We all know the importance of exercise and our medical practitioners here in Australia tell us regularly when we go for our yearly check-ups that we need to exercise more. People often think about the physical benefits of regular exercise and while it does help you to maintain your weight, improve your overall sex life and add many years to your life, many people ignore the mental health benefits as well. People who exercise will tell you that it just makes them feel good about themselves and they have a lot more energy to do the things that they need to do on any given day. Sleep is better and they have more positivity in their lives.

People often make the excuse that they just don’t have the time to exercise for five days a week but this is a very lame excuse because nobody says that you have to go outside to squeeze in 30 minutes of intense exercise each day. You always have the option of purchasing a commercial treadmill and you can start off walking and as your fitness levels start to improve, you can then start to jog over certain distances. You can buy cheaper treadmills for your home but these tend to run into problems after a year or so and you end up throwing them out or just hanging clothes on them. If you’ve never really thought about the mental benefits of exercise then maybe the following can help to educate you somewhat. Even though the weather is good here in Australia, a treadmill is a good idea.

• It helps with depression – Sometimes we are just sad and we have no idea why. Life seems to be pretty good at that moment and your job is going fine as well as your relationships. For some other reason, however, you find yourself sad and depressed and so one way to rid yourself of these feelings is to do 15 to 30 minutes on your treadmill every single day. This has been known to reduce depression levels by almost 30% and it helps to keep those negative thoughts out of your head for longer.
• It assists with anxiety – We all lead very stressful lives trying to hold down a job to take care of a family. The bills just keep coming through the door every single day and so it can be very overwhelming trying to come up with ways to get the money together to keep a roof over your head. This is when exercise becomes invaluable because it helps to reduce your stress and anxiety levels by the release of endorphins that make you feel better almost immediately.
• It helps with motivation & concentration – If you feel that you are not able to give your job your 100% best effort and you are now worried that that promotion may not come your way then engaging in physical exercise is a fantastic way to improve your motivational levels and to put you in a much better mood. This provides you with the focus that you need to do better in your job then you will find that you will be more innovative and mentally sharp.

These are just some of the benefits of regular exercise for your mental health and don’t forget about the physical benefits as well.