10 Ways Moving Your Body Impacts Your Brain

Many people work out with the goal of improving their “physical health” (so to speak). I’m sure you’ve felt the pressure at some point to exercise to achieve a certain aesthetic, ward off illness & disease, and combat pain/injury generally. But, the increasingly understood and massive benefits of exercising to keep your brain healthy (e.g., maintain your mental and emotional well-being) is still very understated.

In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month — you deserve to know what an impact you can have by incorporating any amount of physical activity into your routine!

Here are 10 ways in which moving your body potently and positively affects your brain…

1. EXERCISE RELEASES A PROTEIN CALLED BDNF, IN THE BRAIN.

This protein serves to protect the neurons (nerve cells) in your brain, so you can maintain cognitive and emotional function & overall health. It also strengthens neural connections and promotes neuroplasticity, so you can hold onto memories as well as adapt to new experiences.

2. MOBILITY IMPROVES NEURAL MAPPING.

When your brain is unsure of the health status of a given body part/region, it often increases muscle tension (or turns on the “pain alarm”!) - to protect you from moving in ways that may harm you. If you move gently and intentionally, through full range of any joint in your body, you send clear data and signals of safety to the nervous system. Your brain receives input from joint receptors, which allows it to release muscular tension, leaving you feeling fluid in motion and pain-free.

3. STRENGTH TRAINING PROMOTES “MIND-MUSCLE” CONNECTION.

When you practice activating your muscles, you are wiring your neuromuscular circuitry - you are strengthening a muscle’s capability to contract via improving your brain’s ability to orchestrate the movement. This helps keep you strong, highly functional, and protected from injury.

4. WALKING HELPS WITH EMOTIONAL REGULATION.

Walking offers a multifaceted approach to stress reduction - notably, walking fosters distraction from negative thought patterns which cause emotional distress. Particularly in outdoor settings, going for a walk stimulates the prefrontal cortex (the executive function hub of of the brain). This brain area is associated with planning, decision-making, and regulating emotions. Stimulating it allows for greater ease of processing.

5. MOVING & LOOKING IN DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS CHALLENGES BALANCE.

When you are in different positions/planes, and challenge your eyes to do the same (e.g., during a walk observing your environment, inversions, etc), you improve the vestibulo-ocular reflex. This is a system of communication between your inner ear (equilibrium center), eyes, and brain. Challenging this system keeps you free from vertigo/cerebral causes of dizziness.

6. EXERCISE RELEASES MOOD-BOOSTING CHEMICAL MESSENGERS.

Likely through multiple mechanisms (i.e., increasing brain blood-flow, temperature, and demanding more metabolic work), exercise signals the release of “feel-good” neurotransmitters in the brain - including endorphins, serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. These make you feel pain-free, happy, motivated, and mentally sharp.

7. DANCING INTRODUCES A NOVEL NEURAL EXPERIENCE TO THE BRAIN.

Dancing often involves moving in ways...challenging systems, experiencing motions and positions...that we don’t often engage with during day-to-day monotony. Introducing new, interesting movement patterns to our nervous systems stimulates novel neural pathways, which is beneficial for mood and brain plasticity.

8. INTENTIONAL BREATHWORK ACTIVATES THE “REST & DIGEST” NERVOUS SYSTEM.

Implementing breathing techniques, focused on maximizing lung volume & slowing breathing rate, activates the parasympathetic nervous system (which allows us to feel relaxed). In this state, the systems that absorb nutrients, control cellular healing and waste removal, and regulate the stress response function at their best!

9. MOVEMENT STIMULATES CEREBRAL BLOOD-FLOW.

When you move your body, by way of contracting your muscles, your tissues demand more blood-flow to stay nourished and maintain energy/function. This increase in demand stimulates increased pumping of blood and oxygenation globally - meaning, the blood-flow to your brain improves, too! This simply means healthier brain tissues and function overall.

10. HEALTHY HABIT FORMATION HAS LONG-LASTING HEALTH IMPACTS!

Staying active consistently means feeling accomplished, and continually releasing dopamine in the brain (which strengthens your motivation, and makes habits easier to stick to). This is what we call the “upward spiral”!!

Not all exercise routines are created equal…it is vital to seek guidance, to ensure your workouts are serving you best. But, when you find something (even 5 minutes of dance parties per week to start) that makes you feel GOOD, and that you can actually STICK TO, you’ll start to feel your whole life change before you. Physical activity is certainly not the end-all-be-all for mental health, but it is a powerful and underrated tool in your emotional well-being toolbox!

If you need a fierce support system, the education, and the tools to start working out to benefit your beautiful body and brain today, Lovely Bones has your back. Reach out any time, via our contact page! 🖤💀

You matter, and you are not alone.