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Everyone knows that exercising has great benefits to your body, but what most people don’t know is that it’s one of the most effective ways to improve mental health and well-being. Here are five ways that exercise and physical activities benefit your mental health. 

• Better Sleep Schedule – Exercising often helps regulate your sleep schedule, causing you to be less sleep deprived. It also increases your body temperature and decreases the temperature during the post-exercise process, causing the body to relax. Exercising can also decrease anxiety, leading to a reduction in insomnia. 

• Increase in Energy – Exercising or doing any type of physical activity helps increase energy levels. Getting the heart pumping increases blood flow, allowing more oxygen into the brain, and improving cardiovascular health. 

• Reduce Stress – Exercising is known to decrease physical and mental stress because it effects stress hormones and can even help regulate them. Exercising and weight loss can release toxins stored in the body, which is believed to reduce stress and anxiety. 

• Sharpen Memory – It’s no secret that typically, the older you get, the foggier your memory becomes. Many believe that exercising may promote the growth of brain cells which can help prevent age-related memory loss. 

• Higher Self-Esteem – There’s nothing wrong with exercising to look good! When you feel better about your body, it can affect your mental well-being for the better. Because exercising can increase your self-esteem, you can start to take more care of yourself in other areas like getting organized or doing a weekly self-care routine. Investing in a stronger, more confident you can help improve the overall functionality of your mind and body. 

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