Benefits of being active

Studies show that physical activity can help your sleep in 3 ways: by increasing sleep duration, decreasing the time it takes to fall asleep and giving you a better quality of sleep.

Does this mean you need to go to the gym every day?
Absolutely not! Physical activity includes things like walking, skating, biking, dancing, playing with animals and playing ball games, as well as many more examples.

But what time of day is it best to move?
Listen to your body. Try out different times and see what works for you. Probably best not to exercise vigorously too close to bedtime, but gentle stretching or a walk is okay.

What really helps is to incorporate movement into as much of your day as possible – take stairs rather than lifts, walk/bike where possible and regularly get moving and get active!

Choose movement for a natural high.
Sounds good, but how do you change the ‘toxic stress cocktail’ into happy hormones?

There are many studies that have shown that increasing how much you move each day and reducing the amount of time you spend sitting can improve your mental health.

That’s because moving your body increases your heart rate and circulation and also helps burn off the stress hormones – adrenaline and cortisol – so you will feel more relaxed and freer from worry.

Then after approximately 20–30 minutes of physical activity that makes you slightly breathless, like walking or biking, endorphins are released and will result in a mood and energy boost for two to three hours, and a mild buzz for up to 24 hours.

Studies have shown that moving your body regularly can reduce the likelihood of experiencing a period of low mood or depression and also help you recover if you are feeling low or depressed.

Walking for thirty minutes 5 x per week – raising your heart rate off its baseline – has the same effect as a mild/moderate antidepressant … but with no side effects. You can even do it in 10-minute chunks and it will still be as effective.

But how do we get motivated to move when our mood is so low?

Developing a regular routine of any kind of activity or movement will increase your belief in yourself which increases your self-esteem and overall confidence. It builds in 3 different ways:

BE YOUR WORD – by doing what you say you are going to do you build a belief and trust in yourself and feel more in control.

FEEL PROUD – during and after you complete the movement you can bask in the pleasure of your achievement.

RIDE THE WAVE – the sense of achievement you feel will help you face challenges and meet other goals, giving your life more meaning and purpose.

For our brains to be well-relaxed, focused and able to make good decisions, we need some privacy each day where we can step back from people and technology to be able to relax, reflect and daydream.

This enables us to make sense of all the information we have recently taken on board, to problem-solve any challenges and to have the chance to think for ourselves.

Ideally, you would do this a few times a day and movement can be a great way to help you relax and think.

We are social creatures and to create a life that works, we each need to feel connected to friends and family. We are all different, so some people will need more connection than others, but we all need an emotional connection with at least one other person (or pet) to be mentally well.

Joining a group of people who gather to exercise, or move can be a great place to make and build connections with others. Having an activity to do together is also a great way to ease social anxiety.

You can take control and change how you feel. Start small and build up your toolkit of ideas, using movement as your foundation.