Many of us automatically think of exercise and diet as the components necessary for physical well-being. Those components are important, however, as more and more brain research is completed, we understand that the mind and body are inseparable and our physical health is very important for our overall sense of well-being.

Physical well-being includes exercise, diet, flexibility, endurance, safety, hygiene, personal responsibility, and use of medical services, preventive care and self care, including sleep, stress management and connection with others.
For the purposes of this column, the volume of information will be limited to exercise and diet, with links provided for those who would like more information.

Let’s start with the benefits of exercise for the body:

Makes you stronger.

Boosts the immune system.

Maintains muscle and bone strength, which helps to decrease risk of osteoporosis and falls.

Burns excess fat helping to maintain or reduce weight, thus reducing the risk of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke and obesity.

Helps conditions such as arthritis and asthma.

Improves sleep.

Helps one work out emotions such as anger, frustration and anxiety.

The benefits of exercise for the mind include:

Enhancing mood and reducing depression and anxiety by stimulating serotonin production.

Providing opportunities for interaction with people and nature.

Reducing stress and sharpening concentration.

Offering a time that is just for you (even when with a friend), which is important when you may be juggling many roles.

From Tetleywellbeing4life.com.au

For more information on the benefits of exercise see:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/exercise/HQ01676

http://www.busywomensfitness.com/exercise-benefits.html

http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/physical/importance/why.htm.

Psychological Benefits of Exercise

There are many psychological benefits of physical activity. The most common are listed below:

Decreased daily and chronic stress: Exercise is one of the best ways to decrease stress. Exercise can help relieve stress by releasing endorphins and/or by creating an outlet from daily tension and anxiety. With less stress, many individuals will begin to feel more energized and alive. An exercise session is a great time to watch television, listen to music or read a good book or magazine.

Improved self-confidence and body image: Today, many people are unhappy with their physical appearance. By exercising regularly, most people will begin to see positive physical change. When individuals start seeing these results, they tend to be proud of their success and feel good about who they are. Many times this enhances body image perception and self-confidence.

Enhanced moods: Exercise makes most people feel good, and when people feel good, their moods seem to elevate. Whether this is due to the release of endorphins or providing a distraction from daily stress, many studies show that regular exercisers have a more positive outlook and are happier overall in comparison to the inactive population.

Helps alleviate depression: Studies show that regular exercise can greatly alleviate and in some cases prevent the symptoms of depression. The exact physiological reason is unknown, but scientists believe that enhancing body image, elevating moods and improving one’s health and physical appearance can all help boost self-confidence and create a feeling of success, therefore alleviating depression symptoms.

Increased mental alertness: Stress and fatigue negatively affect concentration, comprehension and memory. Since exercise is a great way to alleviate stress and increase energy levels, a regular exercise routine will enhance mental alertness and can improve overall mental health.

Feeling great overall: One of the best psychological benefits of exercise is just feeling great overall. One could argue that this is a physical benefit of exercise; however the psychological benefits greatly contribute to this overall great feeling. The combination of increased self-confidence, decreased stress, better moods, less depression and increased mental health in addition to all of the physical benefits should make anyone feel great.

Regardless of why or how the body psychologically adapts to exercise, the main point is that exercise not only improves physical health, but also mental health. Uniting the physical and psychological benefits of exercise will definitely help enhance the quality of life.

From Stephanie M. Vlach, M.S. http://www.wellbridge.com/wellbridge/cambridge/pulse.php?ID30

How much exercise is needed to produce those effects?

Even a brief walk at low intensity can improve mood and increase energy. As little as 10 minutes of aerobic exercise can have a positive effect.

For long-term benefits, you should exercise three times a week for 30 minutes per session at a moderate intensity.

Programs longer than 10 weeks work best for reducing symptoms of depression

http://aaasponline.org/Resource-Center/health-and-fitness/articles/psych-benefits-of-exercise

Food and Nutrition

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans has been published jointly every 5 years since 1980 by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA). The guidelines provide authoritative advice for people older than 2 about how good dietary habits can promote health and reduce risk for major chronic diseases. See the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Web site for more detailed dietary information. http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2005/document/pdf/DGA2005.pdf

Healthy dietary recommendations include:

Drink 6 to 8 glasses of water daily. This is a low-cost, convenient measure.

Eat a minimum of 5 portions of fruit and vegetables daily

Eat breakfast and have regular meal times. Three small meals and 2 snacks are optimal to maintain blood sugar levels and control appetite.

Choose food that release energy slowly — oatmeal, unrefined grains and proteins: meat, fish, cheese, eggs, beans, nuts and seeds.

Eat foods containing Omega 3, 6, and 9 fatty acids (found in fish, avocado, flax seed, hemp seed, nuts and oils) to help maintain cellular function and well-being as well as increasing serotonin production.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/food-and-nutrition

http://www.mypyramid.gov/pyramid/index.html

http://www.nutrition.gov

So for your physical well-being, begin exercising and set a minimum goal of up to 30 minutes most days. Drink 6 to 8 glasses of water daily. Eat three meals daily, and choose from each of the food groups following the recommended servings. Reduce your stress, sleep well and set your intentions for a healthy life.

Aufenthie is a life coach at Franciscan Skemp’s Center for Health and Healing and writes an online column about healthy living and wellness for the Tribune. If you have questions for Aufenthie, e-mail them to trindfleisch@lacrossetribune.com, or call (608) 791-8227.

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