Moving your body is more important than you think!
When I first saw my holistic practitioner, she asked me how active I was. Very active, I remember thinking to myself and then sharing with her. She had this BEAMING smile on her face after I said that. “Great,” she said to me, “we don’t need to worry about that then.”
I left it at that, but I was pretty curious as to why she cared so much. I mean, I’ve always known that exercise is good for you - that was ingrained in me as a young child when I was thrown into every sport possible and told to play outside no matter the weather. As I got older, I noticed I felt better the days that I was working out or going to basketball practice. Exercise never had a negative connotation in my mind, but I never really thought about its importance when it comes to holistic well-being. And, as I always do when I don't know something, I decided I wanted to figure it out.
So, I did a little first hand research over the past couple of months. I was training for a marathon, so I had a very large sample size of primary research. Supplemented with a little bit of outside research, these were my findings..
1) Mood booster!!
It’s a proven scientific fact (woo, science!) that exercises releases endorphins. According to WebMD (fancy), “when you exercise, your body release chemicals called endorphins. These endorphins interact with the receptors in your brain that reduce your perception of pain.” In other words, exercise makes you feel good. Not only do I think this is true, but I truly believe I’m walking evidence. My friends always joke that they shouldn’t talk to me until I’ve either had my morning coffee or have gone to the gym, and they’re not wrong. I noticed that after my runs or lifts or workout classes, I would find myself much happier than I walked in. Can’t argue with science, I guess!
2) Helps support your immune system
As someone who prides herself on never getting sick (okay, that’s a little bit of a lie as I’m just getting over a cold, but I promise I don’t get sick that often), I often attribute it to my regimented gym routine. It turns out that when you exercise, your body release white blood cells, which are crucial in fighting off disease. So next time you’re thinking about working out, do it! If not for you, for your little white blood cells. They (and you) will thank you during flu season.
3) Reduces Inflammation
If there’s one word I know well, it’s inflammation. This is partly attributed to various gut problems that I have and my partial sugar addiction, but it’s still not fun to deal with. Exercise, both aerobic and anaerobic, reduces the body’s inflammatory response, leaving a happier, healthier you! Not only does this reduce your risk for chronic diseases that result from too much inflammation, but it leaves you feeling better and less, well, inflamed.
4) Better Sleep
Maybe it was partially due to the fact that I was running 40-50 miles per week during peak marathon training, but I can honestly say that the days I worked out, my sleep was so much better. I’m naturally an "early to bed early to rise" kind of person, so it’s very important to me that when I lay down to sleep, I’m able to fall right asleep. When I didn’t exercise, I’d be tossing and turning like a mad woman, almost like I had all of this extra energy that had nowhere to go. I realized shortly that that energy was reserved for my daily sweat session.
5) A Social Outing
I know what you’re thinking, how does that have anything to do with holistic health? But, hear me out. A lot of times when I workout, I’m going on a run with friends or going to a workout class with other people. As someone who gets their energy from others, I feel so invigorated after a good workout supplemented with great company. I know it sounds cheesy, but it does wonders for my mental health. Next time your friend asks you to go for a walk with them, don’t say no! Your body will not only thank you, but so will your overall mental health.