Movement Boosts Your Mood
“Getting regular exercise is important for good physical and mental health. Exercise can help stimulate parts of your brain that aren’t as responsive when you’re feeling depressed. It also promotes the release of feel-good brain chemicals. It may also help distract you from your worries and improve your confidence.
Endorphins are only one of many neurotransmitters released when you exercise. Physical activity also stimulates the release of dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin. These brain chemicals play an important part in regulating your mood.” ~ “Exercise, Depression and the Brain” ~Ryan Collins
Motor. Sensory. Emotional. Cognition.
The brain operates within an inseparable integration of motor, sensory, emotional and cognitive function. This is how we take in the world around us.
Movement is highly connected to all of these facets.
Movement can boost mood and bring motivation. Often times people want the mood and motivation first but movement and rewiring the reward system has to come first.
This will to act is conceived through having a greater purpose.
The Body Follows The Brain.
You must believe your goal is worth attaining first before you ever take any steps towards it. This drive will give you the discipline to ACT before a FEELING comes.
The feelings may follow once you’ve ingrained patterns and positive feedback loops.
They come from action and recalling the past memories and experiences, not inaction and excuses, those only breed fleeting results, if any at all.
In essence we can change the way we FEEL by the way we MOVE our bodies.
This is because the brain is wired for reward through dopamine.
Resistance training causes a hormonal and neurotransmitter cascade of effects. Nutrition also affects these systems.
When it comes to movement and exercise: dopamine concentrations in the brain all seem to increase the more you move, the greater the range of motion and the higher the velocity.
Add in a challenging training goal and this will cause the greatest increase in dopamine.
You will do more of the things that drive reward and your brain will be rewired to seek that which gives reward.
DOPAMINE: MOOD, MOTIVATION AND MOVEMENT
Dopamine gives us pleasure, drives us towards reward, and reinforces seeking the sources out again and again. The more we seek, the stronger the associations become.
This “feel good” neurotransmitter is critical to the nervous system and aids in functions such as pleasure, attention, movement, mood and motivation. The movement and motivation systems of the brain are intimately connected.
Want to feel motivated? START MOVING.
WHAT ARE YOU MOVING TOWARDS?
Discovering your true driving force (your deep whys) creates the will to endure.
If you are passionate about the goal you are pursuing you will work harder, go faster and last longer.
If you don’t truly value the outcomes on a deeper subconscious level, it’s unlikely you’ll see it through.
HOW DOES THIS RELATE TO NUTRITION AND EXERCISE?
We are built for survival. The brain is always calculating and keeping an inventory. The brain weighs the perceived cost of the physical activity you’re doing against the perceived benefit of the reward you are seeking.
If the benefit surpasses the cost you will work harder on a subconscious level.
If you attribute deep significance to your goal you will attain it.
You will be able to endure, suffer, and delay instant gratification.
True desire breeds disciple, dedication, determination, drive and grit.
It gives you dopamine!
Conversely, shallow wants won’t sustain you.
Divorce mediocrity.
Embrace meaning.
Wire your brain for success with deep significance.
(Try The Five Whys Exercise. Read about it HERE.)
The dopaminergic mind is built for success, you just have to wire it wisely.
The deeper the why, the more you’ll suffer for its significance.
The more superficial, the easier it is to give up, quit and “fail again.”
“Oh well, there’s always next time, next year, tomorrow…”
Root your determination in deep meaning.
Destiny isn’t an easy word.
Will your fate.
Find redemption in the pursuit of excellence.
Nothing good comes easy, and nothing easy is ever that good.
You are destined for greatness, but greatness is a discipline not a destination.
Courageous character is built through consistent action and consistent action builds confidence and momentum.
Break resting inertia.
Make a move.
Your destiny awaits.
We need a movement! Make a move!
Read more from the MOVEMENT IS MEDICINE article series:
Part 1: MOVEMENT IS MEDICINE : S.A.D (+) Sedentarism is Sickness
Part 2: MOVEMENT IS MEDICINE: Breathing to Help Posture, Restore Balance and Relieve Pain
Part 3: MOVEMENT IS MEDICINE:MOBILITY- Are You Moving Your Joints in Meaningful Ways for Life and Longevity?
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Nutritional Mastery Coaching can help you:
- Learn to eat better, without dieting or feeling deprived.
- Get active and moving no matter what shape you’re in.
- Produce lifelong change inside and out for a brighter healthier future.
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