Suppose you have been digging deep to find your purpose and need help. Exercise might be the key to unlocking your purpose in life. Research has found that exercise can bring a sense of purpose into your life, leading to bigger and better things along with self-discovery and a healthier mentality! Physical activity releases the feel-good chemicals in your brain, boosting your self-esteem and increasing focus as well as sleeping well. Not bad for a FREE daily activity!

Our exercise habits affect our sense of purpose in life, and our understanding of purpose can very well be affected by exercise. Exercise and purpose have a bidirectional relationship. The research, published in the Journal of Behavioral Medicine by Ayse Yemiscigil, Ph.D., and Ivo Vlaev, D.Phil., proves that people with more purpose tend to be more physically active, leading to the boost of serotonin repeating the process of wanting to be physically active. The study, which involved more than 18,000 men and women, found that people with a resolute sense of purpose became physically active over time and vice versa. One aspect of connecting your sense of purpose with exercise isn’t just physical but also mental. Science supports the idea that exercise lessens anxiety, along with depression.

The associations were hardly outsize. Having a firm sense of purpose at one point in people’s lives was linked, later, with the equivalent of taking an extra weekly walk or two. This study also found that being physically active releases chemicals called serotonin. These chemicals make your brain happy and make your mind more positive.

Another study published in the Journal of Health Psychology was performed to discover mechanisms that explain how having a clear sense of purpose leads to health benefits.  This study surveyed the participants as children and then recontacted as adults to complete survey questions every two years. Participants responded to a series of health behavior questions, such as how often they ate healthy vegetables, how well they slept, and whether they flossed routinely. They also rated how often in a typical week they engaged in strenuous exercise or moderate exercise, such as: running or walking; surfing or sailing; basketball or volleyball; and vigorous swimming or easy swimming.

The study found that participants reporting a higher sense of purpose also reported a greater likelihood to enact all health behaviors of interest and higher self-rated health. This conclusion points out that having healthy lifestyle habits are an obvious explanation for why purposeful individuals experience better health outcomes.

There is a multitude of ways to get active! You don’t need to hit the gym and take up Marathon running (although I personally think running will be an awesome idea!). You could try things such as yoga, walking around the neighborhood or city, or even try starting a new hobby such as hiking or kayaking. It may take you a few weeks to feel the effects. Building an exercise habit can lead you to your purpose in life! You might also find an activity or two that you enjoy on the way.

Being physically active isn’t just about looking good, but feeling good about yourself too! Everyone can take 20-30 minutes a day to get some physical activity to boost the serotonin levels and get a smile on their face!