There’s no doubt that moving your body and exercising regularly has a huge number of physical health benefits, however, with it being WMHD today, I thought it was important to focus on the mental health benefits we can all experience if we move more. I’m not saying that exercise is a substitute for professional help, but it’s a tool we can all use to our advantage to enhance and improve our daily lives.
I’ve been looking into this more and it seems the link between physical exercise and mental health relates to neurotransmitters and neuromodulators (endorphins) in the brain. Exercise increases our levels of ‘feel-good’ hormones (dopamine and serotonin, epinephrine, GABA & glutamate levels) and also those chemicals which help with pain and stress relief, which ultimately facilitate emotional and mental health benefits.
Specific mental health benefits of exercise include:
- Improved depression symptoms
- Decreased anxiety
- Reduced stress
- Increased resiliency
- Better sleep
- Improved PTSD symptoms
- Decrease ADHD symptoms
- Boosted self esteem
- ncreased mental function
- Improved PTSD
- Better memory function
- Sense of control
It seems exercise doesn’t need to be super strenuous to be effective in this way, any kind of movement helps, but research suggests that more intense sessions 2-3 times a week can be particularly beneficial, so it’s important to find something which works for you.
Obviously if you are struggling with any of these symptoms, it’s hard to get started, so my advice would be to start small and allow yourself time to adjust. Committing to a walk every day is a great way to begin, but the key is consistency, coupled with time and patience.
One tip is to start thinking of yourself as a person who exercises. Tell yourself that’s who you are now! You are one of those people, it’s just something you do. Even if you’ve only just started, it’s still true, so re-enforce that identity with yourself.
Also, you can view this ‘movement’ as an act of self care – it’s like going to bed at a sensible time, drinking enough water, taking your make up off at night, putting on SPF, having a relaxing bath… Looking after yourself is important; you can’t pour from an empty cup, so the saying goes (and it’s true btw!).
Another way to start is to find someone else to exercise / walk / run with regularly. The chances are you’ll have friends who also want to enjoy exercise more frequently too, so team up with them!
If getting started is down to you alone, I’d recommend you find a great podcast about something you’re really interested in, plug in, and walk around the block – just for 10 mins. You might find you get lost in the podcast and want to walk for longer to hear more! Try and repeat that each day… even if it’s raining! There’s something extra therapeutic about walking in the rain (if you’re kitted out for it!).
Other suggestions include group fitness, walking clubs, running clubs, even finding some low intensity workouts on YouTube can be really effective…. My final suggestion here is to track your activity, build up a streak, something visual really helps (e.g. a chart or a log on your phone) – you can then see what you’ve achieved and be proud of yourself – that all helps to build self esteem and it contributes to feelings of positivity and accomplishment.
The overarching point here is that if you are struggling, you can take these small steps to begin to help yourself. This doesn’t have to be overwhelming or ‘all or nothing’ – these are just small steps to get you started. Obviously, there are circumstances where you may need to see a professional and that is perfectly understandable, but these are steps you can take NOW to look after your own physical and mental wellbeing as no-one is going to do it for you.
Final words – exercise is a powerful tool. And it’s FREE. Find something you enjoy, do it regularly and use it to your advantage and look after your physical and mental wellbeing. Remember, taking care of your mental health is not a luxury, but a necessity.
If you need any support with getting started and you’d like to transition from walking to workouts, please reach out – I can help you get started.
