What are the benefits of exercise mental health? Well, the main side effects are good. Mental, physical, and cognitive improvement. These benefits are often underestimated because we usually focus on physical effects, but regular exercise at the right intensity can be incredibly powerful. There is sex.
Wherever you do your exercise; running the right amount on a court, course, pitch, track, pool, or home treadmill can have a great impact on your psychological well-being.
In this article, chartered sports and exercise psychologist Josephine Perry provides live science with insights into how exercise improves mental and overall health.
How does exercise help our mental health?
Exercise gives us structure, purpose, energy, and motivation. It is also effective in changing the way we process and react to emotions, reducing the amount we think too much and building emotional resilience to stress. This helps reduce the symptoms of depression and anxiety, change our behavior, increase self-esteem, and reduce loneliness by becoming more sociable. “As an athletic psychologist, I’m always seeing these benefits with my clients. Even a 20-minute session can make a big difference in their day,” Perry told Live Science.
1. Reduces the symptoms of depression
Depression is really awkward. Not only does it make you feel incredibly low during the period you have it, but it also affects your risk of developing chronic physical health, resulting in poor quality of life in the long run. It can lead to a decrease in life expectancy. Drug choices are not always appropriate, and less than half of patients taking antidepressants have a meaningful clinical response. Exercise can be a valuable alternative approach.
First, exercise helps prevent the onset of depression.Interesting study of American Journal of Psychiatry Looking at more than 33,000 people, it was suggested that exercising at least one hour a week could prevent 12% of new depression cases. If depression has already been diagnosed, exercise has proven to be an effective way to prevent and alleviate both severe and mild symptoms.In led research Duke UniversityResearchers have found that exercise is as effective as taking antidepressants and reduces some depression symptoms by as much as 70%.
2. Relieve anxiety
Anxiety and depression are often experienced together, and exercise has been shown to be beneficial for anxiety as well. A meta-analysis of 13 separate studies ( Depression and Anxiety Journal) Many exercisers emphasized that they have better protection from the development of anxiety symptoms than those who do not.
Scientists believe this is because it affects our body’s threat system. The threat system, led by the amygdala (the part of the brain involved in emotional processing), constantly scans for threats and, when it finds a threat, floods the body with adrenaline and cortisol, the most effective activity in combat, escape. Helps to react physically or freezes.
This usually means faster breathing, increased blood flow, an empty stomach, and very tight muscles. Exercise is an effective way to relax some of these muscles, regulate the system, and distract attention, thus reducing both the physiological and psychological effects of anxiety.
3. Improve our behavior
A particularly interesting area when studying the effects of exercise in children is how it improves their behavior. The researchers reported in the book,’Psychology of physical activity: determinants, well-being, and intervention‘We have found that they work better, are less aggressive and take more responsibility for their behavior, as it significantly improves their behavior. This improved behavioral regulation is useful for everyone, especially those with executive function disorders such as ADHD.
4. More connections, less loneliness
We all need to have a sense of belonging and connection with those around us in order to feel motivated and enthusiasm. Without it, we can fight loneliness and what is known as the anomie, the collapse of social ties.Exercise has proven to be a great way to strengthen connections.. Regular physical activity gives a sense of structure and purpose, so it is especially valuable when going through the transitional stages of life. Not only are long-term social benefits great, but when you are more active and engaged with others, your quality of life improves, and research not only improves life satisfaction, but in fact Means that you too will live longer.
5. Increase our self-esteem
Your self-esteem comes from the discrepancy between what you want to be and what you really are. The closer you feel to what you really want to be, the higher your self-esteem. Self-esteem is found to be higher in those who exercise regularly, with higher athletic performance, better cardiovascular health, and more positive self-awareness. All these factors help them get closer to their own ideal image.
High self-esteem improves our overall mental health by creating more positive self-awareness, increased self-confidence, and improved body and self-image. It is imperative to focus on self-esteem early on, as we know that a 5-year-old girl says she is dissatisfied with her body shape and size. And we know that we will do this job in the early days.Published in Adolescent Health Journal Examining the level of exercise between the ages of 9 and 11, we found that the amount of exercise we are currently exercising can predict our level of self-esteem two years from now.
How much exercise do you need to do to improve your mental health?
The amount of exercise required to enjoy the benefits of mental health is probably less than we can imagine. Divided into about 150 minutes 5 times a week. NS Health psychology Studies have found dose-response effects and suggest that some longer sessions have a greater impact, so not only stick to the 5/30 set, but mix it up with different activities. You have to try. The effects may be rapid, as symptoms are alleviated after only 6 weeks, but should be continued to ensure long-term improvement.
