Great benefits from working out
For as long as I can remember I have exercised in different ways. I’ve tried everything from swimming, horseback riding, basketball, soccer, to weightlifting, yoga, pilates, qi-gong, tai chi, to walking & running, to kayaking & downhill skiing (neither of which I do often enough), I’ve danced ballet & belly dancing & I’ve tried a large amount of extreme sports, I love a good adrenaline rush. I have loved all the great benefits from working out, & my body has always had a huge need to move.
Not to say that I don’t spend a lot of time on the couch, because I do. Oh man do I… But I have always noticed a huge change in how I feel depending on how much I move. The benefits of working out are numerous, here are some of the great benefits from working out, that I get.
How does working out affect me?
Energy boosting
Working out boosts my energy, as long as I do it on a level that works for me that day. If I’m in a flare I can be knocked out for 3 weeks after lifting weights. Which is why I no longer workout in gyms. I do all my working out at home with my own equipment or on my walks. For me it is imperative that I adapt what I do to my body’s condition that day. It is very easy to workout at the same pace I have in the past, because I know I can do it, forgetting to listen to my body. Fortunately, I have now learned, the hard way, to listen to my body, but I need to remind myself not to over do it sometimes.
Pain relieving
I love the feeling of using my body & my muscles. I like seeing & feeling them work. I feel good about myself & most importantly in my body when I workout. Not only does it strengthen my muscles, but it also relieves pain. Working out produces Endorfin, which works as a painkiller. Living with Fibromyalgia & Ehler Danlos Syndrome my body is often in a lot of & sometimes constant pain. If I workout at a level that suits my body at the moment, & get the energy going & blood flowing it eases my pain & makes it easier to deal with. If I’m in a bad flare, however, using my muscles when working out can aggravate the pain & make it so much worse. So it’s a balancing act.
Balancing
Working out also has a very balancing effect on me. When working out we produce serotonin, which is a mood stabilizer, & it helps improve our sleep. Our parasympathetic nervous system, our rest & digest system, is also activated. When you’re stressed your sympathetic nervous system is more active, the fight or flight system. Whenever I’m stressed or have a lot on my mind, my go-to has always been working out. Be it a power walk or pushing my body’s limits while lifting weights. To me there’s nothing better way to clear my head than to workout.
Going for a walk is something I can almost always do, I don’t need any equipment, & in many ways I do my best thinking when I walk, because it changes my focus & that’s when all the great ideas come. Walking to me is also very stress relieving. To be in the moment of walking, listening to the sounds around me, smelling the smells. The best time for me to walk is when it’s raining. I love the feeling & smell of the rain. It’s cathartic. Plus less people are usually out when it rains, which is nice when you live in a big city.
When I was completely knocked out during my latest Crohn flare, going for walks wasn’t an option. All I could do was lay on my couch, make food, & maybe meditate. So one of my goals when in remission was to start going for walks again. It was an amazing feeling when I was finally able to do it. First short distances, sitting down & taking breaks, to now being able to go for my bellowed power walks again.
Improving cognitive functions
Working out, & I mean doing things like qi-gong, moving the body slowly in diagonals, like when you walk & your arms swing has been one of the things that have helped me improve my memory. During my last flare my memory was absolute crap. I don’t just mean walking into a room & forgetting why I came in there in the first place, my memory was so bad that I couldn’t formulate sentences while speaking or writing. It didn’t matter how long I thought for, the words never came to me. Which is kind of hard for anyone, but especially, when your profession is teaching languages…
Working out while doing things diagonally has been proven to create new synapses, pathways, in the brain, which increases your memory among other things. Working out in general is good for the brain because of the increased blood flow through the body & to the brain. For more information on what benefits workout has on our body & mind see the post “5 benefits to working out, according to science”.
Eating healthy
When I workout I also eat more healthy food. I become more conscious about what I put into my body & what affect it has on it. Plus instead of trying to get sugar kicks to keep up the energy level, my energy is more stable because I eat better & exercise.
Do what Works for you Today
My whole life I have loved moving my body & pushing it to its limits, I have now learned to move my body in a way that works for it, not trying to optimize everything I do. A walk in the park might seem like an easy thing to do, but for some it’s the biggest achievement of all. It’s worth repeating that working out is beneficial in so many ways, but it’s important to do it in a way that works for you & your body today, don’t look at how you used to do things.
Today I practice yoga, go for walks, sometimes power walks, I try adding tougher strengthening exercises when I feel like my body can handle it. Cardio is still hard for me, but one power walk at a time I will get there. This fall I’m also learning to Crawl, something I’m looking forward to. I discovered last year that I actually love swimming, something I thought I hated… So the sky’s the limit, there are so many ways to work out & there is something for everyone. You just have to find what you like doing & do it in a way that works for you & your body today.
