Can Aerobic Exercise Improve Your Mental Health?

It is widely known that physical exercise benefits not only the body, but the mind as well. Indeed, for as long as we can remember, we’ve all heard the expression, “a healthy body is a healthy mind.” Now, more than ever, new data regarding this very special relationship is surfacing as scientists reveal more correlations between physical exercise - particularly aerobics - and its effects on the human brain’s overall health and functionality.

Work Hard, Play Hard

Dancing, it turns out, not only offers the same health benefits as regular aerobic exercise, it also promises plenty of other advantages, both physical and mental. By dancing you are strengthening and toning your muscles, raising your energy level, reducing your blood pressure, and losing weight. In fact, one hour of dancing is said to burn at least 300 calories in a 150-pound person. Additional benefits include better posture, balance, coordination, flexibility, and dexterity. What’s more is that dancing can be enjoyed by folks of every age.

Dancing to Your Mind’s Content

In addition to the physical benefits gain by working out, dancing also contributes to your overall mental wellbeing. Research has shown that dancing not only exercises your muscles, but your brain as well. Along with maintaining rhythm, this complex activity also involves learning movements and memorizing steps and routines, thereby enhancing one’s mental capacities in terms of memory and spatial awareness.

Like regular aerobic exercise, dancing also boosts levels of serotonin - often referred to as the “feel-good brain chemical” - and endorphins, the neurotransmitters in the brain responsible for mood enhancement and pain relief. These enhanced levels have been shown to help prevent and even improve the various symptoms of physical and mental afflictions such as dementia and Parkinson’s disease.

Steve Daitch is the Social Media Manager at Mind360.com - a leading scientific brain training games developer for boosting your memory, attention, executive functions, reasoning, and other key cognitive skills. As a Mind360 visitor you simply select your own Personal Training Program, which comes complete with a personal coach and constant feedback to ensure your swift and visible progress.