By Nancy Alexander, PT, CSCS
Mental health is a fitness trend. You read it right, mental health is a fitness trend. Sure, the physical benefits are still there like improving your strength, power, and endurance. You can also use fitness to improve your flexibility, reduce pain, and even improve your athletic performance. But with the recent focus on mental health, exercise is being recognized as a very effective way for you to improve your mental health and emotional well-being.
The evidence is there, too. The mental benefits of aerobic exercise have a neurochemical basis. Exercise reduces levels of your stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol. It also stimulates the production of endorphins which are chemicals in your brain that are your body’s natural painkillers and mood elevators. (Harvard Health Publishing) Endorphins, for example, are responsible for the “runner’s high” and for the feelings of relaxation and optimism that accompany your hard workouts. Exercise can also increase endocannabinoids, which are similar to cannabis, and can improve your mood.
Here is more good news. The more you exercise, the more endorphins your body produces. Many types of exercise can release endorphins including running, power walking, swimming, biking, dancing, and hiking.
Physical activity is good for your body and your mind. Here are the top 7 reasons to exercise for mental health:
1. Boosts your self-esteem and sense of achievement
2. Helps you concentrate better with more focus and motivation
3. You sleep better
4. You experience less tension, stress, and mental fatigue
5. You feel less depressed, angry, or frustrated
6. You experience a natural energy boost
7. You create a healthy appetite
UCLA offers additional evidence as a new study suggests moderate exercise improves mental health. Researchers concluded this after analyzing the responses of 1.2 million adults who participated in a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) survey. The study, which appeared in the peer-reviewed medical journal The Lancet Psychiatry, examined survey results from 2011, 2013, and 2015. Researchers found that, on average, a person has 3.4 poor mental health days per month. But among those who exercise, the number of poor mental health days dropped by more than 40 percent.
Exercise may change the way the brain functions, which could account for the decrease in depression or anxiety. After analyzing the results, researchers concluded that three to five 45-minute exercise sessions a week delivered optimal mental health benefits. (UCLA Health)
Go play
Exercise and sports provide opportunities to get away from it all and to either enjoy some solitude or to make friends and build networks. “All men,” wrote St. Thomas Aquinas, “need leisure.” Exercise is play and recreation; when your body is busy, your mind will be distracted from the worries of daily life and will be free to think creatively. (Harvard Health Publishing)
Have you experienced any of these benefits recently? I have. For example, I recently found myself really focused on something that had upset me only to find that after I exercised, it just wasn’t that bad anymore. I removed myself from the problem and found a new perspective.
A walk in nature can be just as powerful. According to the Mental Health Foundation of the United Kingdom, research shows that being in nature can make us feel happier, feel our lives are more worthwhile, and reduce our levels of depression and anxiety. Nature doesn’t have to mean forests or national parks either: walking to a local cafe, visiting a friend’s garden or simply noticing trees and flowers planted by the roadside can boost your mental well-being.
Thankfully, being active doesn’t mean you have to take out an expensive gym membership or even run a marathon. Finding an activity you enjoy can give you a goal to aim for and a sense of purpose. It can also be a great way to meet people, have a break from daily life, and gain confidence.
How active do I need to be?
Any amount of physical activity is better than none. Finding an activity you like and are able to do regularly is more important than pushing yourself to do something you don’t enjoy. You could try brisk walking, mowing the lawn, dancing, swimming, following an exercise video or online class, trying a new sport or anything that gets your body moving.
The exercise does not have to be intense, either. Just move and shift your focus to what you are doing. Start small and build up slowly if you aren’t physically active currently. A great first step, especially if you have any chronic health conditions, is to consult with your physician before trying any new exercise program to make sure it is safe and appropriate for your needs. He or she will be able to guide you to the right exercise program while keeping your specific health status in mind.
Please note that if your emotional state is too much to bear by yourself, please seek out a behavioral specialist/professional to help you manage what you are going through. Your physician can make this referral for you if you don’t know where to turn.
There are national guidelines for exercise. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), “Adults need at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week. You can start with just 5 minutes at a time. Swim, garden, walk the dog, dance, or bike your way to feeling better. Whatever gets you moving counts!”
The NIH adds, “Strengthening your muscles is important too. At least two days each week, get those muscles working with things like push-ups or lifting weights.”
Did you also know that exercise and physical activity may improve or maintain some aspects of your brain’s cognitive function? This may include your ability to shift quickly between tasks, plan an activity, and ignore irrelevant information. Aerobic activities that improve your circulation have been documented to be effective in decreasing your risk of dementia. An easy way to remember this is that what is good for your heart, is good for your brain.
Exercise and movement can help you improve important aspects of your life. As if exercise wasn’t good enough already, the evidence is growing that fitness improves your mental health and emotional well-being, too. Whether you are trying to enhance your mental health in the short-term or want to invest in the long-term benefit of improved cognition, exercise can help. Want to feel better now? Put on a smile and get moving.
Sources:
ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine): https://www.acsm.org/news-detail/2024/10/22/acsm-announces-top-fitness-trends-for-2025#:~:text=Based%20on%20the%20annual%20survey,for%20Older%20Adults%20(%233).
Harvard Health Publishing (Jul 7, 2020): https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/exercising-to-relax#:~:text=The%20mental%20benefits%20of%20aerobic,natural%20painkillers%20and%20mood%20elevators.
Mental Health Foundation of the United Kingdom: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/explore-mental-health/a-z-topics/physical-activity-and-mental-health
National Institutes of Health, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services:
https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2019/01/how-much-activity-do-you-need
UCLA Health (October 17, 2018): https://www.uclahealth.org/news/article/the-link-between-exercise-and-mental-health
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