Meet Rhonda Markman, MHA on the move's new nutrition and exercise expert. Rhonda is a Westchester, NY based personal trainer and nutritionist, who is passionate about empowering people to make lifestyle changes to stay healthy. For more information, visit http://www.fitnessfoodandyou.com. This is Rhonda's first piece for MHA.
Exercise energizes us, prevents disease, keeps depression at bay, maintains our brains, strengthens our bones and makes us feel good. Chemicals in the brain change after exercise. Scientists believe that exercise combats depression by enhancing endorphins: natural chemicals that act like morphine and other painkillers. There’s also a theory that aerobic activity boosts norepinephrine, a neurotransmitter that plays a role in mood.
I think the best way for people to start exercising to focus on the immediate satisfactions—specifically, the ways exercise:
• increases energy
• reduces stress
• helps alleviate anxiety and depression
• makes you sleep better
Sound sleep, so important to mental health, is positively impacted by regular exercise. Working out increases physical tiredness making it easier to fall and stay asleep. With better sleep, comes more energy………with more energy comes the ability to exercise. And so this beautiful cycle repeats!
I haven’t found one article–let alone one sentence, phrase, fragment or clause that says that exercise is not a good thing. I’m not talking about high-intensity, sports related conditioning. I’m talking about regular, moderate-intensity exercise--the type of exercise that we can all do. It’s your move!
