Physical and mental benefits of exercise Exploring the benefits of and different ways to exercise

February 6, 2024

Exercise can be a pleasure or a pain, sometimes literally. If you are not in the habit of doing regular exercise, then we have different ways to exercise regularly.

Even if you are a regular exerciser contemplating a different form, it is always sensible to seek advice from your doctor if you have any physical concerns. When it comes to exercise, it’s best to be realistic whether you can commit for a reasonable length of time. Often, we take up forms of exercise and fail to see them through because of lack of motivation unless it is an exercise that we enjoy or see immediate benefits.

One way of motivating yourself is to involve others – joining a class or arranging a home visit or sharing an exercise with friends.

By making exercise a collaborative process, there’s a greater commitment to seeing it through and persevering and in time enjoying the benefits.

It is recommended that those aged 65+ should aim to be active daily in whatever shape or form. Over the course of the week that should amount to 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise or 30 minutes a day on at least five days a week.

You don’t have to do the full 30 minutes in one go and certainly you shouldn’t do any exercise that might aggravate any current physical issues.

Therefore, it’s best to find exercise that suits you and is a pleasure rather than chore. A chore can become a pleasure if you stick with it and that’s because physical activity can be mentally gratifying. Exercise can become addictive because of the release of endorphins which can put you in a positive state of mind and make you feel better. Endorphins are natural pain relievers. That said, we’d reiterate not to do any exercise that might strain you physically.

Apparently, the exercises that release the most endorphins are

• Walking – brisk rather than an amble
• High-intensity interval training – exercise that is intense for a short period followed by a recovery period.
• Jogging
• Cycling
• Hiking

There are other ways to release endorphins apart from exercise.

Acupuncture

Endorphins are released when needles are inserted.

Acupuncture is increasingly popular for the treatment of a variety of ailments and not just physical such as sleep issues, skin complaints or helping to give up smoking. Whatever it may be, there’s likely to be a needle for it.

Meditation

It’s worth reading up on the benefits of meditation  https://eocinstitute.org/meditation/meditation-boosts-endorphins/

Meditation helps to release not just endorphins but also dopamine, serotonin, and melatonin.

This cocktail of chemicals flooding the bloodstream leaves the meditator feeling calm, happy, and content.

The following tips may help, and you can start just doing five minutes a day and let it build up.

• Find a quiet spot free from distraction. Ideally, this will be a place where you can sit or lie down comfortably.
• Consider lighting a candle and/or listening to soothing music.
• Shift your attention away from the myriad thoughts and worries that tend to flood the mind in the initial moments of meditation. Repeating a simple mantra may help.
• Breathe slowly, deeply, and consciously. Allow your breath to guide you into a state of deep awareness and relaxation.

Massage

Massage is known to release endorphins and that’s why such a treatment leaves you feeling relaxed and revived.

More surprising ways to release endorphins

• Laughter – releases endorphins and makes you feel better. Stress reduction and improved immune functioning are added perks of letting loose with laughter.
• Chocolate and wine – something of a surprise but chocolate releases endorphins hence why some crave chocolate when feeling down or stressed. A small amount of wine also releases endorphins, but the associated pleasures can lead to problem drinking so should be limited to one or two glasses.

You should match your exercise to your physical state.

You may find it more difficult to bend down or get up from a chair or the floor, reaching above you or behind you. Whatever it may be, you can improve flexibility and with that comes ease of movement and freedom of painful niggles. It will improve posture, balance, and reduce the possibility of future injury.

There are any number of reasons why we lose flexibility in old age and several ways to regain it.

We are not trained physiotherapists and therefore not qualified to promote specific exercises. What we can do is point out what is available and where you can access additional information. If you are in doubt about any form of exercise, consult your doctor.

Find out why you should do strength training at 70.