Exercise and mental health
Everyone knows the many benefits exercise has on our physical health, but did you know that exercise can improve our mental health too?
Regular exercise can help with preventing or managing symptoms of anxiety and depression in many ways.
Firstly, exercise improves oxygen flow to the brain, which equals clearer thinking, and improved learning and memory. It stimulates connections between the nerves in the brain that can protect against neurological disease, which means protection of mental health into the future.
Exercise is a natural stress-reliever, allowing you to release any mental tension that you are experiencing. This post-exercise relaxation has been shown to improve both the quality and duration of your sleep. This is an important point, as stress tends to impair sleep quality, and people with poor-quality sleep have a greater chance of experiencing poor mental health.
Exercise also releases a huge range of beneficial chemicals which impact both the body and the brain. Here’s what just a few of these happy hormones do for our mental health:
Endorphins are responsible for that feeling of happiness and wellbeing following exercise. Not only do they boost happiness and reduce stress, but they act as a natural pain reducer as well.
Serotonin acts a natural mood stabiliser, reducing depressive symptoms and promoting feelings of happiness.
Dopamine is another a feel-good hormone. In addition to moderating feelings of pleasure, it is also responsible for feelings of satisfaction and motivation.
If you are exercising outside, this has the added benefit of boosting your vitamin D (low vitamin D levels are linked with increased risk of depression). If your chosen exercise is a group activity or you run into other people, this can reduce feelings of isolation and make you feel more connected.
So how much exercise do we need for our mental health?
The great news is that you don’t need to do a hard five-kilometre run or play an entire game of rugby to see these benefits to your mental health.
The recommended amount of exercise to improve physical and mental health is a minimum of 2.5 hours per week, and ideally up to five hours per week. The exercise needs to be of a moderate intensity, enough to make you breathe a bit hard, but it should be something you enjoy.
You can go for a walk, do some gardening, take a Pilates class online, or dance around your living room to your favourite music.
