The link between exercise and mental health
Exercise helps prevent and improve a number of health problems and illness, including high blood pressure, diabetes and arthritis. Research on mental health and exercise shows that the psychological and physical benefits of exercise can also help improve mood and reduce anxiety.
Physical activity and exercise are not the same thing, but both are beneficial to your health.
- Physical activity is any activity that works your muscles and requires energy and can include work or household or leisure activities.
- Exercise is a planned, structured and repetitive body movement done to improve or maintain physical fitness.
The word “exercise” is mainly associated with running laps around the gym. But exercise includes a wide range of activities that boost the activity level to help you feel better.
Certainly running, lifting weights, playing basketball and other fitness activities that get your heart pumping can help. But so can physical activity such as gardening, washing your car, walking around the block or engaging in other less intense activities. Any physical activity that gets you off the couch and moving can help improve your mood.
Exercise releases chemicals like endorphins and serotonin that improve the mood. They are natural cannabis-like brain chemicals that can enhance the sense of well-being. It takes your mind off worries so you can get away from the cycle of negative thoughts that feed depression and anxiety. Exercise and physical activity can reduce any feelings of loneliness and isolation by getting you out in the world, getting more socialized interactions, putting a person in touch with other people. Just exchanging a friendly smile or greeting as you walk around your neighborhood can help improve your mood. Meeting exercise goals or challenges, even small ones, can boost your self-confidence. Getting in shape can also make you feel better about your appearance. If you exercise regularly, it can reduce your stress and symptoms of mental health conditions like depression and anxiety, and help with recovery from mental health issues. It allows you to cope in a healthy way. Doing something positive to manage depression or anxiety is a healthy coping strategy.
Trying to feel better by drinking alcohol, dwelling on how you feel, or hoping depression or anxiety will go away on its own can lead to worsening symptoms.
It is recommended for adults to do at least thirty minutes of moderateto intensive exercise, for 3 days a week. Moreover, these 30 minutes need not to be continuous; three 10-minute exercise are believed to be as equally useful as one 30-minute walk.
Simona Sapundzija, MD
