5 Mental Health Benefits Of Exercise and the Sundays Down Under Link Up {14}

G'day from Oz lovely friends and welcome to the Sundays Down Under link up!

As this post goes live I am (hopefully!) sitting on the beach at my favourite place in Australia, Mooloolaba! Through the magic of post-scheduling I'm able to host this weekend's Sundays Down Under linky party and enjoy the first week of Spring Break! Isn't technology great?

I intend to use this week to relax, rejuvenate and rest but I also intend to EXERCISE! I'm going to walk along the beach every single day for at least 1 hour and I'm going to exercise my brain by catching up on some reading.

After all, exercise and brain power are intrinsically linked so I'll be keeping both my body and my mind healthy!

Here are 5 Mental Health Benefits Of Exercise

1. Did you know that exercise is the BEST thing you can do for your brain in terms of mood and memory? This is because exercise speeds up breathing, which then increases oxygen levels in the blood which then leads to increased brain function (GNC).

Infographic via Get Healthy

2. The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine has found that the best brain exercise may be physical exercise. The study shows that exercise can speed up learning, improve blood flow to the brain, and, in the elderly, exercise has been shown to help stave off memory loss associated with some forms of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease (Chicago Tribune).

Infographic via Online College Courses

3. Studies have shown that cardiovascular exercise can create new brain cells and improve overall brain performance (Huffington Post).

4. Research shows that people who make time for regular exercise are more productive and have more energy than their more sedentary peers.

5. Exercise improves mood and sleep, and reduces stress and anxiety (Harvard Health).

Infographic via Life Hack

While we are enjoying our daily walks or sweating it out in the gym, we'll not only be benefiting our bodies, but also our most important organs – our brains!

Now, let's get our brains ready for this week's linky party!

Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to add some more favourites to my Flipboard magazine this week but I have been sharing lots of great posts on Pinterest and on my social media channels. If you would like to read the most recent issue of the Magazine, though, just click the front cover below!

Thanks so much to all the fabulous bloggers who shared their talents and linked up to the party last weekend! You are ALL amazing! Feel free to grab a 'featured' button to add to your blog!

<div align="center">
<a href="http://www.natashainoz.com/search/label/Friday%20Favorites" title="Sunday Feature" target="_blank"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/KmtGtNga_3PqJc_Km7Qm5Yy9PNqz6hTXQP-uIOG_C20E=w168-h169-no" alt="Sunday Feature" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Now, let's get this week's linky party started!

Link up your favourite recipe, craft, idea, tutorial, Instagram pics, DIY projects or even your own linky parties. Just add the url of your particular blog post that you would like us to visit to the Linky tool below.

Grab the code for the Sundays Down Under button and add that to your post so that your readers might be able to find other bloggers who would like to join in! 

The more folks who join in the more page views for your blog!

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<a href="http://www.natashainoz.com/search/label/Sundays%20Down%20Under" rel=”nofollow” title="Sundays Down Under" target="_blank"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/2lnJGSmDqWDU-s2AIPDENsux8Bud6aHWuZzQovaz418Z=s200-no" alt="Sundays Down Under" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

I'd also be so grateful if you could share the linky party on your social media channels. Just click one of the buttons below!

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Please note: by linking up to the Sundays Down Under linky party, you are giving me permission to use any part of your post, including pictures, in feature posts on Natasha in Oz. You may also be featured on Flipboard, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest with all credit being given to the original source.

Don't forget to say g'day to a few of the lovely bloggers who have linked up today!

You might find me partying at some fun linky parties this week. Click the button to find out where I like to party!

If you aren't already following me over at Pinterest I'd love to see you over there!

Visit Natasha in Oz @ natashainoz.com's profile on Pinterest.

Take care and don't forget to find time to look after YOU!

Best wishes,

Natasha In Oz 

Please visit me at PINTEREST, TWITTER, GOOGLE+

INSTAGRAM and FACEBOOK!