Physical Exercise Benefits

When people partake in physical exercise, their goal is often to lose weight or just reach top physical shape. Regardless of their reasoning, most people’s main focus when exercising is only on the physical advantages. Although working towards external goals is beneficial to one’s health, the mental and emotional benefits of physical exercise, which are often overlooked, are equally important. From increasing memory and thinking skills to improving one’s mood and sleeping, there are multiple ways in which physical exercise benefits one’s mental and emotional state. Initially, I was interested in this broad topic because I noticed changes in myself when I do and do not exercise. From my research, one of the most important effects I found is

Out of all three sources, this one by far goes into the greatest depth and detail in the scientific reasoning for exercise’s effect on depression. The article begins by explaining that the levels of BDNF (Brain-derived Neurotrophic Factor), which has antidepressant effects, are increased when one participates in regular exercise which is why many depressed individuals are prescribed to become active. To summarize, when the authors’ examined the effects of exercise and antidepressants, they found that BDNF levels respond similarly to exercise as they do to the antidepressant tranylcypromine. When utilized separately, both exercise and tranylcypromine take effect in about two weeks but when administered simultaneously, they can positively affect the brain in just two days. The authors also explain that increased stress levels may be linked to depression and another test they ran showed that exercise and antidepressants together have a significant positive impact on BDNF levels in the hippocampus, improving stress response. The focus of this article was to summarize a study conducted to research the impact of exercise and antidepressants individually and combined and to encourage further study in this

After studying multiple sources, I found two main common points. First, most sources had an underlying message that exercise invokes a healthier mind and emotional state in the participant by creating higher self-esteem and boosting one’s mood. Second, the more formal sources provided evidence that exercise affects the brain by increasing BDNF levels in the hippocampus which leads to improved nerve cell connections and then a decrease in depression. Finally, after reviewing my research, the topic of the positive effects of exercise on depression sparked my interest. Since most people are already well aware of the physical benefits of exercise, I would like to conduct more research on how exercise helps improve and prevent