Regular exercise is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. It’s been linked to reduced risk of heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, and arthritis. But did you know that regular exercise can also help improve your mental health?
Exercise is a proven mood booster, and there are lots of other benefits as well, including improved sleep quality, reduced anxiety and depression, and increased energy levels. Getting out and about can help you interact with others—something that has been shown to have positive effects on mental health.
When you have anxiety and depression, it can be hard to get motivated to stick with an exercise program. However, the results can be phenomenal if you do. Essentially, You're not alone. Many people live with anxiety and depression. And just like with any other medical condition, prevention is better than a cure and exercise can help. Anxiety, depression and stress are often connected. Humans are meant to be active beings. Our brains are wired to be alert and awake, then sleep and repeat. But in an age where we're constantly plugged into some sort of screen, we often feel like robots rather than humans. Exercise allows us to breathe life back into our bodies and minds. In the past years, a lot of research was done to understand how physical activity affects mental health. Here are 6 ways in which physical activity may be related to better mental health:
Physical activities release endorphins, into the bloodstream, triggering “feel good” chemicals in the brain and body.
Regular exercise increases oxygen levels and blood flow to the brain, which can result in improvement in cognitive function.
Exercise may help relieve symptoms of depression by increasing serotonin levels in the brain — a chemical that regulates mood, appetite, sleep and other functions.
Exercise may help to fight depression by increasing the production of neurotransmitters that affect mood and energy.
Exercise has also been found to help people with anxiety disorders, who often feel their anxiety intensifies when they don’t have regular periods of physical activity.
Physical activities help to improve overall self-esteem, self-image, mood and feelings of happiness thereby leading to an improved mental state.
Mental Health disorders can cause a loss of motivation, so it's helpful to find a form of exercise that you enjoy. Most of us think exercise and think about going to a gym. But what if the gym isn't a place, you feel comfortable or enjoy. The idea of getting wet in a pool may also be undesirable, but have you tried it? Water has been shown to lessen stress levels by increasing blood flow to the brain. Being in the water can help regulate breathing which can be an effective method of calming the mind and reducing stress levels. Because being in the water provides a weightless environment, swimming and aquatic fitness is often used by individuals who want to feel lighter yet supported by the water. Experiencing freedom from gravity also helps lessen muscle tension, which also contributes to releasing stress.
A study showed that even just 30 minutes of aquatic exercise 2-3 times/week significantly decreased symptoms of depression and anxiety amongst the participants(1).
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(1)Jackson Kang, Fitness and Kemp-Smith Complementary Therapies in Medicine 2022
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