Exercise Your Body; Strengthen Your Mind

by Heather Long | More from this Blogger

14 May 2007 12:12 PM

We've talked about this before, but it never hurts to talk about it again and this time I even have an article from Newsweek on my side. Newsweek magazine published an article called Exercise and the Brain and it described how exercising regularly can increase your mental acuity and brainpower.

I have experience this phenomenon myself. I am at my most productive when I am working out regularly. I've written books, reams of articles and even more as well as balancing my home and work life far more efficiently. Not to exaggerate, but I used to worry that I was losing my mind as well as my capacity to learn after I had my daughter. My memory certainly was what it used to be.

Working out regularly, on the other hand, improved my mental clarity in ways that I could only compare to being at my peak when I was in high school and college the first time around. There's another great perk to working out regularly that I think helps to contribute to improving your brain fitness.

Stress Relief

I freely admit to the fact that I carry around a lot of stress. I internalize a great deal and that stress can trip me up if I'm not careful. Working out regularly helps me to cope with that stress. It burns off the tension that stress creates and it releases endorphins that give me a calmer face to put to the rest of my problems. In fact, the angrier I am sometimes, the harder I work out, the more intense my relief.

There was a really tense, emotional period that my husband and I went through a couple of years ago and I can attribute a large part of our success for working through those problems to my regular workout. Every morning I'd get up and I'd feel down or discouraged, I'd hit my treadmill followed by my weight training and 90 minutes later, I would be showering and feeling a sense of personal satisfaction and contentment.

Those positive feelings helped me work through the issues on my side without losing my temper or wigging out constantly. Exercise is good for you in so many ways. It's amazing, honestly, that any of us get by without regular exercise in our lives.

How has exercise improved your mental or emotional fitness?

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Learn more about Heather Long

Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago.

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