Have you ever noticed the connection between mental health, body image, and self-esteem?

Have you ever noticed that it’s hard to feel good about your whole self when you don’t like a particular part of your body?

Have you ever felt like you don’t notice your value?

Learning self-respect, how to think realistically, and how to cope with problems isn’t always an easy task. It’s about focusing on the positives and the benefits that you have and can share with others.

Source: http://www.heretohelp.bc.ca/factsheet/body-image-self-esteem-and-mental-health

How can these things change from positive to negative?

Exercise!

It’s not the only way to change these things, but science proves that exercise is a great way to boost these. Here’s more details:

1. Exercise is a mood booster that decreases symptoms of both depression and anxiety by increasing endorphin levels.

2. Exercise increases the production of neurohormones that can reverse stress created brain damage and improve cognition and mood.

3. Exercise improves the body’s ability to respond to stress by causing the central and sympathetic nervous systems to communicate.

4. Exercise can create physical achievements that boost self-esteem and confidence. These achievements include weight loss and muscle gain to wearing those clothes you’ve been hoping to get into.

5. Exercise helps regulate and reboot our body’s alarm clocks resulting in better sleep.

6. Exercise raises the body’s core temperature resulting in a relaxed mind afterward.

7. Exercise creates new brain cells, improves the brain’s performance, prevents cognitive decline, boosts creativity and mental energy.

It’s OK to focus on yourself! Find your joy and happiness. Practice gratitude. So if you need to get a mental or mood boost, reduce stress, improve confidence and self-esteem, or if you want to help keep your brain sharp, get your body moving!

If you’d like to look into more information like this and the research, check out my Pinterest Board dedicated to exercise and mental health.