How Exercise Can Make Us Happier

Chasing Life

CNN

Nutrition, Health & Fitness, Mental Health

4.4 • 7.8K Ratings

🗓️ 25 June 2024

⏱️ 36 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

When it comes to finding joy and happiness, exercise is not always top of mind but maybe it should be. Exercise benefits our physical health as well as helps to reduce anxiety, stress and symptoms of depression, yet many Americans say exercise is not something they enjoy. So where’s the disconnect? And how can people consistently reap the “feel good” benefits of exercise? Health psychologist and author of The Joy of Movement: How Exercise Helps Us Find Happiness, Hope, Connection and Courage, Kelly McGonigal talks with Sanjay about the why moving your body can be a source of joy and hope. And for listeners who say they don’t enjoy exercise or have limited mobility, she has some tips that might turn things around. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	I want you to be honest. When you walk into a gym, does the thought of working out excite
0:07.4	you or does it fill you with dread? Does lifting that last set give you a sense of accomplishment?
0:13.6	Or maybe does it make you feel like you never want to lift weights again?
0:17.6	Now, would it make a difference if I told you that working out or just moving your body could actually make you happier.
0:25.0	If you talk to just about any medical professional, they're probably going to tell you that
0:29.7	exercising or frankly doing any physical activity on a regular basis is good for your body.
0:35.0	It can help build strength, manage weight, reduce the risk of certain diseases, heart disease, diabetes, even cancer.
0:42.0	But the body is not the only benefit. heart disease, diabetes, even cancer.
0:42.6	But the body is not the only beneficiary.
0:46.0	Exercise or movement is also good for your brain,
0:49.3	and your mind, and research shows that it can help people
0:52.0	manage symptoms of depression and anxiety.
0:54.8	There is data behind all of this.
0:57.3	So while there is no question that exercise can make us healthier, my next guess is also going
1:02.0	to tell you that moving your muscles can have an impact
1:04.8	similar to taking an antidepressants. Think about that. In fact she has spent years
1:10.8	studying how almost any kind of movement can be a source of joy.
1:15.0	Ready to tap into joy?
1:20.0	Let's do this.
1:22.0	Reach up with one arm and release.
1:27.0	That's the beginning of an 8-5 minute workout,
1:30.0	something designed by Kelly McGonagall.
	...

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