Run Along the Road to Happiness…

It may not feel like it while you are completing a gruelling work out at the gym but exercise makes you happy.

Of course, it is a proven fact that exercise is good for you. Just a 30 minute brisk walk every day can benefit the circulatory system, help to remove toxins from the body and reduce the risk of heart disease and high blood pressure.

But regular physical activity promotes a sense of wellbeing beyond these effects too.

“There are a two main ways in which exercise can directly make you happy,” says Richard Keegan, lecturer in sports psychology at the department of sport, coaching and exercise at the University of Lincoln.

“Firstly, when you exercise, chemicals are released in the body which have a positive effect on mood.

“Exercise may be linked to increases in serotonin, endorphines, adrenaline and dopamine, which are all chemicals which either release energy or say ‘well done’ or both.”

When these chemicals are released into the body they lead to what experts refer to as a ‘runner high’ or a sense of euphoria that occurs after a workout.

Exercise also burns up Cortisol, which is produced in the body during stressful periods. Secondly, exercise also has an effect on self esteem,” says Richard.

“There is an absence of self esteem in lots of conditions which are associated with unhappines including depression and fatigue. Achieving goals through exercise promotes self esteem.”

And research suggests that the type of exercise you do doesn’t affect the quality of your ‘high’.

“In team sports there is an element of being in a group and that could be factored in to how happy you are but it depends on your personality,” says Richard.

“If you enjoy running then you will have a similar experience to someone who enjoys rugby.”

(c) 2008 Lincolnshire Echo. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.