Most of us are aware of the numerous physical advantages of exercise, including weight loss, lowered blood pressure, reduced CHD risk, reduced diabetes risk, and improved vitality, to mention a few. But what about the psychological benefits of exercise?
There are several mental advantages of exercising, ranging from relieving melancholy and anxiety symptoms to keeping your mind sharp. The five psychological benefits of physical exercise listed here will have you tying up your shoelaces and going out the door, whether you need the inspiration to get to the gym or just take a brisk stroll.
General mental health
Exercising, no matter what it is specifically, has been shown to increase the number of endorphins produced in the body. Endorphins are the chemical messengers that create positive feelings in the body and reduce pain and stress.
There are many ways to reduce endorphins in the body, such as eating dark chocolate, laughing or having a glass of wine, but exercise, particularly in a group, is the healthiest way to do it.
Physical exercise also can improve your self-esteem and confidence. Confidence from working out can both come from improving yourself physically in tandem with your mental and internal wellbeing. Regularly working out can do wonders for those unsure about themselves or self-conscious about the way they are perceived.
Additionally, it does not matter too much what type of exercise is performed, simply the act of doing it seems to alleviate feelings of depression and anxiety. However, some kinds have been shown to have increased benefits to helping with depressive feelings, specifically ones that are performed as a group, such as:
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Yoga: Yoga is an amazing set of exercises that you do in a group, increases your flexibility, is great for your breathing and improves your strength through endurance positions. It is all around a great way to improve your physical health and mental wellbeing.
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Joining a gym: whether you’re heavily into weight training, HIITs or you enjoy a spin-class, this is a great way to socialise, make friends and improve your cardiovascular health. Most boxes offer an amazing sense of community in their facilities and classes, and push their clients to become the best version of themselves.
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Swimming: Swimming is one of the best aerobic exercises you can do (assuming you know how to swim!). It is great for your heart and cardiovascular endurance, as well as not putting too much pressure on your joints due to the lack of impact.
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Sports: There are all kinds of sports you can do that are great for you both physically and mentally. As long as you enjoy what you are doing and it gets you active that is all that matters.
Team sports are great for the group activity nature of them, but individual sports like tennis, boxing and golf can also be great. It’s important to remember that sports are supposed to be fun.
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Housework and gardening: It may not seem terribly exciting, but gardening and housework can be surprisingly cathartic. Gardening in particular has been shown to lower stress levels and increase happiness, as well as being a very difficult physical activity depending on what you’re doing.
It’s important to remember not to push yourself too hard with gardening and housework, and the moment that it becomes a chore, then you need to find something else to do.
Specific areas of mental health and how it helps
There are a spectrum of mental health issues that can be alleviated by exercise, and even if you don’t believe that you have any of these, there are still clear benefits to anyone’s mental wellbeing from physical exercise.
Anxiety
Exercise reduces sensitivity to the body's anxiety response. A regular exercise regimen can also assist to alleviate the symptoms of other frequent co-occurring diseases such as IBS (irritable bowel syndrome).
To many, the anxiety of having to go out to a gym or class outweighs their own feeling of anxiety, however in reality putting yourself out there and not allowing the anxiety to control you is one of the first and most important steps to improving your mental wellbeing.
Panic Disorder
Exercise can be a proactive strategy for persons with panic disorder to release pent-up tension and reduce emotions of anxiety and stress.
Depression
As previously discussed exercise is a great antidepressant, in fact, exercise, whether light, moderate, or strenuous, has been demonstrated to lower the severity of depression.
Conclusion
It’s important to remember that exercise is not a panacea to depression and mental health problems. It can certainly help and has a proven record of making people feel better, but it can not ‘cure’ anything specific. Exercise should be seen as another form of treatment that is immensely beneficial in a number of ways but should be used in tandem with treatment and a healthy lifestyle in general, as opposed to on its own.
If you have a mental health problem then you should reach out to a professional and ask your GP for advice. Some charities and organisations help people with a range of conditions, and the best thing you can do for yourself is to reach out to them.
Useful links:
MIND charity: https://www.mind.org.uk/
Samaritans: https://www.samaritans.org/ Tel: 116123
Young Minds: https://www.youngminds.org.uk/
Mental Health Foundation https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/