Mental Health Benefits of Exercise

We all know that exercise is great for our physical health, but have you ever wondered if it good for our mental health? The answer is yes. Exercise does help us lose weight, look better, and feel stronger, but these are not the only things that exercise can do for us though. People tend to find out that as they exercise regularly they begin to get a better night’s sleep, they feel more energetic throughout the day, feel better all-around, feel and think more positive, etc. Exercise can be used to improve your mood, relieve stress, have a positive impact on anxiety and depression, ADHD, and more. The best part, is that you do not have to be a gym fanatic. You can go at your own pace and reap the benefits for yourself. Your outlook can change about many things if you use exercise to your advantage. Exercise is a powerful and beneficial tool, why not take advantage of it?

Anxiety, Depression, and Exercise

          Participating in regular exercise will help increase your feeling of well-being by releasing those feel-good endorphins. These endorphins are what trigger the positive feelings you get in your body. will Regularly exercising helps take your mind off of those worries and negative thoughts that tend to feed your anxiety. By the end of your workout, you will forget what it was that was causing you so much worry, tension, and stress. I mean it, I speak from experience. I have gone into the gym worrying and stressing, but when I come back out, it is like I completely forgot what I was stressed or worried about. Exercise is not just for looking good, it is also for feeling good as well, physically and mentally. The best part is that you do not have to exercise for hours on end, all you need is at least 30 minutes, 3 to 5 days a week. Honestly though, any amount of physical could make a big a difference.

How to Incorporate Activity Without the Gym

Some ways that you could incorporate activity into your everyday routine includes;

• Parking farther away from the door at work or your destination
• Taking the stairs instead of the elevator
• When walking to a destination, take the long way
• Going for a walk around your neighborhood
• Doing bodyweight exercises at home

You do not need a gym to reap the benefits. Get up, get moving, and feel better about life.

QUARANTINE BLOG

By: Andrew Rangel

What is DOMS?

Have you ever wondered why you are feeling really sore a day or two after a workout? What you are experiencing is most likely DOMS or delayed onset muscles soreness. DOMS is not experienced during a workout and could occur between 12 and 24 hours post workout (Ingraham). Those who have trained at a high intensity or have gone straight to training at high intensity rather than gradually working their way to a high intensity have definitely experienced DOMS.

What causes DOMS?

Delayed onset muscle soreness can affect anyone, from a beginner to an advanced athlete or even someone who is not an athlete. Exercise that you are not used to or an intensity that is outside your comfort zone can trigger delayed onset muscle soreness (Olson). These are not the only triggers for DOMS though. Eccentric contractions such bicep curls or the downward motion during a squat can also trigger DOMS (Ingraham). Also, being dehydrated can make DOMS worse than normal which is never good. During high intensity workouts, microscopic tears in your muscle fibers can occur. Increasing inflammation is what your body does in response to this which then may lead to delayed onset muscle soreness (Olson).

Symptoms of delayed onset muscle soreness include muscles that feel tender to the touch, reduced range of motion due to pain and stiffness when moving, swelling in the affected muscles, muscle fatigue, or short-term loss of muscle strength (Olson). Just remember, you do not have to feel sore in order to say you had a good workout. Feeling sore for the next couple of days is not the goal.

Ways to Prevent or Treat DOMS

          You may think that laying on the couch or just relaxing taking the day off will help with DOMS. The truth is, doing either of those things will only make the pain worse. An ideal way to continue with your routine is to do light intensity workouts, just as long as the exercises you are doing do not involve so much weight or volume. Some ways that could help reduce the soreness that comes with DOMS includes massage, using a foam roller, cold bath (if you can handle it), warm bath, etc.

DOMS most likely cannot be avoided, but there a few things that can help to lessen the degree of soreness that comes with it. Ways such as staying hydrated, warming up 5-10 minutes before a workout, doing a proper cooldown after a workout along with static stretching, and gradually increasing weight and intensity in your workouts (Olson). It is much better to work your way up step by step rather than jumping from moderate to vigorous intensity within the first month. It is not worth an injury.

References

Paul Ingraham. (n.d.). Post-Exercise, Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness. Retrieved from             https://www.painscience.com/articles/delayed-onset-muscle-soreness.php

Olson, G. (n.d.). Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS): Symptoms, Causes, Treatment. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/doms#seeking-help

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4 Tips to Help You Get Up and Out the Door and to the Gym in the Mornings

by: Madison Webb, Joshua Holliday, Roxana Gonzales, Alex Buelow, Britney Baker, Victoria Lilly, & Elyse Sicher

Tip #1 Be Prepared

Preparation is the key to successfully making it out of the door and to an early workout. The night before go ahead and lay out all of the stuff that you will be taking with you to the gym. Make sure to pack a gym bag with anything that you might need to have the next morning like resistance bands and a little foam roller. Also layout your workout clothes near your bed. This prevents you from having to spend time trying to find clothes in the morning.

Tip #2 Get Enough Rest

If you are someone that needs a full 8 hours of sleep then try going to bed at an earlier time, if waking up is hard for you. There are people out there who can run on 4-6 hours of sleep and there are others who need 8 plus hours a night. Know which category you fall in because if you aren’t getting enough rest waking up early will be difficult. It becomes easy to just hit snooze and not make it to your workout, so take these tips into consideration.

Tip #3 Put Your Alarm on the Other Side of the Room

In order to get up and physically get out of bed, put your phone or alarm clock on the other side of the room. This will make physically get out of bed to turn the alarm off. If you keep your alarm next to your bed or even within arms reach it becomes much easier to hit snooze. By setting the alarm across the room from you it makes it harder to just snooze it or turn it off.

Tip #4 Treat Yourself

One thing that motivates many people is a treat. If you are able to keep up with the routine of waking up early consistently for a week treat yourself to a new pair of workout pants or maybe even a trip to the movies. Keeping motivation high will help you to accomplish all of your goals.

By: Danyelle Dyer

Everyone knows that exercise can help improve your physical fitness and performance but did you know that exercise can also improve your mental performance at work and in the classroom. Exercise can do much more for your body then make you look good. It can also make you feel good.

Being active can help improve:

·       Attention

·       Sleep

·       Energy Levels

·       Mood

·       Stress Levels

All of these benefits with help you perform better in the work place and classroom. There have been studies done that have found a correlation between physical activity and GPA. They have shown that staying active for 150 minutes per week can not only improve your performance in school and work but also lower your risk of sedentary related diseases.

So, next time you feel as though you can’t focus or the stress of school and work is to overwhelming try getting on the treadmill or running around your neighborhood.

 Resource: 

 Whitehead, M., Leath, C., Davis, C., & Drake, S. (2011). Physical Activity, Academic Performance, and Health Status in College Females: 2193. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 43(Suppl 1), 578.