BE A BETTER YOU
1.
16 WAYS
IT BOOSTS YOUR MOOD Research has shown that just 20 minutes of exercise is enough to cause your body to release chemicals called endorphins which relieve stress and pain, helping you feel more positive and upbeat.
2.
IT INCREASES HOPE AND OPTIMISM Ever noticed how you tend to feel a bit happier and less stressed after exercise? That’s partly because exercise causes the release of myokines, a substance secreted into your blood stream when you contract your muscles. “They cross your blood/brain barrier, and in your brain their primary effect is to act as an anti-depressant and change the structure of your brain in ways that make you more resilient to stress,” says Kelly McGonigal, a US research psychologist and lecturer at Stanford University. In her book, The Joy of Movement, McGonigal calls myokines “an intravenous dose of hope”.
3.
SCIENCEBACKED REASONS TO GET A SWEAT ON
EXERCISE
MAKES YOU
HAPPIER
Words: Emily Cunliffe
manmagazineuk.co.uk
IT RELIEVES STRESS BETTER THAN WEED Research shows that exercise also causes the body to release endocannabinoids – the same chemicals mimicked by cannabis – which neuroscientists describe as “don’t worry, be happy” chemicals.
MAN MAGAZINE WINTER 2021/22
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