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Tag: mentalhealth

  • How Exercise Benefits Our Overall Well Being

    One of the best activities we benefit from is exercise! Exercise is constantly advertised as a way of reaching an “ideal” body standard but exercise is more than that. That isn’t much of an encouragement to get our bodies moving. I believe we deserve to know more about the benefits of exercise. Exercise can benefit you in ways you’ve possibly never imagined! Your bones, muscles, brain and immune system all benefit from exercise.

    Benefits of Exercise on Your Brain

    Let’s keep in mind that mental health and brain function matter just as much as physical health does! Due to the fact that exercise helps increase blood flow and oxygen levels in the brain, our mood, learning, memory, thinking and judgment skills improve. Cognitive function is essential for our day to day lives and that is why we want to keep our minds sharp. We also get better quality sleep and who doesn’t enjoy a good night’s rest? Exercise also has positive effects on mood. It can help reduce the risk of depression and anxiety because we release brain chemicals known as endorphins. This is why you feel uplifted when you complete an exercise even if you were dreading exercising. Something as simple as going out for a walk can allow you to reap the benefits of exercise.

    Benefits of Exercise on Your Body

    When done correctly and intentionally, exercise can improve the function of your muscles and bones. With exercise, your body’s muscles and bones strengthen and so do their function. Bone strength is important as it helps prevent injuries especially as we get older. Muscles help us manage daily tasks, they determine how well we’re able to handle certain weight, activity, and force. Exercise can also help reduce health risks such as diabetes because it helps regulate our glucose levels. It can help keep blood pressure and cholesterol levels regulated as well which help prevent heart related disease. Finally, because exercise allows us to get more oxygen into our lungs and blood flow to our heart, it can help keep our lungs healthy. This helps keep our immunity strong! Which types of exercises do you prefer?

    Information gathered from the Center for Disease and Control Prevention

  • Let’s Limit Our Screen Time!

    In today’s world, it almost seems impossible to find enjoyment and entertainment in activities that don’t require us to be on electronics. We search for entertainment on our phones, televisions, laptops, tablets and so on. Anything with a screen seems to drag us in and keep us entertained for hours on end. We even tend to forget that too much screen time can have negative effects on us. We don’t consider how too much screen time affects our brains and bodies. A healthy habit we must consider is limiting our screen time! It is definitely way easier said than done even with all of the tools and alternatives available.

    How Can We Limit Screen Time?

    According to reidhealth.org, “adults should limit screen time to less than two hours per day”. So how exactly can we limit our screen time? There are many phone apps and settings that help you track your screen time. Tracking this helps you become aware of how long you’ve spent on an electronic device. You can even set a timer! Phone settings also help you silence or turn off notifications. Doing so can help you avoid unnecessarily checking your phone every time the screen lights up. Leaving your phone or any other electronic out of arm’s reach and out of sight can also help you limit screen time. Right now, it seems impossible to avoid screens but what you do to help yourself create screen limiting habits is a great start.

    What Can We Do Instead?

    With entertainment at our fingertips, we forget that other activities exist. Reading, journaling, creating art, exercising, spending quality time with friends and family, cooking, exploring your neighborhood are all great alternatives. This also enables you to pick up a skill and find enjoyment in new activities outside of watching and scrolling. It is beneficial to your mind and body as well. Since screen time is usually done in a resting state, our bodies suffer from lack of physical motion. Over time, this can lead to health  problems beyond a sore neck, insomnia and poor posture. Some of the negative effects that our brains experience are mood changes, changes in cognition, memory, ability to focus and possibly depression and anxiety. Limiting your screen time may be difficult but the benefits are worth it. We, the bloggers of Kindly Beautiful, want to help you to  be the best version of yourself!

    Read more about the effects of screen time here!