The Benefits of Exercise For Your Mental Wellbeing13 May

Whilst physical exercise is great for your body, it also benefits your mental well-being by boosting your mood, improving sleep, and helping with depression.

There are lots of different things you can do to get active by moving more and taking breaks from sitting down for too long.  Our fitness class timetable has something to suit everyone, whether it’s escaping for some “me” time with a yoga or pilates class, kicking away the day in a BODYCOMBAT class, or throwing some shapes and having heaps of fun in a Brio Dance class.

How exercise improves your mental health?

• Better sleep– Burning off energy and thoughts will help clear your mind for a great night of rest.
• Happier moods–  It realeses feel-good hormones making you feel better in yourself and giving you more energy.
• Managing stress– Exercise releases Oxytocin which helps us feel great and manage stress by reducing cortisol.
• Connecting with people – We have so many members that formed friendship groups from fitness classes and workouts, it’s an opportunity to share tips and motivation with like-minded people with similar goals too!
• Better self-esteem – Being active can make you feel better about yourself and give you more confidence to focus on what’s right for you.
• Reducing the risk of depression –  Doing regular physical activity can help to manage mild to moderate depression, as well as reduce the likelihood of experiencing a period of depression. If you are looking to increase your activity level to support your mental wellbeing, the NHS have lots of helpful advice in the link above.  .

Getting Started;

Taking a walk is always a great starting point, getting outdoors in the fresh air and enjoying some lovely spring sunshine will boost your vitamin D intake and give that extra boost!

Next up, you need to work out what you enjoy and would benefit from, here’s our top 3 classes to try!

1. Yoga

Yoga’s foundations are based around spirituality and, with its its close ties to meditation,  with its relaxation and tranquillity. It’s a low-impact exercise, so that means it’s great if you’re new to exercise, returning to it after a break, injury or pregnancy. Yoga is said toIt increases body awareness, easeeases stress, and ease increases flexibilitymuscle tension, whilst . As a form of low-impact exercise, yoga has been shown to lowering stress hormones in our bodies while and simultaneously increasing beneficial brain chemicals like endorphins and GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), making us feel less anxious and more relaxed

2. High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) 

This is a firm favourite Brio class here, if you are looking for something high energy and is going to be challenging at the same time try one of our BodyCombat or Bodypump classes. It’s a great way to increase your heart rate, often requires little to no equipment, and can be completed in a short amount of time.

3. Boxing or Martial Arts

This exercise is renowned for being a big stress relief for people who have any pent up anger, it’s also a great way of working up a sweat. The intensity of the exercise helps with a good supply of mood-boosting endorphins, which is the ideal stress buster after a long day at work.

Here at Brio, we offer a variety of classes from Strala Yoga to BodyComabt and Brio Box have a look at our classes here! 

Please know that it’s okay not to be okay. You are not alone. It is said that 1 in 4 people experience mental health issues each year. If you are struggling with your mental health, please speak to someone you can trust like a friend or family member or a doctor and get support. There are several UK mental health charities, such as Mental Health UK, Mind UK where you can get more information and support.

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