If you’ve ever felt blah after a whole day at the computer, you’re not alone. Just sitting does nothing to improve your mood. It can cause stress that you don’t burn off by moving around and you never get that high that you get after a tough workout. Not only does exercise help improve your mood, working out can improve self-esteem. One study showed that people have an improved self-image as soon as they start a program of exercise, long before they see any changes in their body.
You’ll feel stronger when you workout.
There’s something empowering about feeling strong. We’ve had women in business come to the gym and workout hard, including some grueling strength-training. Many of these women work in male dominated careers, and they attribute their devotion to exercise is that it gives them a feeling of strength. Of course, it does give them physical strength and endurance, plus boosts their cognitive processes, which is another reason people workout.
Your posture improves when you workout, so you look more confident.
There was a study by Rosenthal and Jacobson in 1963 that proved the truth of a self-fulfilling prophecy. What is the self-fulfilling prophecy? It’s the idea that if you tell someone that a person is smart, confident or whatever, that person will be treated that way and ultimately become that way. While it was done with students and focused on IQ, the same thing is true in other areas. Confidence is one of those. When you workout, it improves you posture. That improved posture makes you look more confident. When you look more confident, people react to you as though you are and you ultimately become that way. It’s the reason the saying, “fake it until you make it” rings true.
Looking good helps you feel good about yourself.
When you look in the mirror, if you see a strong toned body whose clothes fit just right, you probably feel good about yourself. How you look directly affects how you feel about yourself. It shouldn’t, but our society is obsessed with appearance. Studies show that working out not only affects self-esteem and confidence, it can help with patients who have mild depression and anxiety. As your body improves, so does your self-esteem.
- Getting into shape starts with setting goals. Achieving those goals and getting fit is part of the reason people are more confident. Once you achieve any goal, it boosts your confidence and you believe other goals are possible.
- Several studies show the positive effect of exercise on self-esteem in various age groups. One British study showed it improved self-esteem in 3 to 20 year-olds and other studies showed it helps in middle-aged women, seniors and middle-aged men.
- The energy and improved cognitive functioning that occurs when you exercise regularly increases your self-esteem. When you can keep up with others, whether mentally or physically or surpass them, it makes you feel good.
- It’s never too late to start a program of exercise. Even people in their eighties and nineties can benefit. At BioFit, we even offer other services infrared sauna, contrast bath therapy, and recovery services that you use to treat yourself even better.
For more information, contact us today at BioFit Performance