The benefits of an active lifestyle go well beyond body toning and slimming. Apart from enhanced levels of physical fitness, regular exercise is linked to positive impacts on psychological well-being such as favourable moods and healthy self-esteem.
This is because you cannot really separate what happens in the body from mental processes. For instance, if you’re going through a period of chronic stress, you will also experience the stress in your body through symptoms such as headaches or changes in appetite.
By the same token physical fitness impacts mental health. While exercise is not a sufficient cure to restore mental health difficulties, research shows its various benefits on mental health and psychological well-being. One such benefit is the promotion of stress recovery. Activities such as jogging, biking and sport have all been associated with decreasing stress symptoms such as headaches and fatigue and regularly active people are more likely to feel well-balanced and alert. Similarly, regular moderate exercise is noted to improve symptoms related to anxiety and depression and to provide an enhancement in mood (Eriksson & Gard, 2011).
As in the case of younger adults, the elderly also benefit from regular physical activity as it not only lowers the symptoms of depression, but can also act as a preventive agent of depression, meaning that they are less likely to be depressed if they exercise than if they don’t (Ku et al, 2012).
Better sleeping patterns is another advantage enjoyed by those who regularly exercise, as they tend to fall asleep more quickly and sleep longer than those who don’t exercise. The likely benefits of exercise with relevance to sleep are also indicated for people suffering from insomnia (Passos et al, 2010).
Not only are those who exercise apt to be good sleepers, but they are also more inclined to have healthy concepts of themselves including adequate self-esteem. Feelings of competence are likely to increase due to physical activity, and when appropriately handled, exercise and sport can support individuals to challenge themselves and maximise their potential. The accomplishment of realistic goals in physical activity can inspire people to challenge themselves in other areas of life as well.
Awareness of the diverse advantages of physical activity is a key factor in motivating people to lead an active lifestyle, particularly those who are not driven by the most obvious benefits such as weight loss. Motivation is the catalyst that drives people to engage in certain behaviours and different people are inspired for different reasons. Some tend to be motivated by intrinsic motivators, meaning that they are driven by internal rewards such as feeling healthy, energised and calm, while others tend to be motivated by external rewards such as social recognition for a sport skill.
It is important for individuals to identify their personal motivating factors so that they engage in that particular physical activity that resonates their needs. For instance, somebody who is motivated by challenge and team spirit is more likely to feel fulfilled through team sport than somebody who seeks moments of solitude in their daily exercise. Interestingly, research points out to gender differences in motivation. Men tend to be more motivated by challenge, performance and recognition when compared to women, who are more inclined to be driven by weight loss and appearance.
Staying motivated is a task which can prove difficult after the initial excitement fades out. A tangible plan on how to be more active encompassing realistic goals is more likely to materialise than the New Year’s extensive resolution to lose weight. A role model or a mentor can also play a key role in motivation as some people get inspired to work out in the course of admiring somebody, or by having a tutor to give them support and guidance.
On a more practical aspect, individuals can enhance their self-support through concrete elements such as picking the right exercise clothing and using music. As music devices have become more portable than ever, it is easy to use music during exercise. Interestingly one of the functions of music during physical activity is that of deterring exercisers from the pains of hard work (Tenenbaum et al, 2004).
Besides recognising factors that support motivation, for some it is important to challenge perceptions around physical activity as they struggle with deterrents such lack of self-belief or concerns about how other people will perceive them while they are exercising. Unfortunately some people hold such a negative evaluation of their body to the extent that they are embarrassed to join a gym or feel too fat to go for a jog. In such cases, it is beneficial for people to challenge the critical voices, whether the criticism lies inside their head or it is stemming from harsh blows they received from the world.
While in some situations, weight loss is crucial, it is often an over-emphasised goal of physical activity. A more accurate and attainable representation of physical activity is that it promotes both mental and physical fitness, and can be a way how you unwind and takes care of yourself within an active and healthy lifestyle.