{"id":1282,"date":"2022-09-26T10:04:04","date_gmt":"2022-09-26T17:04:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/ucan\/?p=1282"},"modified":"2022-09-26T10:14:43","modified_gmt":"2022-09-26T17:14:43","slug":"benefits-to-physical-activity-that-arent-related-to-changing-your-body","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/ucan\/benefits-to-physical-activity-that-arent-related-to-changing-your-body\/","title":{"rendered":"Benefits to Physical Activity That Aren\u2019t Related to Changing Your Body"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s pretty hard to get on social media these days without seeing some post about a gym influencer showing off their \u201c#gymgainz,\u201d or \u201c#fitspo.\u201d <\/span>There is nothing wrong with loving and being proud of the body that you are in but what a self-esteem crusher. Seeing these workout posts with the underlying messages of \u201cyou too can look like me\u201d isn’t inspiring, it’s offensive.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"Posts like that don’t consider the fact that all bodies are different and are going to respond differently to working out. Plus, most people don’t have the time or resources to have a gym membership and spend 2+ hours a day there.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here’s the truth – physical activity is a great way to honor our health. And if you’re looking for other outcomes from physical movement than looking like a fitness model, this is the blog for you.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

Here are five benefits to physical activity that aren\u2019t related to changing your body:<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Improved mood<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Did you know that taking even a ten minute walk during your lunch break can put you in a better mood? Participating in physical activity causes your body to release endorphins (aka our \u201chappy hormones\u201d). <\/span><\/p>\n

Endorphins are mood-enhancers. Try going for a ten minute walk in the morning to put a little \u201cpep\u201d in your step!<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Better sleep<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Two words. Better. Sleep. Need I say more? In case I do, participating in regular physical activity can help to give your body a higher quality sleep, which is extremely important as college students! <\/span><\/p>\n

Not only does good sleep just feel incredible, it helps our body reset and recover for the next day, allowing us to be the best versions of ourselves.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Increased energy levels.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

This one sounds a little silly, right? \u201cIf I participate in physical activity, I\u2019m sometimes tired afterwards\u2026how does that give me more energy?\u201d Physical activity helps our lungs bring more oxygen to the body which helps to fuel our body\u2019s built in powerhouses. (Remember the mitochondria?) This allows our body to use our energy resources more efficiently and is responsible for the boost in energy we feel after being active.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"4. Help with memory.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Physical activity has also been shown to enlarge the hippocampus, the brain’s memory center. <\/span><\/p>\n

This sounds like such a good deal for college students. It can be difficult trying to remember everything from classes and life, so this added benefit to physical activity can really come in handy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

5. Reduced stress.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

When we are stressed, our body goes into a state of \u201cfight or flight,\u201d meaning that our body will either \u201cfight\u201d what is stressing us out, or run from it. Back in the day, this stressor may have been a bear, or some kind of angry wildlife, so our bodies would respond in this way to keep us alive. <\/span><\/p>\n

For college students, stressors can come in the form of big projects, or midterms. While we don\u2019t need to \u201cfight\u201d our schoolwork, our body still responds in the same way. So\u2026why not move your body to help this stress response find its way out?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Remember that physical activity should not be a punishment, and it doesn\u2019t have to be grueling for it to be effective. These intrinsic benefits will keep you coming back for more. Go Jacks!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n

\n Abigail Pye, UCAN Health Coach<\/a>\n <\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s pretty hard to get on social media these days without seeing some post about a gym influencer showing off their \u201c#gymgainz,\u201d or \u201c#fitspo.\u201d There is nothing wrong with loving and being proud of the body that you are in but what a self-esteem crusher. Seeing these workout posts with the underlying messages of \u201cyou […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":359,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1282","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/ucan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1282","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/ucan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/ucan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/ucan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/359"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/ucan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1282"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/ucan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1282\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1287,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/ucan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1282\/revisions\/1287"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/ucan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1282"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/ucan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1282"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/ucan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1282"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}