3169: Why Mental Wellbeing Starts With Putting Your Trainers On by Dr. Jenny Brockis on Mental Health & Wellness

[00:00:00] This is Optimal Living Daily episode 3169 Why Mental Wellbeing Starts With Putting Your Trainers On by Dr. Jenny Brockis of DrJennyBrockis.com And I'm Justin Malik your personal narrator Except on the extra Sunday bonus episodes where I share an episode from another podcast in the Optimal Living Daily Network

[00:00:21] Today's coming from my brother's show Optimal Health Daily You can find and follow or subscribe to Optimal Health Daily wherever you're listening to this And now let's get right to the bonus episode as we optimize your life

[00:00:35] Why Mental Wellbeing Starts With Putting Your Trainers On by Dr. Jenny Brockis of Dr. Jenny Brockis.com We've all had those days where we've been in a bit of a funk, been disappointed by an outcome or let down by a friend

[00:00:54] One of the quickest and easiest ways to get back on track is to put on your trainers and head out for a walk Exercise, especially in a green space has been shown to help alleviate stress reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression and

[00:01:09] Elevate mood which is why making a regular walk a habit and something to look forward to can help elevate your stress resistance Better still choosing to participate in a variety of different physical activities elevates mood and improves memory and cognition

[00:01:26] How does exercise help brain health and mental well-being? Well exercise increases cerebral blood flow providing extra oxygen and nutrients for the brain While the brain accounts for around 2% of our total body weight it consumes 20% of all the energy we put into our body

[00:01:46] Two-thirds of the brain's energy is used by our neurons to send electrical messages and the remaining third is used for Brainy housekeeping and maintenance to keep our neurons in top shape Additionally exercise stimulates the release of growth factors essential to neuronal health

[00:02:03] increases the release of our feel-good hormones like serotonin dopamine and other endorphins and promotes the process of Neurogenesis which is the production and survival of new neurons, but wait there's more exercise helps to reduce stress by reducing levels of adrenaline and cortisol the body stress hormones as

[00:02:24] stress levels drop Muscular tension starts to go down and we start to feel a whole lot better Exercise can be used as a useful way to clear the mind of worrying thoughts and help us to focus on more pleasant things

[00:02:38] Listening to music while exercising adds to the beneficial effect With the bonus that we will continue to exercise for longer and depending on the rhythm and the beat at a faster pace Exercise is neuroprotective

[00:02:53] Regular exercise over the longer term has the additional benefit of reducing the brain shrinking that normally occurs with age This means retaining your gray matter in particular the number of neurons in the hippocampus

[00:03:07] The area of the brain associated with learning and memory and white matter which also helps protect against cognitive decline What if you're allergic to exercise? If the thought of wearing lycra breaks you out in a rash or you just don't consider yourself sporty

[00:03:23] That's okay because the amount of exertion required to benefit is termed moderate This means working hard enough to get your heart and breathing rate up However, if walking with a friend you'll still be able to enjoy holding a conversation It all counts

[00:03:39] If exercise really isn't your thing call it something else and find a physical activity You do enjoy this could be dancing cycling to the shops throwing a ball for the dog in the park Even renovating the spare bedroom rather than worrying about how many minutes you are exercising

[00:03:56] Staying active for as much time as possible is what counts over the week aim to spend 150 minutes being active and if life gets in the way of your intentions Remember spending some time exercising is always better than doing none Start low and stay safe

[00:04:14] This is part of your life plan for better brain and mental health So if you haven't been doing any regular exercise for a while Get a checkup from your doctor first if you're over 40

[00:04:25] Otherwise aim to start with 10 to 15 minutes. You can always build from there, but this will minimize the risk of injury Exercise is good for sleep Regular exercise has the bonus effect of improving your sleep pattern

[00:04:40] Getting a good night's sleep is well recognized as being very important for mood emotional regulation and reducing cognitive fatigue The best time for exercise is the time you do it. The benefit to the brain follows the exercise

[00:04:56] So if possible keep your workout to the earlier part of the day or during your lunch break If the only time is later in the day, that's fine, too But try to avoid vigorous activity too close to bedtime since this can impair sleep

[00:05:10] But a gentle form of exercise such as yoga is fine Finding it hard to face exercise If you're feeling stressed anxious or depressed, it's not unusual to not want to exercise However, if you can try to get out and move even if it's just for five minutes

[00:05:27] That's a great start. And once you start to feel better, it's far easier to find the motivation to continue Be prepared Just like the Boy Scouts preparation is the key to minimize the risk of procrastination

[00:05:41] Excuses or stories we tell to justify why we weren't successful in getting to our intended activity So here are some suggestions 1. Put your trainers and your sports kit ready by the front door. So you're all set to go 2. Choose to exercise with a friend

[00:05:59] It's much easier to get out when you know your exercise buddy will be waiting for you. Plus it's more fun exercising with a friend 3. Get a dog. They're always ready to head out for that next walk 4. Mix it up Variety keeps life interesting

[00:06:15] So why not try a couple of aerobic sessions at the gym, playing tennis or riding your bike interspersed with some stretching and resistance or weight training Maintaining our mental health in a world that's increasingly busy Complex and full of different challenges has never been more important

[00:06:33] The best gift you can ever give yourself is the promise to include the lifestyle habit of exercise You just listen to the post titled my mental well-being starts with putting your trainers on by Dr. Jenny Brockus of dr. Jenny Brockus calm Dr. Neal here for my commentary

[00:06:55] It was really hard to not laugh when I was reading the first paragraph of dr Brock's article to you and it was only because it was like she was perfectly recalling a day that I had recently

[00:07:07] Dr. Brock has said that we've all had those days where we've been in a bit of a funk been Disappointed by an outcome or let down by a friend. Well recently I had a day that started off great

[00:07:19] I had no meeting scheduled for once I had planned to really be productive and finish writing a manuscript I was working on catch up on my grading prepare for next week's lectures Maybe even watch a bit of the football game in the evening

[00:07:33] Well, all of that quickly got derailed after I read my morning emails all at once I received disappointing news was let down by a friend all of which Immediately put me in a funk now

[00:07:46] I grinned and bared it trying to put out these little fires that I didn't see coming But by the time the noon hour rolled around I hadn't checked anything off of my actual to-do list

[00:07:56] The morning was totally lost to these new issues that popped up and by noon. I was mentally fried Luckily, I recognized that I was in no mood to look at another email and decided I needed to remove myself from the situation and

[00:08:12] Workout now in the beginning during my warmup I couldn't stop thinking about how I should probably get back to my computer and at least try to Accomplish one of the things from my actual to-do list But by the time my warmup was over those thoughts were gone

[00:08:26] And I was able to just focus my attention on the workout by the time I was done with the entire workout I felt much more energized focused and accomplished

[00:08:37] Separating myself from the situation allowed me to clear my mind get some perspective and attack my to-do list with efficiency Plus the act of exercise don't forget

[00:08:47] Forces the brain to receive more oxygen and more nutrients to allow us to think more clearly and it was just what I needed Oh, and I was still able to finish everything in time to catch the football game that night

[00:08:59] All right that does it for me for today I hope you have a great rest of your day, and I'll see you back here on tomorrow's show where optimal life awaits