Jennifer Heisz combines her personal experience with neuroscience to illustrate the benefits of exercise on mental health and physical wellbeing.
Noted neuroscientist, Jennifer Heisz, shares both research and many practical strategies in her book: Move the Body, Heal the Mind: Overcome Anxiety, Depression, and Dementia and Improve Focus, Creativity, and Sleep. This helpful guide is packed with fascinating studies, anecdotes, and actionable strategies.
Heisz is a professor in the Department of Kinesiology at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada. She runs a research lab that examines the impact of physical activity on the brain. Her book details her own research as well as other notable research and case studies.
Importantly, she shares her own story of how exercise helped her overcome her own mental health challenges.
Why It’s Hard to Exercise Consistently
She starts with the elephant in the room. If we know all of the reasons why it’s important to exercise, why is it so hard to do? She says that regardless of understanding the benefits of exercise, our brains tend to stick to familiar routines.
Consequently, our brains make it tough to break old habits.
The Science Behind the Benefits of Exercise on Mental Health
As a neuroscientist, she explains how the brain works in detail, undeniably illustrating her points. For example, she shares that living in near constant stress can put us in a cycle of being hyper-alert, or in the “fight or flight” response. When we exercise, it increases something called neuropeptide Y, which helps us be more resilient in the face of stress.
One study found that only 30 minutes of exercise three times a week helped to increase Neuropeptide Y and reduce anxiety.
Inflammation, Exercise, and Mental Health
The role of inflammation is also explored.
Conclusion: Mental and Emotional Health Can Be Improved Through Exercise
Though Heisz is a researcher, she communicates the science of mental health and exercise in easy-to-understand terms. It’s also super practical. Each chapter ends with a fitness plan that speaks to the chapter’s contents.
One of The Weekend Reset Challenge’s 7 practices is to MOVE. Check out this list of 25 ways you can move your body this weekend! And have a look at resources and strategies that can inspire you to move more this weekend (and every day)!
If you haven’t joined yet, sign up for The Weekend Reset Challenge, where you’ll get weekly tips about how to maximize your weekend to start each week calm, connected, and confident!
Keep reading: Ready to put this knowledge into action? See 25 Quick and Easy Ways to Move Your Body This Weekend for ideas at every energy level. You might also enjoy combining movement with nature — read about Forest Bathing and why trees literally boost your immune system.
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