You already know that exercise is good for your body. But did you know
it’s also effective in dealing with depression, anxiety, stress, and more?
What are the mental health benefits of exercise?
Exercise is not just about aerobic capacity and muscle size. Sure, exercise can improve your physical health and your physique, trim your waistline, improve your sex life, and even add years to your life. But that’s not what motivates most people to stay active. People who exercise regularly tend to do so because it gives them an enormous sense of well-being. They feel more energetic throughout the day, sleep better at night, have sharper memories, and feel more relaxed and positive about themselves and their lives. And it’s also powerful medicine for many common mental health challenges. Regular exercise can have a profoundly positive impact on depression, anxiety, ADHD, and more. It also relieves stress, improves memory, helps you sleep better, and boosts your overall mood. And you don’t have to be a fitness fanatic to reap the benefits. Research indicates that modest amounts of exercise can make a difference. No matter your age or fitness level, you can learn to use exercise as a powerful tool to feel better.
Exercise and depression
Studies show that exercise can treat mild to moderate depression as effectively as antidepressant medication—but without the side-effects, of course. As one example, a recent study done by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that running for 15 minutes a day or walking for an hour reduces the risk of major depression by 26%. In addition to relieving depression symptoms, research also shows that maintaining an exercise schedule can prevent you from relapsing. Exercise is a powerful depression fighter for several reasons. Most importantly, it promotes all kinds of changes in the brain, including neural growth, reduced inflammation, and new activity patterns that promote feelings of calm and well-being. It also releases endorphins, powerful chemicals in your brain that energize your spirits and make you feel good. Finally, exercise can also serve as a distraction, allowing you to find some quiet time to break out of the cycle of negative thoughts that feed depression.
Exercise is a natural and effective anti-anxiety treatment. It relieves tension and stress, boosts physical and mental energy, and enhances well-being through the release of endorphins. Anything that gets you moving can help, but you’ll get a bigger benefit if you pay attention instead of zoning out. Try to notice the sensation of your feet hitting the ground, for example, or the rhythm of your breathing, or the feeling of the wind on your skin. By adding this mindfulness element—really focusing on your body and how it feels as you exercise—you’ll not only improve your physical condition faster, but you may also be able to interrupt the flow of constant worries running through your head.
Exercise and stress
Ever noticed how your body feels when you’re under stress? Your muscles may be tense, especially in your face, neck, and shoulders, leaving you with back or neck pain, or painful headaches. You may feel a tightness in your chest, a pounding pulse, or muscle cramps. You may also experience problems such as insomnia, heartburn, stomachache, diarrhea, or frequent urination. The worry and discomfort of all these physical symptoms can in turn lead to even more stress, creating a vicious cycle between your mind and body. Exercising is an effective way to break this cycle. As well as releasing endorphins in the brain, physical activity helps to relax the muscles and relieve tension in the body. Since the body and mind are so closely linked, when your body feels better so, too, will your mind.
Exercising regularly is one of the easiest and most effective ways to reduce the symptoms of
ADHD and improve concentration, motivation, memory, and mood. Physical activity immediately boosts the brain’s dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin levels—all of which affect focus and attention. In this way, exercise works in much the same way as ADHD medications such as Ritalin and Adderall.
Evidence suggests that by really focusing on your body and how it feels as you exercise, you can actually help your nervous system become “unstuck” and begin to move out of the immobilization stress response that characterizes PTSD or trauma. Instead of allowing your mind to wander, pay close attention to the physical sensations in your joints and muscles, even your insides as your body moves. Exercises that involve cross movement and that engage both arms and legs—such as walking (especially in sand), running, swimming, weight training, or dancing—are some of your best choices.
Outdoor activities like hiking, sailing, mountain biking, rock climbing, whitewater rafting, and skiing (downhill and cross-country) have also been shown to reduce the symptoms of PTSD.
Sharper memory and thinking. The same endorphins that make you feel better also help you concentrate and feel mentally sharp for tasks at hand. Exercise also stimulates the growth of new brain cells and helps prevent age-related decline. Higher self-esteem. Regular activity is an investment in your mind, body, and soul. When it becomes habit, it can foster your sense of self-worth and make you feel strong and powerful. You’ll feel better about your appearance and, by meeting even small exercise goals, you’ll feel a sense of achievement. Better sleep. Even short bursts of exercise in the morning or afternoon can help regulate your sleep patterns. If you prefer to exercise at night, relaxing exercises such as yoga or gentle stretching can help promote sleep. More energy. Increasing your heart rate several times a week will give you more get-up and-go. Start off with just a few minutes of exercise per day, and increase your workout as you feel more energized. Stronger resilience. When faced with mental or emotional challenges in life, exercise can help you cope in a healthy way, instead of resorting to alcohol, drugs, or other negative behaviors that ultimately only make your symptoms worse. Regular exercise can also help boost your immune system and reduce the impact of stress.
than you think
Wondering just how much activity will give you a mental health boost? It’s probably not as much as you think. You don’t need to devote hours out of your busy day to train at the gym, sweat buckets, or run mile after monotonous mile. You can reap all the physical and mental health benefits of exercise with 30-minutes of moderate exercise five times a week. Two 15-minute or even three 10-minute exercise sessions can also work just as well.
If that still seems intimidating, don’t despair. Even just a few minutes of physical activity are better than none at all. If you don’t have time for 15 or 30 minutes of exercise, or if your body tells you to take a break after 5 or 10 minutes, for example, that’s okay, too. Start with 5- or 10-minute sessions and slowly increase your time. The more you exercise, the more energy you’ll have, so eventually you’ll feel ready for a little more. The key is to commit to some moderate physical activity—however little—on most days. As exercising becomes habit, you can slowly add extra minutes or try different types of activities. If you keep at it, the benefits of exercise will begin to pay off.
