Just like any other form of exercise, weight training is an excellent way to increase your mood and boost your mental health. It releases endorphins in the brain, which greatly benefit people with depression. Other benefits include increased energy levels, better sleep, improved self-esteem, and better social skills. Plus, you have the added bonus of stronger muscles! If you’re not sure whether weight training is right for you there are many resources online that will help you understand the risks and benefits associated with this type of exercise.
Weight training can be performed in many ways and it can be done using a variety of equipment. Some examples of this include hand weights, weight machines, elastic bands, medicine balls, and free weights. To best benefit from weight training, it is important that you understand the correct form of each exercise. The more advanced the exercises you perform, the harder it becomes to perform the basic ones correctly.
Many people believe that weight training is only for bodybuilders and that it is linked with bulging muscles, but this is not the case. There are also many emotional benefits to weight training. The emotional benefits of weight training go way beyond just physical development. Here are the five emotional benefits of weight training:
1. Learn to overcome fear and obstacles
Strength training is, by definition, scary. It requires you to push past pain, discomfort, and fear of failure in order to improve your bodily performance. You’ll find yourself lifting iron with your heart pounding in your throat while sweat pours from every pore on your body like a river in flood.
When you first start lifting weights, many fears will rise up in your mind. While these fears are normal and even expected, you can take the focus off of those emotions and refocus on the task at hand. When you’re training, think about what you’re doing and visualise how strong your body is becoming. Think about the results you’re going to get and the benefits your body will have.
When you first start lifting weights, it’s likely that your fears will be very real and very overwhelming. Those old thoughts and old fears can’t be fought against with a single blog entry. But as with anything in life, once you start moving forward on something, you’ll find that those fears fade away even more quickly than you thought they would.
2. Increased self-confidence
A healthy amount of self-confidence is good for your emotional health. Weightlifting can lead to improved self-confidence. Going to the gym, counting the repetitions as you exercise your muscles, seeing and feeling the positive changes of weight training to the body can increase your self-confidence.
3. Enhances your mood
Weight training releases endorphins, which are “feel-good chemicals” that helps to improve your mood. When you are in a good mood, you are able to combat negative emotions. Negative emotions are bad for your emotional health, and weight training can help you fight them. It is also easier to lift yourself out of negative self-talk. In addition, studies have shown that weight training can also fight anxiety.
4. Improves your dedication and discipline
You might wonder how dedication and discipline are linked to your emotional health. Well, having discipline and dedication builds your inner strength and character. It also enables you to withstand temptations, and achieve personal goals. All these qualities are crucial to good emotional health, and weight training can help you build your dedication and discipline.
Sticking to a weight training routine can be difficult, but follow through with it can build your sense dedication and teach you discipline. Those two qualities can transform your personal life, and make increase your zeal not only to succeed in the gym, but in your career, and personal relationships.
5. Boosts social well-being
We need the companionship of others to thrive in life. Our social well-being can have a direct effect on our mental health and happiness. Being socially connected to others can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, as well as boosting self-worth, provide comfort and joy. Weight training is easier to achieve at the gym and with others helping you. Training with a fitness buddy is also safer and can help you workout better. Hence, weight training can foster social activities which is great for your emotional health.
