Boost Your Butt, Boost Your Mood

7 unexpected ways exercise pumps up more than your bottom

Your mind is undeniably, inextricably tied to your butt and if you are a big sitter, your mind will be struggling to feel fabulous.  In fact, the more inert we become, the greater the chance of depression.  “Sitting is the new smoking,” according to the Mayo Clinic.

In his revolutionary book, Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain, Dr. John Ratey, the good doctor pours out stats, science, thoughts, motivational stories and more, leaving you with no room to argue that, “exercise is as effective as certain medications for treating anxiety and depression.”

If you and your glutes want to change their status from “inactive” to “active” here are 7 ways you can get your buns buff and your head on straight.

1. Train glutes regularly; 3 – 4 times every week.  Glutes, the largest muscle group in the body, are workhorse muscles. When trained, glutes serve as a powerful metabolic catalyst, causing your muscle tissue to devour fat and fuel – it burns 75% of the calories you burn daily.  But you have to use them!
2. Trained butt = smarter you! Your noodle fuels up on glucose.  Too much of the stuff however and you become forgetful and confused.  Regular exercise mops up sugar, clearing your brain for productive thinking.  The more we manage blood sugar and insulin, the smarter and leaner you will be, for life.
3. What’s good for your heart is equally good for your brain.  Getting your sweat on boosts brain function and repairs damaged brain cells.  Big sweat, big brain clean up!
4. Pump your muscles, plump your brain.  Exercising your glutes effectively pumps up your brain too.  When we lift weights, we build muscle volume.  The brain, too, builds volume when we lift, through the release of BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) which stimulates the growth of more brain cells.  When we move we grow!
5. Big, sweaty exercise sessions help you fight depression and anxiety.  The brain turns to oatmeal when you face anxious moments or become enveloped in depression.  These are times when we normally want to climb under the covers and hide but this is precisely the moment when you need to get out and sweat. Why? You need the feel-good brain chemicals, serotonin, and dopamine, to boost your mood.
6. Toning your backside helps you manage stress.  Cortisol, the stress hormone, mixes up thought processing and memory like a VitaMix.  When cortisol levels are lower, as a result of exercise, especially your bum, the brain clears, making thought and memory clear. Result? Your head is on straight again.
7. No sugar thanks! My butt doesn’t like it.  Training glutes positively affects your blood sugar levels.  Because glute muscles are so big, and because they are so hungry, they vacuum up circulating blood sugar better than a Dyson.  When there is less sugar in the blood, there is less need for insulin.

Want a killer glute workout?

Sign up for one of my membership programs – COMMIT, BOOST or ENGAGE – where you will find the tools to build a beautiful butt and an equally beautiful mind!

Remember, I am always listening.

Tosca

PS. Let me know about your favorite butt workout and how you feel after training. Put your comments in the COMMENTS section below.