Exercise and mental health

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We have all heard the claims that exercising is not only just good for your physical health, but that it can boost your mental health too.

Evidence shows that physical activity can help maintain and improve your mental health in a number of ways, including improving depression and anxiety. This is because exercising induces chemical changes in your brain, which can help to boost endorphins and Serotonin that improve our mood.
It is also thought that keeping active can bring about a sense of greater self-esteem, self-control, and the ability to rise to a challenge. This is something that I believe to be true for me. I just cant beet the feeling of achievement when I hit a new PB in the gym or when I have completed an fitness event with my friends.

But, whether its an endorphin boost or sense of accomplishment you are looking for, current government guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity along with strength exercises on 2 or more days a week that exercises all the major muscles. However, this is often not very realistic for most individuals, and can be a tough target to meet if you are suffering with anxiety or depression.

So, how much activity do we need to be doing to reap these mental health benefits?

Kim, Y.S. et al (2012) investigated the relationship between exercise and mental health to establish the optimal time to spend exercising each week to improve mental health. The key findings from the study showed that the optimal amount of time spent exercising for better mental health was between 2.5 to 7.5 hours of weekly exercise. This was with the largest benefits to mental health occurring between 2-4 hours of physical activity, and any time below or above the times of 2.5 to 7.5 hours a week was suggested to have a negative impact on the participant’s mental health reports.

In addition, the study found that those who smoked and were overweight or obese were much more likely to have poorer levels of mental health than those who were physically healthy. But, this is just a correlation, not something that you should take at face value! Obesity does not cause poor mental health. It may be that those with poor mental health are more likely to overeat and not exercise, which could further contribute to their poor mental health.

So, whether you are clinically depressed, anxious or just feeling a bit down, moving for just 2.5 hours a week could help you improve your mood. Break it down even more and it’s only about 20 minutes a day. This doesn’t mean that you have to spend those hours in the gym if that is not something you enjoy. Why not try other ways of moving that brings you joy like an old childhood hobby, a swim, bike ride or cleaning the house? I love taking long walks with my dog to clear my head and boost my mood. Let me know how you love to move in the comments below.

For more information on how exercise can help improve your mood and how to get more active, check out the NHS website https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/mental-benefits-of-exercise/

 


Reference list.

Kim, Y.S., Park, Y.S., Allegrante, J.P., Marks, R., Ok, H., Ok Cho, K. & Garber, C.E. (2012) ‘Relationship between physical activity and general mental health’, Preventative Medicine, vol. 55, pp. 458–463.
 
 

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