#12 Keep moving

Have you ever noticed that you feel great after going to the gym or for a run?

The vast majority of have shown that there is an important link between exercise and mental well-being and improved mood.

The researchers of these studies consistently found that exercise has a positive impact on mood. It has been demonstrated that physical activity stimulates the release of endorphins, the “feel-good” chemicals in the brain. Some researchers think that exercise also acts as a diversion from negative thoughts. Also, some researches show that the social interaction taking place in some types of exercise, like team sport for example, contributes to a greater personal satisfaction and therefore a mood enhancement.

Something we don’t know is that exercise has also been studied as an alternative treatment to antidepressant medications and therapies used for depression; and it was concluded that exercise has an important clinical impact on depression.

Now to keep convincing you of the benefits of exercise, there are 16 reasons why exercise makes us happy:

1)    Increased dopamine in the brain (feelings of pleasure and happiness)

2)    Lower anxiety and depression (achieve long term relief)

3)    Energy boost

4)    Stress reducer

5)    Slow down cognitive decline

6)    More self confidence (feel a great sense of accomplishment)

7)    Be more social

8)    Get better sleep (improve sleep quality)

9)    Be more creative (better mood = creativeness)

10)  A more productive you

11)  Memory booster (increased memory capabilities)

12)  Be more relaxed

13)  Better coping skills

14)  Gets addiction under control (helps in addiction recovery)

15)  Enjoy the great outdoors

16)  Increase your brain power (good cardio can help to create new brain cells)

Lastly, some practical tips for exercise: try to engage at least 30 minutes of physical activity a day, try to vary the type of exercise you do and choose activities you enjoy, and keep in mind that even if you cannot do high impact workouts there are plenty of low impact activities such as biking, walking or even swimming !

SO REMEMBER TO KEEP MOVING NOW !

#3 Enjoy yourself

Take some time to do something you like! At least once a day. Some really simple things can make you happier.

For some it will be getting some exercise, going for a run, going to the gym... For some others it will be going out with some friends and just have fun. And for others it will be taking some time to relax by taking a very hot bath, reading a book or watching a series.

I personally think that all of them are really important for morale, as exercising make your body produce more endorphin (which makes you feel good) than usual and as going out and relaxing are needed to take out all the stress collected. 

What really works is to switch during the week: one day you get some exercise, another day you watch a movie and another one you go out to meet some friends.

What you need to do is find what little things make you happy! 

It doesn't necessary take a lot of time, for example I literally LOVE relaxing, so my little moment to enjoy myself is to have a cup of tea! How simple is it?

What about you? What is your little moment for yourself?