Find your energy with exercise - and strengthen your mental health!

Find the energy with exercise-
and strengthen your mental health!

Are you, like many others at this time of year, eager to get back into exercise after the holidays? Rest and leisure are all well and good, but it's also easy to lose energy and feel tired and sluggish when you've gotten out of your good habits and routines. The fact is that exercise has good effects on our mental health, and more and more people are prescribing exercise as a prescription, as it has been proven that the right kind of exercise for you can help you out of depression and low spirits.

5 reasons why exercise
and exercise is good for you
1. You will be happier!
When you exercise, your body releases endorphins that make you feel euphoric and happy. That's why physical exercise is highly recommended for people suffering from depression. Now, you may not feel depressed at all, but if you're hungover and tired, you can easily cure that with a little more endorphin boost.

2. You will be less stressed
For the same reason that you become happier, it is the endorphins that help lower the stress hormone cortisol, which balances your mind and reduces anxiety and worry.

3. You will gain better self-esteem
If you have trouble accepting yourself, practice! It will help you see yourself in a better light, and you will feel better. You will also project the best version of yourself to others.

4. You will have a better memory
Exercise and movement increase the production of cells in the hippocampus, which is responsible for memory and learning. You remember things more effectively and have a much easier time learning different things.

5. You will be much more productive
You might think that exercise would make you more tired, and that you would then perform worse at work or in other activities, but it's actually quite the opposite! Exercise helps you get more energy and makes you more focused and active throughout the day.

5 Tips for Getting Started with Training

1. Do what you think is fun!
It's much easier to create good habits with something you find fun, dragging yourself away to something you don't really want doesn't work in the long run. So what do you find fun? Dancing, cycling, running or the gym? Maybe joining a choir team and playing soccer, floorball or are long walks in the forest your thing?

2. Bring a friend
Having someone to train with makes it so much more fun and also makes it harder to pull out of a workout when you have a scheduled time with someone. With a workout buddy, you encourage each other and get quality time together!

3. Set goals
Even if you don't want to do an Iron Man within a year but "just" want to move more to feel better, it's always beneficial to set goals, small or large. Write down exactly how you want it to feel for you when you are harmonious and balanced.

4. Challenge yourself
You are much stronger than you think - both mentally and physically! So dare to challenge yourself, and grow as a person. Maybe you can run a little bit during your walks, or dare to go on that workout that looks impossible. The benefits are many for both body and soul!

5. Why?

Last but certainly not least, you need to find out why you want to start/exercise more. Is it because everyone else is doing it and you feel like you have to? Or because you really want to get fitter, lower stress hormones in your body or get better fitness and help your heart feel good for a long time? Write down your why and use it when setting your goals, it doesn't have to be complicated at all, keep it simple!