Exercise and Mental Health
As regular gym goers, many of us are experienced in working on our physical health. However, when challenges with mental health arise, we are often caught unprepared and unsure of what to do. The goal of this blog post is to discuss some of the evidence on how exercise can improve mental health as well as options for how you can work on it yourself. By no means am I a mental health specialist, but I have read many research articles and books on the topic and would like to share what I’ve learned.
Exercise and Learning
Just like how exercise can help you build your muscles, it can also help you build your brain. It has been shown to help improve your rate of learning. So, if you’re in good shape, you may be able to learn more efficiently.
Exercise and Stress
People typically think of stress as a bad thing, however that is not always the case. Stress is unavoidable and depending on the severity, it can actually serve as a good stimulus for your body to adapt and improve. As long as the stressors you are experiencing aren’t too severe and you have time to recover, your body and brain recover and become stronger. When your muscles are put under stress in the gym, they adapt and become stronger. Mentally, this is the case as well. If you train yourself to gradually be able to tolerate more challenging situations, they don’t seem as severe. Next time you encounter a stressful situation try thinking to yourself, “can I get through this just like a tough workout and become stronger from it?”
Exercise and Anxiety/Depression
Exercise works on both the body and the brain to help reduce anxiety. First, it can serve as a distraction as you’re able to focus on something else besides what is making you anxious. It also can help to reduce muscle tension. Exercise even benefits you on a chemical level, as it has been shown to affect chemicals in your brain, just like antidepressants do. Based on this, it is not surprising that research shows that exercisers have been shown to be less depressed, less anxious, less neurotic, and more outgoing than non-exercisers. Not only is exercise important, but overall fitness level matters to. Higher levels of fitness have also been correlated to more positive moods, lower anxiety, and less stress.
A popular study in 1999 called SMILE compared exercise to the common SSRI Zoloft. Patients either got put in the exercise group, SSRI group, or a combination of the two. The exercise groups either walked or jogged at 70–85% of their aerobic capacity for 30 minutes, 3 times per week. All groups showed a significant drop in their depression and about half of each group was without any anxiety/depression at all after the 16 week trial. The researchers concluded that exercise can even be as effective as medication.
When considering types of exercise to work on your mental health it is important to be able to challenge yourself with intensity and pick a form of exercise you can stick with. For my fellow CrossFitters, this meets those checkboxes and also has the added benefit of being social. No wonder so many people get hooked on CrossFit!
So I already exercise, what else can I do?
Meditation is a very valuable tool for managing stress. It can be helpful to take a few minutes during your day to focus on calming your mind and being present. Meditation doesn’t have to be anything fancy like you may imagine. You don’t have to sit in a full lotus position on the floor while repeating Om. You can simply sit comfortably on the floor or in a chair and just focus on your breathing, or the sounds around you. When you have a thought pop into your mind, don’t get frustrated, just let it go and bring your attention back to your breath. If this is too intimidating on your own, there are tools out there to help you. Apps like Headspace or Calm are great and can help you learn how to meditate.
If you need help with your mental health, there are plenty of people out there trained to help. Consider seeing a mental health professional to help. Pairing this with exercise and meditation could be the formula for you!