Your mental health is an important key to your physical health and wellbeing. Tension, stress; anxiety and worry can all affect your mental ability and illness is often a direct result of mental and emotional stress overload.
Two factors can help to improve your mental wellbeing; the first one we are going to look at is fitness. Unfortunately too many people still think that fitness just improves your physical side. This is untrue as exercise can have such a positive effect on the mind and is especially effective in treating depression.
A survey carried out by the charity Mind found that 83% of people with mental health problems exercised to lift their mood or to reduce stress. Six out of ten of the people said that exercise helped to improve their motivation, 50% said it boosted their self-esteem and 24% said it improved their social skills.
I'm sure you have heard of the exercise high that people feel from doing physical exercise, this is because the brain elevates your mood by releasing serotonin and endorphins which help reduce feelings of anxiety, stress and depression. The main benefit of exercise is that you feel better instantly, where as if a person is put on a course of medication it may take weeks to actually kick in! Sleeping is a major problem for people who suffer from depression and regular exercise has been proven to aid sleep. It also boosts energy levels which again is something people with depression lack.
Another area to look at is nutrition. People are aware that a healthy diet is paramount in reducing the risk of obesity, heart disease and diabetes but it is also extremely important for our mental health.
Eating four to five small meals a day will keep your blood sugar levels regulated. When they drop, low moods; irritability and tiredness are experienced. Always include protein with each meal as recent research suggests that a component of protein, the amino acid tryptophan has a very important effect on the brain where it can influence your mood.
Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables throughout the day including whole grains and natural foods.
Stay away from processed food and high sugar foods as they can cause a quick surge of energy in the blood sugar levels which wears off very quickly and this is then followed by a crash leaving you feeling low and tired.
Although exercise and nutrition are extremely important and can aid recovery, a physician should always be consulted as the number one priority when severe mental health problems are concerned.
Steph Rice is a Certified Personal Trainer and a Certified Nutrition Advisor.
Steph is best known for being the No1 Womens Motivational Fat Loss Expert; helping hundreds of women across the world achieve their fat loss goals with amazing results.
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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Steph_Rice/320984
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