In my previous post, I wrote about the different nutrients which can affect a person's mental health and how you can eat to reduce risk or symptoms of depression, anxiety and other mental health conditions. In this post, we are going to focus on another aspect of daily life which can benefit mental health and doesn't have to cost a penny. This post is going to discuss exercise and how it can benefit your mental health. The physical benefits of exercise such as lower risk and prevention of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, obesity, and Alzheimer's, are well known but the real evidence behind the effects of exercise on a person’s mental health may be less clear [1]. After reading this post, and my previous, I hope you all will have a better understanding of the small changes you can make to increase your mood and feel better within yourself.
All types of exercise have a positive impact on mental health [1].
Although a lot of the research into the impact of exercise on mental health focuses around aerobic cardiovascular training, like running, cycling and swimming, anaerobic training, such as weight training, has also been shown to have a similar effect [1]. Lower intensity activity such as walking has also been shown to improve insomnia, anxiety, depression and cognitive function in older women. Even meditative practices like yoga are shown to improve mental health.
2. Exercise can improve physical conditions which are associated with mental health conditions [1,2].
Obesity, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes put the body in a constant state of inflammation and dysregulates the immune system causing the secretion of inflammatory factors related to depression [1]. These conditions can also lead to near-death experience leading to PTSD or similar stress disorders [7].
3. People who suffer from depression and other mental illnesses are more likely to exercise less [1].
And this is the exact population who exercise seems to be most effective for in reducing symptoms and severity of mental health disorders.
4. Exercise can be used in isolation or in addition to traditional mental health treatments [2].
Exercise and meditation are as effective at reducing depression as psychotherapy, with the highest responsiveness in acute cases, but chronic cases seem to be less responsive in isolation [1]. However, exercise has also been shown to improve the effectiveness of antidepressants, including to patients who show resistance to the medication initially which is reportedly ⅓ of all patients.
5. Exercise is more likely to be prescribed to patients suffering from stress, depression, or anxiety [2].
A study of mental health practitioners in New Zealand and Australia found that these were the mental health conditions most likely to be prescribed exercise as a treatment.
6. Exercise is least likely to be prescribed in those suffering from bipolar disorder and schizophrenia [2]
This may be due to a lack of understanding of the benefits of exercise as it was recorded that the practitioners lack of knowledge and perspective was the second biggest barrier to prescribing exercise [2]. It has been shown that a single bout of exercise can decrease psychological stress and increase wellbeing in patients with schizophrenia [1,3].
7. Exercise has been shown to reduce the severity of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) [1].
Aerobic exercise on a stationary bike over 2 weeks has been shown to reduce the severity of PTSD symptoms [1]. This is important as if other mental health conditions are secondary to PTSD then improving PTSD severity may alleviate the other conditions [7].
8. Consistency is important for the overall results.
A few studies have found that single bouts of exercise reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety in patients for hours post-exercise [1]. This may be due to endorphins and other neurotransmitters like serotonin, being released into the bloodstream at a higher rate temporarily. This feeling is described by athletes as the “runner's high”. It has been shown that 15 minutes of aerobic or anaerobic exercise 3 times per week can significantly reduce depressive symptoms overall [1]. This may be due to exercise creating an increase in mitochondrial function. Mitochondria are important in maintaining neuroplasticity in the brain. If neuroplasticity begins to deteriorate it can negatively affect the way the body deals with stress leading to mental health disorders like depression [1].
9. Exercise can reduce crime leading to improved mental health.
In Iceland, there has been a recent effort to implement more exercise-based after school programmes [1]. They have seen a correlation between these programmes, and crime and depression within their youth population. If this can be replicated in other places there may be subsequent benefits to the mental health of others in the community. This is because PTSD cost commonly occurs in areas with higher crime rates and is triggered by traumatic, often violent events. Therefore if you can reduce the crime occurring there would hopefully be a reduction in the number of people developing PTSD, and anxiety and depression and a consequence of it.
10. Exercise helps to regulate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis [1]
The HPA is responsible for the body's response to stress, both physical and psychological [1]. Hyperactivity is seen in the HPA of some people who suffer from depression due to an increase in cortisol production, dampening the immune system. People who exercise regularly have been shown to have a hyposensitive HPA response to mental stress, and therefore do not produce as much cortisol and other hormones linked to poor mental health.
