It’s a well-known unarguable fact that exercise is important to your physical health. Not only can exercise help you to stay fit, strong, and healthy but it can also help to prevent physical injury and illness. A strong supportive core will reduce the likelihood of back pain and common back injuries, a strong cardiovascular system will be able to fight off and recover from the common cold much quicker than a weaker system, a body that is used to moving, running, walking, lifting weights and other activities will have stronger denser bones and a lower risk of osteoporosis as we move into old age. This we know and understand because it has been well documented over the years.
But what about your mental health, can it really benefit in a similar way from exercise?
The very simple answer is yes! Yes, regular exercise will support your mental health and it will do so in lots of different ways. The charity Rethink Mental Illness was founded almost 50 years ago in order to support those with mental illness and also those caring for people with mental illness. They champion the use of regular exercise to help with a number of different conditions.
It is widely recognised that exercise can:
Reduce stress levels
Improve your quality of sleep
Improve your overall mood
Reduce bouts of or the severity of anxiety
Reduce the risk of depression
Help build self-esteem and self-confidence
All of this can lead to an overall healthier mind-body relationship. Several things happen when we take part in purposeful exercise, we encourage the release of endorphins within the body which are known as the body’s own natural alternative to ‘happy pills’ and we become more susceptible to the effects of serotonin which is proven to reduce feelings of depression.
What is purposeful exercise and how much should we get?
My definition of purposeful exercise is when you set out to participate in an activity that will elevate both your heart rate and your breathing rate. So essentially something that challenges your cardiovascular system. It is purposeful because it is more than just your normal level of activity. Now this can be any kind of exercise, it could be walking, yoga, running, lifting weights, swimming, dancing, rock climbing, martial arts, or even horse riding, the list of possibilities is endless. It is anything that is not just a part of your normal day to day activities and which makes you exert your body in some way. With so much choice that means that every single one of us can find something that we are capable of doing and that we can enjoy.
For me it’s important to enjoy the exercise that you choose to do, exercise should not feel like a punishment and the more that you enjoy it the more likely you are to stick with it in the long term and see both the physical and mental benefits. It might take a little time and be a bit like trial and error to begin with but there is something out there for all of us. Try not to let fear or your preconceived ideas hold you back from giving something new a go.
You will also be pleased to hear that you don’t need to spend hours at a time exercising to start to see the benefits. In 2018 an article published by Psychology Today suggested that 45 minutes of exercise three times a week is enough to help even those with chronic depression.
As a form of maintenance and to prevent a downward spiral in mental health I would suggest that a minimum of 25 minutes of physical exertion three times a week over a prolonged time period, i.e. set this as your new routine and maintain it in the long term, is enough. Research shows that it takes around four weeks of regular exercise to really begin to see the positive changes in your mental health but from that very first session you will start to see a pattern of positive reinforcement. A sense of achievement after each session can leave you feeling positive for the rest of the day and more able to take on the challenges that may be thrown your way.
How do I get started?
What to do and how to do it can be very daunting, with so much choice it is easy to feel overwhelmed and just decide not to bother at all. Here are my top tips:
Try out a few different activities – keep them low cost if you can.
Trying out more than one sport or activity will help you to find something you enjoy. Remember enjoyment means that we are more likely to commit and keep on doing it.
Make a plan
Look at your schedule for the week ahead and identify where you have gaps that you can fit exercise in to. Remember you only need some 30-minute time slots, then plan it into your diary so that you don’t forget or double book yourself!
Be realistic about what you can manage
Don’t go all out and then burn out. 30 minutes 3 times a week sustained over a 12-week period is much better for you than a handful of one-hour sessions that you can’t sustain.
Summary
So, whilst we might at times need medical intervention and medication to help ‘balance’ us out we can also combine this with exercise to create a double pronged attack against what so many call ‘The Black Dog’. Our mental health is complex and can suffer in many different ways and for many different reasons but there are steps that we can take to support ourselves. The next level to think about after exercise is how our nutrition can also help or hinder our mental health. For more information or to see how you can work with me to support your mental health and self-love just head over to my site here.
Author, speaker, and cheerleader for women all across the globe, Laura is a mum of one and knows first hand how easy it is to put yourself last. Laura’s mission is to help thousands of women to realise that they are beautiful just as they are, that exercise goes far beyond the physical and that self-love does not mean feeling like you are perfect. Laura now has multiple books available on Amazon ranging from her own story to finding self-love, to fiction, to a fitness and nutrition journal she has created to help women on their journey.
Find out more about Laura and her services at www.laurab-empoweredwords.com