The fitness craze is sweeping the nation (again), with everyone from grandmas to toddlers beginning to realize the wonderful things that exercise can do for your body. Exercise is proven to provide better heart and lung health as well as a good lookin' bod for those who have committed themselves to being healthier. While all these physical benefits are extremely rewarding, there is another advantage to working out: improved mental health.

Say you have had a really tough day. Nothing has gone right, and you just want to curl up in bed, watch Netflix and eat a whole bag of chips. Will this make you feel better? No! Do you know what would? Exercise!

Working out has been proven to relieve stress by increasing the wonderful hormones of norepinephrine, a chemical that reduces the brain's reaction to stress, and endorphins, which are basically nature's antidepressant. This is why doctors recommend an exercise regimen to patients who exhibit anxiety and depression, providing alternative way of treating depression to medication and therapy.

Another benefit of exercise is that it is a great way to improve your self-esteem. If you feel like you are making progress on your appearance, strength or even time, then of course you are going to have a better sense of self-worth. Even if you just do one push-up, you still did way more than that guy still sitting on the couch, and you can be proud of yourself for that!

Exercise affects your future mental health as well as your present. As we age, our brains start to age as well, our cognitive functions are lowered and diseases like Alzheimer's can ravage our minds. Exercise, although not a complete solution, can help protect your brain by increasing chemicals that provide support against deterioration. Save your brain and exercise!

Exercise can provide you will a multitude of benefits from keeping you happy and stress-free to improving self-esteem to increasing your chances of not forgetting precious memories. Why wouldn't you jump at the chance to go jog a mile? To improve yourself in every way possible, exercise!