Exercise: The Impact On Your Physical & Mental Health
It is known that exercise helps your body physically, but did you know it can help you mentally? Exercise has been proven to help boost your mood and reduce stress. In one study provided by the American Psychological Association, it was found that those that got regular exercise were 25 percent less likely to develop depression or an anxiety disorder than individuals who are less active. So how exactly does exercise do this? Let’s start off by taking a dive into how exercising affects your brain.
There are several things that are happening inside your brain every time you exercise. When you exercise your heart rate goes up which increases the blood flow to your brain. As blood flow increases, your brain gets more oxygen and nutrients. Exercise also triggers the release of beneficial proteins in the brain. These proteins, called neurons, keep the brain healthy and promote the growth of new neurons. Neurons are the building blocks of the brain; therefore, neuron health is directly related to overall brain health.
The growth of new neurons is called neurogenesis which is also connected to brain plasticity (the alterations to the strength between already existing synapses). Synapses are just the connection between neurons. Exercising enlarges the areas of the brain associated with memory, task management, coordination, and planning (prefrontal cortex, medial temporal cortex, and the anterior cingulate cortex). This enlargement means that the developed parts of the brain function faster and more efficiently. Exercise promotes the growth of neurons in the hippocampus. The hippocampus is responsible for learning and memory. The hippocampus in a person who is not physically active consists of younger neurons. Younger neurons fire more easily when confronted with a minor stressor. This can make decision-making harder and seem more stressful. How easily neurons fire comes from the fight-or-flight response. This response unleashes a response in the hippocampus which affects rational thinking and emotional well-being. Physical activity activates the same fight-or-flight system. The neurons that grow during exercise release GABA neurotransmitters. These neurotransmitters prevent other neurons from firing so easily. It helps control what your brain perceives as a real threat. This means that those who exercise more are better equipped to handle stress and control their emotions because they have more of those GABA-releasing neurons.
As stated above, regular exercise can help you control your emotions. When you exercise, your body releases some “feel good” chemicals. Dopamine and endorphins are released in your brain that make you feel happy. These chemicals tend to be low in someone who is battling depression. Exercise also helps to get rid of the bad chemicals that make you feel stressed and anxious. Being active also gives you more energy throughout the day and helps you sleep at night. Better sleep leads to improved brain function and creativity.
Exercising helps fight depression and anxiety in some less physiological ways. It can help someone take their mind off of racing thoughts. It can help break the cycle of negative thoughts that contribute to depression and anxiety. It can provide them a temporary escape from their own mind. It can help them gain confidence. Meeting goals that come with exercising can be a big confidence booster. Having the courage to set a goal, implementing the steps to meet the goal, and rewarding ourselves when we have met the goal are all mood and confidence boosters. Combining exercising with social interaction and encouraging one another will add to the experience. Most importantly, it is a healthy coping mechanism.
The standard recommendation is to try to work out 3-5 days a week for 30 minutes. This can add up to 150 minutes a week, but it has been shown that just 120 minutes of moderate exercise a week could do the trick. If this seems like a daunting task, try starting with 10-15 minutes at a time.
Exercising is known to impact you physically and mentally, no matter the type of exercise. In a study done at the University of British Columbia, aerobic exercise such as running, walking & biking will increase the size of your hippocampus (the area of the brain associated with verbal memory and learning) unlike resistance training which doesn’t have the same impact. Exercise, in general, is known to positively impact memory by increasing neural processes underlying semantic memory activation in healthy adults. Running and walking have been found to lessen the impact of anxiety disorders and depression. These aerobic exercises will also help to elevate your mood and better task-switching abilities. Furthermore, exercise leads to a spike in brain activity after the first session of biking which then leads to tissue remodeling that, with continued exercise, improves the function of those areas. As for weight lifting, a study in 2017 conducted by Sports Medicine Journal ran sixteen studies and found that weight lifting and resistance training “significantly improves anxiety symptoms among both healthy participants and participants with a physical or mental illness.” Resistance training is also found to improve “executive control,” which includes managing all of the tasks in a person's life, writing an article, doing a research project, preparing for class, or organizing a trip. Weight lifting and resistance training has led to less chronic fatigue and a 30% increase in sleep quality. As a whole, different exercises can contribute to different benefits to your quality of life.
In terms of trying to adjust to new exercises, take into account your current health. Are you suffering from depression? Are you anxious? Stressed maybe? Here are a few forms of exercise that’ll address your current state:
● For brain fog and concentration: Yoga, tai chi, aerobic classes
● For memory: aerobics, walking, and cycling
● To improve blood circulation: cardio activities (walking, riding a bicycle, running, swimming, kickboxing, skipping rope
and skiing)
● For stress and anxiety: yoga
● And for depression: aerobic and resistance training.
Starting any exercise is tough, especially when trying to include it into your daily routine. There’s never enough time in the day, and sometimes our energy levels are low. Here’s a few ways to get the exercise routine started:
● Identify what you enjoy doing. It’s a bit tough in terms of realizing what form of exercise you find most enjoyable. Sometimes a runner’s high will do the job while others may find that the pump of weightlifting is what excites them the most. Playing sports is also a great way to get your competitive side out while also burning calories (as long as there’s movement).
● Get your mental health professional's support. First and foremost, address your mental health with your provider to understand exactly what you are struggling with. From there you can develop a plan to address these struggles and can capitalize on those issues with the best exercise to combat them.
● Set reasonable goals. Understand that exercising is a work in progress. No one can start out running 10 miles or bench pressing 300 pounds. Start slow and your progression will speak for itself. Whether it’s a quarter mile or doing 10 body weight squats. If you go too heavy in the beginning, you may injure yourself, which may lead to a temporary reset of your goals.
● Don't think of exercise or physical activity as a chore. Exercise is meant to be a release and a way to relieve yourself. It's not another thing to add to your “to-do” to get it over with for the day. Try to look at it like you’re treating yourself to a final release after a rough day, maybe even a way to get your frustrations out from a bad day at work!
● Analyze your barriers. Figure out what's stopping you from being physically active or exercising. Maybe you’re self-conscious and being in public exercising is a bit scary. Maybe you’re financially strapped and can’t afford the gear you need. Come up with ideas to work around what’s holding you back. Get a workout buddy or even use common household items (you can do tricep dips and elevated pushes with just a chair!).
● Prepare for setbacks and obstacles. You’re working hard. Make sure to understand you’re doing your best even if what you’re doing may feel like it’s unimpressive. Just know that what you’re doing is good no matter if it doesn’t meet your general standards. You’re still doing it regardless, and exercise is better than no exercise even if it doesn’t feel like it. Maybe even give it a day and try again tomorrow!
Exercise can be tough. It’s never easy to start working out or running, but as long as you’re putting the time in initially, you’ll very easily turn it into a routine. Exercise contributes to better physical health and mental health in a variety of ways. You can relieve stress and frustration by running and you can lessen your anxiety by lifting weights. There are a wide variety of ways to better yourself and if you’re not feeling too great whether mentally or physically, exercising will surely lead to a better you. Stick to it and you’ll reap the benefits in no time!
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/01/well/move/how-exercise-affects-our-memory.html
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28819746/
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-exercise-affects-your-brain/
https://www.unm.edu/~lkravitz/Article%20folder/RTandMentalHealth.html
https://positivepsychology.com/exercise-neurological-benefits/
https://www.everydayhealth.com/depression-pictures/great-exercises-to-fight-depression.aspx