Workouts make you happy

It is a proven fact that working out can improve your mood. Why is it then that when we are stressed out or otherwise feeling crappy that the first thing we do, is skip this vitally important mood enhancer? Yeah, I don’t know either.

I learned early on, after I began my TKD classes, that there is nothing that makes me feel better than kicking the crap out of bags and other padded and protected cohorts in my class. So no matter how horrible my day has been, if I think that I can hold my emotions in check, I attend class. I work myself into soreness and ultimately, happiness. Scientifically, I really am not crazy. I looked it up. This is what I found:

Exercise has long been touted as a way to maintain physical fitness and help prevent high blood pressure, diabetes and other diseases. A growing volume of research shows that exercise can also help improve symptoms of certain mental health conditions, including depression and anxiety. Exercise may also help prevent a relapse after treatment for depression or anxiety.

Research suggests that it may take at least 30 minutes of exercise a day for at least three to five days a week to significantly improve depression symptoms. But smaller amounts of activity — as little as 10 to 15 minutes at a time — can improve mood in the short term. “Small bouts of exercise may be a great way to get started if it’s initially too hard to do more,” Dr. Vickers-Douglas says.

Just how exercise reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety isn’t fully understood. Some evidence suggests that exercise raises the levels of certain mood-enhancing neurotransmitters in the brain. Exercise may also boost feel-good endorphins, release muscle tension, help you sleep better, and reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol. It also increases body temperature, which may have calming effects. All of these changes in your mind and body can improve such symptoms as sadness, anxiety, irritability, stress, fatigue, anger, self-doubt and hopelessness.

So there you have it. When you feel like you want to just punch the crap out of someone. Or all you want to do is cry and scream...go workout. You will feel happy in no time. 

Yesterday was a perfect example of this.  I went for a 20 mile bike ride with a friend and when i got home, I was so energized and in such a great mood!  I felt awesome.  Today we are riding 40 miles to another town and back!

Whoa - 40 miles?  Damn, I haven’t ridden a bike in so long I doubt I could go 5 without my legs giving out on me, lol. 

Otherwise, I certainly feel better once I exercise - tired… but better!

I’m back from my ride.  It took me about 4 hours (with a few stops to rest at the top of crazy steep hills).  On the way to the turn around, we had 10-20 mph winds in our faces.  On the way back we reaped the rewards of a sometimes tailwind.  in all we rode 41.07 miles.  I’m happy and tired!

Wow on the bike ride! I have done 20 on the bike in the Y but not been on a real bike in years.

Queenie - I always came home hyper after karate.  The husband loved it because , well… I was also happy in other ways

BTW _ I am down to 182.5 ( I think thats down 1.5 from last week)

About two weeks ago at work I got soooooooooo pissed off, and I went for a run at lunchtime.  I’ve never run that hard before or since, I swear.  I don’t know if I’d say I felt HAPPY afterwards, but I sure did work off some tension.

If I start out in a decent mood, I definitely feel happy afterwards, though.