Self-esteem. Aaahhhh, what a topic.
What is self-esteem?
The definition of self-esteem is: ‘confidence in one's own worth or abilities; self-respect’...
With a definition like that, you can see how having high self-esteem is a big deal.
Being that we live in the age of social media and how it’s curated to show us the highlights of everyone's lives, it’s pretty understandable that many of us are left feeling like we have little to no self-esteem.
It’s a powerful thing, to know why having strong self-esteem is important while we navigate through life.
Our self-esteem will often play a role in many different aspects of our lives like work and relationships - the greater your self-esteem is, the more confident and sure of yourself you will be when looking for that new job promotion or even when it comes to walking up to your gym crush to talk to them.
How can we boost our self-esteem?
There are some quick wins that we can look for to give ourselves a little boost in self-esteem like buying a new pair of shoes or a new outfit, hell, some people even go as far to buying a new car to give themselves this boost.
Often the most effective ways of boosting self-esteem goes ignored and this way is that of physical activity.
One of the biggest reasons—if not THE biggest reason—any of us get started in the gym is to boost our self-esteem via the result of creating a better aesthetic look for ourselves.
Let’s be clear though, this is not the only way that self-esteem can be boosted by exercise.
Let’s discover some of these ways.
Improve Mental Health It's been shown to reduce depression, anxiety and negative moods as well as alleviate low self-esteem and social withdrawal. In place of these negative emotions, exercise boosts self-esteem and cognitive function.
Reduce Stress Any form of exercise, from aerobics to strength training to yoga, can act as a stress reliever. Physical activity boosts feel-good endorphins and distracts the mind from daily stresses.
Gain a Sense of Accomplishment One of the biggest payoffs of exercise is that, through focus and physical movement, you're able to feel a strong sense of accomplishment. Whether you hit a new PB in your max squat or if you cut time off your 5km run, exercise can give you a sense of pride at having achieved a particular goal.
Improve Brain Function During endurance exercise, a molecule called irisin is produced in the brain through a chain reaction. Scientists believe it has neuroprotective effects and can activate genes involved in memory and learning. Through experiments on mice, investigators of Harvard Medical School and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute discovered that irisin becomes elevated in the brain during resistance and endurance exercise.
Why is exercise more powerful than any of the other ways?
Well, because they are self-made and self-accomplished.
The self-esteem boost you get from buying the latest clothing or tech is fleeting. You get a little boost for a short period of time and then the feeling goes away as quick as it came to you.
Without knowing it, you start to believe that this feeling can only be attained by continuing to buy these material goods, and so you become stuck ‘chasing shiny nickels’ (for lack of better description).
Exercise allows you to create your own reality, quite literally with your own hands.
What could be more powerful for your self-esteem than that?
What could be more powerful for empowering yourself, reminding yourself that you are a person of value and that you are capable of great things?
Can’t think of anything?
Neither can I…
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