In this column I usually focus a lot on the physical benefits of exercise – gaining muscles, losing weight, and overall better health. But I have also mentioned in the past that regular exercise boosts our mental faculties. Given all that has been happening to and around us this year, now more than ever, we are in need of strategies to help improve our mental health. One of the best available is exercise.
It is the cheapest, not to mention a drug-free way of managing depression and anxiety, coping with stress and trauma, raising self-esteem and resilience, and improving sleep as well as giving us more energy. The relationship between mood and exercise was established in the 1970s and more recent studies have only concretised those findings.
Preventing and treating
Studies show that exercise can prevent and treat mild to moderate depression as effectively as antidepressant medication. One study, conducted over an 18-year period, found that those who exercised regularly were at lower risk of developing a depressive disorder than those who didn’t exercise or ceased exercising after a period of time. And, of course, the side effects include the release of endorphins, powerful chemicals in your brain that energize your spirits and make you feel good.
Exercise calms anxiety, relieving tension and stress, as well as boosts physical and mental energy. A walk or a run works wonders; some yoga will relax tense muscles, especially in your neck and shoulders.
Including exercise in your long-term lifestyle could help prevent the onset of mental health conditions and or can assist with their treatment.
What type and how much
For treating depression and anxiety specifically, studies have evaluated aerobic (cardio) exercise as superior to resistance (strength or weight training) or mixed exercise approaches. But it is important that you choose an exercise routine you can be comfortable doing for the long term. Walking, dancing, running, swimming, and yoga are some of the better choices.
Most studies have indicated that higher doses of exercise have a better outcome. However, for anxiety symptoms, the trend wasn’t quite so straightforward; it seems that with anxiety there may be an optimal exercise dosage, with higher doses of exercise producing diminishing returns. This tells us that the amount and type of exercise best suited will be influenced by the mental health condition present.
Recommendations
You can take care of both your physical and mental well-being with 60 minutes of moderate exercise five times a week. If you are not used to exercising and a 60-minute session seems intimidating, start with 10 or 20 minutes and you can increase as you go along. The important thing is to start moving and keep moving, even an ab workout in front of the TV would be a good start.
If you can’t find the time to exercise from Monday to Friday, then you can become a weekend warrior. Walk to the market on Saturday morning instead of driving or taking a bus. Take a long walk along the seawall on Sundays, or get into the yard and play a game with your children.
For most people, a great starting point is simply finding the form of exercise they enjoy that can fit into their lifestyle. However, there is no doubting the benefits of exercise to our physical and mental well-being. There is no better time than now to take your physical and mental health into your own hands.
