The power of exercise

When an exercise plan is first started it can feel like a struggle, real hard work to many, or at least this is how it may be perceived and so this is what puts people off  sometimes. However like many things that can begin with ‘hard work’, the results are many and can also be very powerful and often transformative.

This is the perception I now have of exercise itself because of the many transformative experiences I have luckily had from the power of exercise itself. This does not stop at just the physical; to me the physical benefits are important but just a part of what you can gain.

In my last post I talked about the benefits you can gain from exercise of which there are many. Here I particularly want to talk about one of the immediate benefits you can gain from exercise. The benefits that are immediate but can also have a lasting effect if you let it. Our aim at Mirala Health is to help people see the full benefits that can be gained from a health programme that takes the whole approach; I hope that this blog post can help you with this.

No matter what your current health state is, you can experience the benefits of exercise in this sense almost immediately. All it requires is that you take the action to go and do the exercise whatever form it is and begin with the intention that you will enjoy it.

Have you ever been in an exercise class or doing some form of exercise and felt really good, lifted, happy and totally in the moment? Some may call it a buzz. This feeling can be experienced every time you exercise, and over time if you exercise regularly your emotional state can be lifted more permanently. Exercise is one of the best anti-depressants and it can also be free. Just going out for a walk or run can really lift your mood. Try this next time you are feeling low.

Although it can be hard to get started it is always worth it.  It is known that when we exercise feel-good hormones called endorphins are released and this can be what causes us to feel good. But whatever the cause, one thing is for sure is it works as a great mood enhancer and there are no really bad side effects, only long term benefits. If you view exercise in this way I am certain that if you are not already, then you will be far more motivated to participate in regular exercise.

In addition, it doesn’t matter how long you have been exercising for this benefit never goes away, if anything it increases. I like to explain it sometimes as an experience of satori – (this is a Zen name for an experience of mini enlightenment) where true reality is experienced and true joy- everything is one and there is no detachment. This is how we should feel and want to feel so why not have more of it. When I experience this level of joy it is often during cardiovascular exercise such as sparring or a spinning class, many runners will also experience this. Exercise in itself can be a form of mindfulness meditation which is perhaps what leads to this experience of Satori.

It is a state of euphoria and one that is free and of course healthy. Who wouldn’t want this and if not why?  The next time you feel unmotivated when you have arranged to go for an exercise session remind yourself of the mood enhancing benefits that can be gained from it and see if it helps:).