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During the dark days before Christmas, when the days are short and it’s bleak and cold, many notice their mental fitness declining. But no worries – because did you know that exercise improves mental health? With the holidays just around the corner, we would ideally like to feel optimal, so let’s see how exercise affects our brain and how OneFit’s #sweatandjoy lifestyle will get you through the dark days before Christmas.
Exercise makes you happy
Feeling lethargic, tired or grumpy in winter? Then you probably have a case of the well-known winter blues. The reason is usually lack of daylight. Light causes the body to produce serotonin, a happiness hormone. Dark days cause the body to produce less serotonin and more melatonin instead, the sleep hormone. As a result, your internal clock gets confused and you can feel depressed and low in energy. The good news: this is – in many cases – easy to counteract.
“Exercise releases happy hormones including endorphin, dopamine, and serotonin, as well as cannabinoids.”
Exercise releases happy hormones, including endorphins, dopamine, serotonin, and cannabinoids. These hormones improve your mood and give you a natural high. Just think; if you’ve ever hit the gym despite feeling demotivated, you probably know how great you feel afterwards. Finding motivation is really not always easy, but it makes you happier if you did go in the end. Not only that, sport is playing an increasingly important role in the treatment of depression and can be a useful complement to therapy.
Your workout against stress
Poor mental health is often associated with stress, which is caused by pressure to perform and fast-paced lifestyles. Especially during the busy month of December, when the year is being closed at work, plans for the new year are made and on top of that there are many private matters to attend to (e.g. Christmas shopping, preparing festive dinners). If you’re struggling to unwind mentally after a day at work, sport is a great way to clear your head.
Which sport is most suitable for this differs per person. It does not matter what kind of sport you choose, whether you are doing functional training with partners such as VondelGym, play a match of Padel at Peakz, high intensity at Alpha31 or Rocycle, or just take it easy at Equal or Sanctum. It’s all possible, exercise, in any way, shape or form, improves mental health.
“Physical exercise not only reduces stress, it also increases resilience; which means that stress, change and challenge have less effect on your well-being.”
Better sleep through physical activity
It’s only when we suffer from a bad night’s sleep that we realise how important sleep is. According CBS, 1 in 5 Dutch people has trouble sleeping. This has a direct impact on our physical and mental wellbeing as lack of sleep puts strain on the psyche. Stress and strain are often the triggers for restless nights.
Sport promotes a good night’s sleep, which is useful during that incredibly busy month of December, because exercising during the day helps you relax (and worry less) in the evening. Just make sure you don’t exercise too intensely right before bed – instead, consider a more relaxing activity, such as yoga.
Sport combats loneliness
Loneliness isn’t exactly a popular topic – people are ashamed of it and don’t like to admit that they are dealing with it. Especially during the holidays. Contact restrictions due to the Corona pandemic had a major impact on our social lives. Many people, including lots of 18 to 29 year olds, struggled with loneliness to some degree. Here too, the benefits of exercise come into play again; joining a running group or trying out a new class together is social, fun and helps to combat loneliness.
Taking all of the above into consideration, OneFit is the ideal tool to boost your sports routine ánd social life. So book your next lesson now, discover partners in your area and get the most out of the dark days before Christmas! Sweat & Joy!
Not yet a OneFit member? Choose the plan that fits your exercising needs te most. You can already work out at our partners from €32.50 per month! Questions about OneFit? Check our FAQ.
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