemicals that have been released during exercise and are now merrily ‘jogging’ round your body imparting all sort of good feelings.

 

Examples of these ‘happy’ chemicals include dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins. They are created and released in various parts of your body, and exercise is one of the main ways in which we can control their release, and hence force ourselves to be ‘happy’!

 

Most importantly these happy feelings are immediate. Exercise then becomes an immediate way of improving the way you feel, your mood, and the way you see and perceive things around you. It can be viewed as a drug. In fact, many people who exercise every day refer to the buzz they get as a drug, And they are actually correct, because it is a drug (or drugs) that are controlling their ‘buzz’. Fortunately, the drugs in question are produced naturally by your body.

 

Clearly some people need this mental buzz more than others. However, the end of summer and emergence of autumn has a slightly negative mental effect on almost all of us. Which is why September and October are so important in regard to an active lifestyle and gym regime. If you slack off now you will lose not only the physical benefits, but also the mental ‘buzz’ that can help you overcome the post summer blues.

 

And if you do not currently have gym membership, or are looking to change to a new gym, Choices Health Clubs have a number of offers currently running to kick-start both your physical and mental wellbeing. Give us a call and come see how we can help you generate your very own natural ‘buzz’!