Can’t find time to exercise during the week? Be a weekend warrior
A recent study in the United Kingdom found that people who squeeze their exercise routines into one or two sessions during the weekend experience almost as many health benefits as those who work out more often. So don’t let a busy schedule at work, home, or school be an excuse to avoid activity. Get moving whenever you can find the time—your mind and body will thank you!
You don’t have to suffer to get results
Research shows that moderate levels of exercise are best for most people. Moderate means:
1. That you breathe a little heavier than normal, but are not out of breath. For example,
you should be able to chat with your walking partner, but not easily sing a song.
2. That your body feels warmer as you move, but not overheated or very sweaty.
Overcoming mental health obstacles to exercise
So now you know that exercise will help you feel an awful lot higher and that it doesn’t take as
a whole lot attempt as you may have notion. But taking that first step remains less complicated stated than completed. Exercise boundaries are very actual—mainly whilst you’re also suffering with mental health. Here are a few common boundaries and the way you could get beyond them.
Feeling exhausted. When you’re tired or stressed, it appears like working out will just make it
worse. But the reality is that bodily pastime is a effective energizer. Studies show that regular workout can dramatically reduce fatigue and boom your strength stages. If you are absolutely feeling tired, promise yourself a 5-minute walk. Chances are, you’ll be capable of pass five extra minutes. Feeling overwhelmed. When you’re stressed or depressed, the thought of including another responsibility can appear overwhelming. Working out just doesn’t appear conceivable. If you've got kids, dealing with childcare at the same time as you workout may be a large hurdle. Just remember the fact that physical activity facilitates us do the whole thing else higher. If you start contemplating bodily activity as a priority, you'll quickly discover methods to match small quantities into a hectic time table. Feeling hopeless. Even in case you’re starting at “ground 0,” you may nevertheless workout. Exercise facilitates you get in form. If you haven't any experience exercise, begin gradual with low-impact motion a couple of minutes each day. Feeling bad approximately your self. Are you your personal worst critic? It’s time to try a new way of thinking about your frame. No remember your weight, age or fitness level, there are others like you with the same intention of getting suit. Try surrounding your self with people in your shoes. Take a category with humans at a diffusion of fitness degrees. Accomplishing even the smallest fitness desires will assist you gain body self assurance. Feeling ache. If you have got a incapacity, excessive weight problem, arthritis, or any damage or illness that limits your mobility, communicate for your healthcare provider about methods to safely exercise. You shouldn’t forget about ache, but as a substitute do what you can, while you could. Divide your workout into shorter, extra frequent chunks of time if that facilitates, or strive exercising in water to lessen joint or muscle soreness.
Getting started exercising when you’re anxious or depressed
Many of us find it difficult sufficient to motivate ourselves to exercise at the fine of times. When
we feel depressed, hectic, pressured or have other intellectual or emotional troubles, it may seem doubly tough. This is in particular proper of melancholy and anxiety, which can go away you feeling trapped in a catch-22 situation. You understand workout will make you experience better, but melancholy has robbed you of the power and motivation you want to exercise session, or your social
anxiety way you can’t bear the concept of being seen at an exercise magnificence or strolling through the park. So, what can you do?
It’s okay to start small. In fact, it’s smart when you’re under the cloud of an emotional disorder and haven’t exercised for a long term, setting extravagant dreams like finishing a marathon or working out for an hour every morning will most effective go away you extra despondent if you fall short. Better to set attainable goals and build up from there.
That can be first factor within the morning earlier than paintings or school, at lunchtime before the mid-afternoon lull hits, or for longer classes over the weekend. If depression or tension has you
feeling worn-out and unmotivated all day lengthy, strive dancing to a few track or sincerely going for a walk. Even a quick, 15-minute walk can help clean your mind, improve your mood, and improve
your electricity stage. As you pass and begin to feel a bit better, you’ll enjoy a extra sense of manipulate over your well-being. You can also even sense energized enough to exercising more vigorously—by using strolling further, breaking right into a run, or adding a bike experience, for example.
Other tips for staying motivated when you’re also struggling with mental health Focus on activities you enjoy. Any pastime that gets you shifting counts. That ought to encompass throwing a Frisbee with a canine or friend, strolling laps of a mall window purchasing, or cycling to the grocery shop. If you’ve never exercised earlier than or don’t recognize what you might experience, try some various things. Activities inclusive of gardening or tackling a domestic development challenge can be tremendous methods to start shifting extra when you have a mood ailment—in addition to helping you turn out to be extra energetic, they also can leave you with a experience of cause and accomplishment. Be at ease.
Whatever time of day you make a decision to exercise, put on clothing that’s comfortable and choose a putting which you discover calming or energizing. That may be a quiet nook of your house, a scenic path, or your favorite town park. Reward your self. Part of the praise of finishing an interest is how a good deal better you’ll experience afterwards, but it always helps your motivation to vow yourself an additional treat for workout. Reward yourself with a warm bubble tub after a exercising, a scrumptious smoothie, or with an extra episode of your favored TV display.
Make exercise a social hobby. Exercising with a chum or loved one, or even your children, will no longer only make workout more fun and fun, it can also assist encourage you to paste to a exercise routine. You’ll also feel higher than if you were exercising by myself. In fact, whilst you’re stricken by a mood disease such as melancholy, the companionship may be just as essential because the exercising.