NECC Observer

The student news website of Northern Essex Community College, Haverhill and Lawrence, Mass.

A healthy lifestyle can affect mental health

Mental health connects to physical health. The connection between mental and physical health is fundamental,  linked to each other. Your mental health and physical health must remain stable. Northern Essex Community College students recently expressed their opinion on the topic.

Jocelyn Avila-Frias said “Yes, I decided to start my fitness journey for my physical health but found that it helped my mental health even more. The gym is like therapy.” .

What are the benefits of physical health?,  Avila-Frias says, “I feel better emotionally and physically.”

There are many great things about having good physical health. It reduces your health risk. Heart disease and stroke are two of the leading causes of death in the United States. Exercise helps you sleep better at night and fights insomnia to make sure you are sufficiently tired at bedtime. The stress-relieving effects of exercise help your mind and body. Relax so negative thoughts don’t keep you awake for hours at night.

“I think it’s important to feel good, can’t feel good physically if you do not feel good mentall,” said Avila-Frias.  Feeling physically good is just as important as feeling good mentally. your mental health plays a  role in your general well-being.

What are the best ways to gain physical health? Avila-Frias states, “To me, it is eating healthy and staying active.” Eating healthy and staying active can improve your mental health. It helps people maintain their bodies the way they want it. Everyday functions and promotes optimal body weight and can assist in disease prevention.

Mirrorajah Metcalfe is a student from Northern Essex Community College. She is from Las Vegas and currently lives in Haverhill MA. Her Major is Journalism/Communications. She says “physical health helps me to clear my mind and overall allow my body to feel much strong and healthier. I can focus better, and I am in a happier mood after going for a run.”

Metcalfe states “it helps me release any negative energy or bodily tension I might be carrying around from stress. Helps me to relax and reduce my thoughts and actions.’’  Physical activity can help relieve stress and tension. Physical activity and most people also note an improvement in general well-being over time as physical activity becomes a part of their routine.

What are the best way to gain physical health? Metcalfe says there are many forms of physical exercise and some may work differently for others. Examples include yoga, running, the gym dance, swimming even daily masks daily walks are a good source of exercise.”  Exercise delivers oxygen and nutrients to your tissues and helps your cardiovascular system work more efficiently. And when your heart and lung health improve, you have more energy to tackle daily chores.

What are the benefits of physical health? Working out helps her feel more awake, said NECC journalism student Mariam Saldivar of Lawrence. Other benefits include losing weight (if you need to) can help with confidence with your body but can also make you feel more accomplished,” she said.

“For me, it’s important because I’ve always had self-esteem issues,” she said. “Currently, I’m working towards losing weight, and I feel more accomplished every time I get closer and closer to a healthier weight. I think it’s also important during these times.’’

The good news is that high self-esteem can be good for you if it’s the healthy kind; the bad news is that high self-esteem. Be bad for you if it’s the unhealthy narcissistic kind (the grass greener).  Self-esteem will naturally fluctuate. The important thing is to get it to a place where it’s relatively stable are genuinely feel good about yourself.

”Easy workouts would be to run or even jump rope,” said Saldivar. “Cut out all the junk food too. But it’s hard than people think. You have to a lot of determination.”

As much as it may stress you to think about exercising. Once you start working out, experience less stress in every part of your life helps your mental health improve.