More and more people have gotten into the habit of staying active through activities like martial arts and adding movement to their daily regimen. They’ve seen the benefits of exercise and recognize it as an essential part of living a healthy lifestyle and maintaining a physically fit body.
Exercising can help you with weight loss, lower chances of having illnesses, and preventing mental health issues. So, if you’re wondering how exercise can help your emotional wellbeing, here are 6 ways:
Creates Resilience
At the core of every exercise is a deep need for discipline. To see actual results, you need to invest the time and make the effort. As you repeat every movement of each muscle, it becomes sore to the point that it will be painful. And that pain brings gain, even in the smallest or simplest degree.
Cumulative exercises and movement push ourselves further - most often beyond our own limits. This then allows us to be resilient not just to physical pain but hardships and emotionally tough situations.
Prevents Emotional Overwhelm
Exercise is highly methodical before it becomes habitual. Take a simple circuit exercise for instance. There can be anywhere between three to five types of exercises in one cycle, sometimes even more, depending on the level of difficulty. And for a beginner, it can be a lot.
But as you go through each exercise in a circuit, you are able to sift through a lot of details and process a lot of feelings. While going through physical exhaustion, you will go through a range of emotions: from self-pity, anger, apathy, and despair which will then turn into hope, desire, optimism, and desire to succeed. Having gone through this experience will help manage a surge of emotions caused by any situation.
Creates Motivation
Lack of motivation is the most notorious productivity killer. This often stems from not knowing where to take inspiration from or not having an actual goal to achieve.
Studies have shown that physical exercise, like karate, is an effective way to up your mood and give you the right motivation you need. It conditions your emotional wellbeing and sets your path towards doing rather than just being.
Because exercise is innately results-based and you see the effects of what you do, maybe not instantly but through the passage of time, it’s highly motivational.
Prevents Anger and Tension
To be emotionally balanced and stable, you have to also be well, physically. An irritable person most likely doesn’t have the required variety in each activity, and the monotonous routine often builds tension in any relationship like a typical household.
Families that indulge in group activities often find themselves living more harmoniously, dispelling tension and formulating a healthier line of communication. The families at The Dojo can certainly attest to this.
Builds Peace and Tranquility
Some people are often left scratching their heads and wondering why people who work out are naturally more peppy yet calm. They exude a very well-balanced disposition that is anchored in a quiet sense of confidence.
Most exercises can be physically challenging, but there are those that are actually restorative and relaxing. Pilates, Barre, and Yoga are just some of the workouts that help bring a sense of peace and calm. But if you’re not into these exercises, even the warmups and cooldown exercises of more high-intensity workouts help relax and rejuvenate.
Reduces or Prevents Anxiety and Depression
While there are numerous causes of anxiety and depression, two of the top mental illnesses that cause a wave of emotional anguish, research has shown a definitive connection between converting an anxious situation or mood into a happy, positive one.
It’s known that when you exercise, such as engaging in a sparring match or any martial arts training, you get a surge of endorphins released by your body. Endorphins are the “happy hormones” that bring you to an almost euphoric state that gets you pumped up and ready to get going.
A lot of people suffering from depression and anxiety have turned to exercise to combat their emotional swings and pitfalls. Regardless of their triggers, a physical workout can help get them back on track.