May is Mental Health Month!

May is mental health awareness month and we want to share with you the role mental health has in your overall health.  We encourage you to exercise, but did you know it can help you manage your mental health?  Did you know poor mental health can have the same response on your body as not exercising or eating a poor diet?  If you are feeling stressed or blue, you should work it out!

It may seem as if there’s nothing you can do to reduce your stress levels.  You can’t add more hours to the day, the bills aren’t going to disappear, and balancing your career and family responsibilities will always be challenging.  If you have a lot of responsibilities and worries, your emergency stress response may be “on” most of the time causing detriment to your health.   Long-term exposure to stress can lead to serious health problems. Chronic stress disrupts nearly every system in your body. It can raise blood pressure, suppress the immune system, increase the risk of heart attack and stroke, and speed up the aging process (we don't need help with that!).  Long-term stress can even rewire the brain, leaving you more vulnerable to anxiety and depression.

The good news is you can improve your overall health and decrease stress levels by exercising!  Regular exercise helps take your mind off the day and away from the stressors it is filled with.  It will also improve your mood, increase self-confidence and decrease anxiety.

So the next time you are feeling stressed or down, ask yourself “have you had your exercise today?”