How going to the gym can motivate you to study more
For students, especially the working students, going to the gym usually seems like a waste of precious time. Why spend an hour working out when there is a big exam tomorrow, and you have to pull an all-nighter, right? Well, what if I told you that a 15-minute exercise could help you study faster, memorize quicker and understand easier. Yes, many studies have shown a direct correlation between exercising and improvement in studying; it has been said that working out can actually motivate students to do better in school and study more. How cool is that?
Now, the question is how does one do it? Of course, many would turn to coffee or tea for additional energy during a study session, but we’ve actually gathered some evidence on why doing a workout before studying is much better. If you’re still having doubts, here are some ways that going to a gym can actually make you study more. Moreover, make sure to also use some additional help if studying is making your mental health worse; for example, you can buy an assignment online at Paperell.com, take online studying courses, or find skilled mentors that are here specifically to help struggling students.
Increase in energy levels
Chances are that if you’re a student, you rely heavily on coffee and energy drinks to boost your energy before and during a study session. Sure, these drinks may do their magic, but only for a short period of time, and they don’t even work the way you thought they do. Energy drinks are sugary drinks, so in combination with caffeine, they increase your sugar levels, not your energy. This can have terrible consequences on your heart in the long run.
Going to the gym or exercising right before studying is a much healthier and more beneficial way of boosting your energy. According to a study, exercising fights off fatigue, sleepiness and all the accompanying states that make students demotivated to study. A 15-minute exercise, can raise your energy levels by 90%, and it can also help you stay awake and focused for a longer period of time; much longer than coffee or energy drinks can do.
Increase in brain function
By going to the gym and exercising, you’re not just building your muscles, but also your brain. Exercising has shown to help the body release proteins in the brain that can in return help you memorize easier and improve cognitive performance. This is especially important for studying, as you need to memorize copious amounts of information, and also understand them. Therefore, make sure to hit the gym right before your studying session to get the full effect.
Moreover, for those who are wondering what the long-term benefits of exercising are, let me just say that such a lifestyle can reduce the risk of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases. Moreover, being physically fit is usually associated with higher brain function, so you’ll not only be ready to improve memory and cognition for college but also your work and other life obligations later on. So, you’ll be actually thankful for your past self for making such good life choices.
Improvement in learning
What’s a better way to get motivated to go to the gym and study when you know that exercising will directly improve your learning abilities. The correlation between exercising and brain function are showcased in the physical remodeling of the brain for peak performance after one is done with a workout. Some studies show proof of exercising affecting learning on three levels:
- Exercising optimizes your mindset to improve alertness, attention, and motivation
- Exercising prepares and encourages nerve cells to bind to one another, which is the cellular basis for logging in new information
- Exercising promotes the development of nerve cells from stem cells in the hippocampus
This basically means that exercising does not only help you learn, but it helps your brain retain information easier, making it also easier to remember them later on. Exercising has also shown to affect one’s reading ability; people who lead a sedentary lifestyle read slower and had slower comprehension levels. Those who were physically active, especially before studying, learning or reading, did outstandingly better in their academic performance.
Improvement in mental health
College and studying are usually associated with stress, anxiety, even depression, and other serious mental health complications. Of course, when being overwhelmed with tons of studying material, numerous exams, and due-to papers, students simply lose their motivation. However, exercising can help you beat those feelings, and moreover, help you feel much better and more motivated. How?
Well, during an exercise, your body releases endorphins, which reduce stress levels and can make you feel much happier. So, not only will you be ready to study, but you will also feel much more relaxed before that big exams. For those suffering from depression, exercising has proven to be a natural antidepressant, with no side-effects or dependency risks. Exercising helps neural growth, reduces inflammation, and promotes new activity pattern in the brain that makes you calm and well. However, if you’re more on the anxious side, exercising can help you relieve tension, enhance well-being and boost both physical and mental energy. It can help your brain gather the thoughts, focus on priorities and promote attention and concentration.
