Why Exercise Is A BALANCED MEDICINE

Over the last two weeks I have been further reminded of what a great medicine 'exercise' is. There have been two different instances where the woman, with whom i was speaking to, shared their positive message towards how exercise is helping them heal.

The first, is a lady currently going through chemotherapy after being diagnosed with cancer. She said to me 'I love coming to the gym it makes me feel so good and I feel normal'. This particular lady comes no matter what-sometimes carrying her vomit bag with her as she has just had treatment. She turns up does some weights and cardio(bike) and has the huggest grin on her face the whole time.

The second lady unfortunately had a traumatic experience having her partner murdered about 8 months ago. Despite the trauma and post associated experiences she still gets out of bed every morning trying to make the most of everyday. She swims a number of kilometres and then walks about 6-7 km just to keep fit and healthy. Her physical activities provide her with routine and structure in her day and the benefits from getting moving are helping her to heal from the inside out.

For me exercise is my equaliser. If I do not feel right or balanced I chuck on the running shoes and hit the track or the gym. For me it is my BALANCING MEDICINE.....So what makes it such a great medicine?

1. Exercise has been proven to boost mood and strengthen mental wellbeing. According to Stephen Buckley of mental health charity Mind: ‘Research shows outdoor exercise such as running can be as effective as antidepressants in treating mild to moderate anxiety and depression.’ The brain releases serotonin, dopamine and norepineephrine when you move your body so even going for a stroll can lift your mood.

*Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/you/article-4091592/HEALTH-exercise-miracle-cure.html#ixzz4jm0Nxhgk 

2. Low to moderate intensity exercise has been proven to reduce stress. Runners World recently wrote an article on how it can even affect post traumatic stress disorder.

3. Creates a greater mental resilience as when you complete harder exercises you get mentally tougher, therefore being able to handle more stress...eventually being able to handle more of anything.

4. Improved Immune System as exercise helps to flush bacteria from lungs and flush out carcinogens by increasing the activity of the lymphatic system. (Therefore becoming better at being able to drain more waste away). When exercising the circulation runs faster resulting in white blood cells and antibodies running faster through the systems. 

So these are just a few reasons as to why EXERCISE IS A BALANCED MEDICINE. To me it is a win win situation and has so many positives.