11. It is hard to prove how exercise affects some physiological processes [1]
For the endorphin hypothesis, the serum levels may not reflect endorphin levels in the central nervous system and assessment of this is a highly invasive procedure which in itself, would affect the patient's mood [1]. Another hypothesis is thermogenesis. Theoretically, the increase in body temperature heats the brainstem and other regions resulting in a reduction in anxiety and increased overall relaxation [1]. Hot yoga would be an example of a form of exercise which tries to manipulate this externally. However, when this has been tested, body temperature has not been reliably correlated to anxiety [1].
12. Exercise provides a distraction and escapism
One theory is that it is not a physiological change brought on by the exercise which leads to an improvement in mental health but being distracted from the negative thoughts and the worry [1]. This is said to be the explanation as to why meditative techniques show similar reductions in anxiety and depression.
13. Exercise promotes self-efficacy
The feeling of completing an important task or mastering something has been shown to improve mood [1]. This makes exercise a great way to promote this as exercise sessions themselves are planned, structured, and purposeful. This means that completing each exercise session should bring around this feeling of self-efficacy, and even more when a larger goal is met. This positivity makes a person more likely to adhere to other self-set goals and increase overall self-esteem. Having higher self-esteem then makes you less likely to succumb to depressive behaviours.
14. You can't out-exercise a bad diet
In my previous post, I wrote about the effects of certain nutrients on mental health. One of the ways nutrition affects mental health was having poor digestion, causing inflammation, and a reduction in the production of neurotransmitters, leading to a reduced mood [5]. You must eat plenty of fruit, leafy vegetables, whole grains, legumes, algae, and nuts and seed to ensure your body is getting the vitamins, minerals, and fibre it needs for the most optimum mental health [6]. Any shortcomings in nutrition cannot be fixed via exercise. If you have an inflammatory condition, caused or worsened by poor nutrition, which has created an environment where your body can not produce the neurotransmitters, and enzymes necessary, exercise will not cure your condition [1]. However, exercise has been shown to alleviate symptoms of depression in people with inflammatory disorders like Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and Alzheimer's.
15. Exercise isn't prescribed as a treatment for mental health disorders enough
This is for several reasons. One reason is they may not be aware of the research showing the positive effects even short periods of exercise, like HIIT, or low-intensity exercise like walking can have on a patients mental health [2,3]. There is also a lack of training for how to correctly prescribe exercise and few connections with the fitness industry to support this population.
16. Over exercise and exercise addiction may lead to negative mental health effects [1,4].
Negative self-image and perception of body weight can lead people to have an unhealthy relationship with exercise leading to negative mental health outcomes, which can be worsened when coupled with conditions such as bulimia, or anorexia [1]. With the current Covid-19 situation happening in the world over the last year, people with these predispositions may be more likely to over exercise and develop an unhealthy relationship due to a more flexible work schedule, more free time, and the increased public health encouragement to take part in regular exercise [4]. When exercise becomes obsessive, or you become dependent on it, it can be difficult to abstain from as the withdrawal symptoms are similar to those who abuse substances [1].
17. Exercise addiction coincides with other conditions and addictions.
Exercise addiction itself is not listed as a disorder on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) [4]. It is rather a behaviour stemming from other psychiatric disorders. For example, If you suffer from an eating disorder you are 3.7 times more likely to develop an exercise addiction. Also, 40% of exercise addicts have other addictions, for example, drug use, sex, shopping or alcohol [4].
I hope this all helps you to realise the important role exercise can play on your mental health. It can be a big factor, along with nutrition on your mood and how you feel. Feel free to leave a comment on this post or to contact me if you have any questions or if you are looking for a coach yourself to help with your fitness and nutrition.
References
Mikkelsen, K., Stojanovska, L., Polenakovic, M., Bosevski, M., & Apostolopoulos, V. (2017). Exercise and mental health. Maturitas, 106, 48-56.
Way, K., Kannis-Dymand, L., Lastella, M., & Lovell, G. P. (2018). Mental health practitioners’ reported barriers to prescription of exercise for mental health consumers. Mental Health and Physical Activity, 14, 52-60.
Glowacki, K., Duncan, M. J., Gainforth, H., & Faulkner, G. (2017). Barriers and facilitators to physical activity and exercise among adults with depression: A scoping review. Mental Health and Physical Activity, 13, 108-119.
Lim, M. A. (2020). Exercise addiction and COVID-19-associated restrictions.
DeSantis, N. Nutrition for Mental Health
Kim, C. S., Byeon, S., & Shin, D. M. (2020). Sources of Dietary Fiber Are Differently Associated with Prevalence of Depression. Nutrients, 12(9), 2813.
National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health (UK. (2005). Post-traumatic stress disorder: The management of PTSD in adults and children in primary and secondary care. Gaskell.