Mental fitness: Why physical exercise is always a great resolution

GREECE, N.Y. — For Alec Waight-Moreabito, working out is more than just a hobby. It’s a game changer. 

“I have dealt with a lot of health issues over my life. At 14, I was diagnosed with juvenile arthritis,” said Waight-Moreabito. “I was actually told I’d be in a wheelchair by now. But here I am.”

He has an autoimmune disease mostly based in stress, which causes inflammation, making exercise a key part to his health in more ways than one.

“That really is what started me on my fitness journey, cause I wanted to feel better,” he said. “I’ve realized that physical health is very highly tied to your mental health.”

And he isn’t the only one. According to Forbes Health, over half of 1,000 Americans surveyed said mental and physical health are of equal importance.

“Without being physically active, I find that my mental health plummets,” Waight-Moreabito said.

“It has actually been proven that exercise reduces, if not eliminates depression, anxiety. It can relieve PTSD symptoms as well,” said Kim Brown, owner of World Gym in Greece. 

The secret? Endorphins.

“When you exercise, your muscles kind of act like an endocrine system releasing hormones that make you feel better, help reduce stress, cortisol. And so that kind of ties in together. So when those things are happening, youre going to sleep better, you’re going to eat better, you’re gonna wake up feeling refreshed,” said Waight-Moreabito.

“I think you’ll feel the changes before you see the changes necessarily, so focus on that, focus on how you feel during your workout, after your workout,” said Brown.

“There will never, ever, ever, ever be the right time. It’s never going to come. Ever. So the right time is today,” Waight-Moreabito said.