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Mental Health & Exercise

Harry Bird • Nov 29, 2021

Mental Health & Exercise | A Personal Trainers Perspective



Exercise and mental health


Whether we like it or not, we all now know that we should, in some way, shape or form incorporate physical activity into our daily life. 


Generally speaking, we’re all born the same, we are given this wondrous instrument that is the human body and it falls on us to look after it, to nurture it and provide it with nourishment and care during our life cycle. In return, if done right by, our body will reward us by warding off illness, staying strong and allowing us free movement and mobility long into old age.


It’s no secret that physical activity invigorates the body but what about the mind?


Thankfully, in recent years, we have seen a huge shift in people being conscious of their mental health. We know now that talking and sharing, practicing mindfulness, meditation, eating nutritious foods and keeping a check on our work/life balance can be great ways to improve our mental wellbeing; however, we also are now starting to understand just how closely our mental wellbeing is tied to our physical wellbeing and vice-versa.


Being physically active means sitting down less and moving our bodies more. Many people find that physical activity helps them maintain positive mental health, either on its own, or in combination with other methods.


Activity itself comes in many forms, from gym based activities to walking and running and not all forms of physical activity will suit everybody. It’s important not to view physical activity as something we ‘have to do’, ‘should do’ or ‘ought to do’ for our health, but as something that we do because we personally value its positive benefits to our overall wellbeing. Having an active hobby such as hiking or cycling can really help in enabling this view.

Some of the positive effects that exercise can have on our wellbeing include;


·       Improving our mood - Physical activity has been shown to have a positive impact on our mood. With people generally feeling more content, more awake and calmer after being physically active compared to after periods of inactivity. Additionally many popular forms of exercise require us to be outside (running, hiking, cycling), this in turn enables us to breath in fresh air, take in mood boosting vitamin D from the sun and experience differing landscapes that may evoke positive feelings.


·       Reducing our stress - When events occur that make us feel threatened or that upset our balance in some way, our body’s defences cut in and create a stress response. The most common physical signs of stress include sleeping problems, sweating, nausea and loss of appetite. Symptoms like these are triggered by a rush of stress hormones in our body – otherwise known as the ‘fight or flight’ response. Physical exercise can be very effective in relieving stress by bumping up the production of your brain's feel-good neurotransmitters, called endorphins.


·       Improving our self-esteem - Self-esteem is how we feel about ourselves and how we perceive our self-worth. It is a key indicator of our mental wellbeing and our ability to cope with life stressors. Physical activity has been shown to have a positive influence on our self-esteem and self-worth, generally speaking when we feel good about ourselves we feel good full stop.


·       Lessening the effects of depression and anxiety - Physical activity can be an alternative treatment for depression and can be used as a standalone treatment or in combination with medication and/or psychological therapy. It has few side effects and does not have the stigma that some people perceive to be attached to taking antidepressants or attending psychotherapy and counselling. Physical activity can reduce levels of anxiety. Physical activity is available to all, has few costs attached, and is an empowering approach that can support self-management.


Considering the above, it’s hard to form an argument against using exercise and physical activity as a weapon to combat the rising problem of poor wellbeing, both physical and mental. It is important however to consider that looking after our own mental wellbeing and the wellbeing of others around us can take many forms, exercise is vital no doubt but it’s also important to talk and listen, to nourish our bodies with nutrition, and to implement order to our often chaotic work/life balances.


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