If I were to tell you regular exercise, such as running, was to help you to lose weight, has been proven over and over again to not only improve but prevent health problems, you probably wouldn’t be too shocked right?! Now what if I were to tell you regular exercise has actually been shown to make one happier and smarter?! Got your attention now right?
I’m sure you’ve all heard of that famous ‘runner’s high’ which is due to the release of endorphins during a long run that leave you with a very positive feeling, which you can read more about in Exercising to Release Endorphins.
According to an article titled Exercise for Physical and Emotional Health, “exercise distracts your mind, and with the release of those endorphins, gets you away from negative thinking that feed anxiety and depression, as well as sour moods.” They also stated that you can get this ‘runner’s high’ feeling from any form of exercise as it is “simply a byproduct of exercise and increased blood flow.”
As you can see regular exercise is an easy and healthy way to cope with life’s stressors without resorting to unhealthy strategies, such as alcohol or constant negative thoughts. Regular exercise can leave you with a less anxious feeling and in a happier state.
Now on to the good stuff, what about regular exercise making you smarter?! E-health Diary stated in How Working Out Can Make You Smarter that “according to the statistics, college students who worked out before class scored 17% higher on average. And those who worked out for at least 40 minutes increased their performance by a full letter grade. Even as children, students who exercised for 40 minutes each day had a 3.8 point increase in their IQ on average, while those who were not active saw no improvement.”
These mental benefits are not only seen in children though, this continues well on into adulthood. According to that previously mentioned E-Health Diary article “when it comes to the workplace statistics show that regular active employees were 15% more efficient than their non-active peers. As a result, a 50-hour work week for an average employee was equivalent to a 42.5-hour work week for the fit employee.”
Below is an infographic showing how exercise makes you smarter from onlinecollegecourses.com:
Please Include Attribution to OnlineCollegeCourses.com With This Graphic 
Have you ever experienced that ‘runner’s high’ feeling?
Do you feel regular exercise has made you more alert or smarter in any way?
Other Articles That May Be of Interest:
Train Your Brain to Achieve Your Fitness Goals
