Exercise and Your Mental Health
“I keep in shape - and do my physical fitness,” Kool Keith, Ultramagnetic MCs, Poppa Large
As winter leaves and spring Marches in, many of us are starting to spend more time outdoors and are beginning to look forward to open-air activities and the warm weather. For some, this temperature change inspires new physical goals and exercise routines (kayaking, running and club sports are all much more pleasant in the warm springtime than in the chilling winter cold). So this week we want to talk about the impact of an exercise routine on your mental health.
[Caveat: For some of us, the warm weather anticipation comes with trepidation. The dreaded summer body season is approaching and many of us may feel too embarrassed to strip the jackets and sweaters. If you are one of the people worried about confidence, check out this blog on learning to love yourself ft Kendrick Lamar. Exercise is a way to love your body and cherish your body. Exercise should not be a method of punishing yourself.]
You might be thinking: “This is a mental health blog that gets inspired by hip hop music - why in the world are we talking about exercise?” Our physical health and wellbeing has a direct impact on our mental and emotional health. Kool Keith even acknowledges the importance of keeping in shape so your brains don't miss this. In fact, a plethora of studies show that exercise is good for you. For example,
Mayo Clinic highlights that exercise benefits us by releasing feel-good endorphins that can improve our sense of well-being and help take our minds off of worries and break away from the cycle of negative thoughts that feed depression and anxiety. [Like Kool Keith said, if your head is numb…]
Research by Schuch FB, Vancampfort D and showed that “Physical activity and exercise can also prevent common mental disorders, such as depression and anxiety disorders, and have multiple beneficial effects on the physical and mental health of people with a wide range of mental disorders.”
The American Association of Physicians reports that “while exercise initially spikes the stress response in the body, people experience lower levels of stress hormones like cortisol and epinephrine after bouts of physical activity.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services writes that “Even small amounts of physical activity can immediately reduce symptoms of anxiety in adults and older adults”. In fact, the HHS even provides Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, highlighting the role of exercise in your health and wellbeing.
As part of the therapy work at Future Full of Hope, we often discuss health habits and routines with clients. From a holistic treatment perspective, it is essential to include exercise and activity within the treatment plan (along with ample hydration and outdoor time).
If you live in a big city with robust walking or cycling communities, then you may be getting sufficient exercise naturally. Or if you work a heavily physically demanding job then you might be bypassing the activity thresholds. But for the rest of us, exercise does not happen spontaneously. Sedentary or office workers who commute by car and sit at a desk for most of the day are unlikely to naturally get the prescribed 150 minutes of activity a week. This is especially challenging for remote workers who lack even the minimal movement that is built-in to a commute or walking within an office. Most of us do not have sufficient exercise and activity during the day.
And when I mean exercise, I don't mean that you have to be a bodybuilder or a professional marathoner. But movement is essential. This might mean a weekly run mixed in with a weight session at the gym. Or a daily 30 minute walk with your dog combined with a weekly yoga session. Or golfing with your buddies every weekend and routinely joining your partner for cycling. Exercise could mean following YouTube workouts at home or joining an active ultimate frisbee club. A brisk walk outside and a quick stretch are great ways to help your mental wellbeing. Any movement of your body is better than no movement. Exercising your body is a physical way of taking care of your mental health.
For most of us, we have to plan exercise and movement. Without a plan for exercise or space in your day committed to the plan, we are less likely to show up consistently. Consider looking at your weekly schedule and blocking days and times where you can fit in exercise consistently. You can also decide ahead of time what type of activity is feasible within the allotted time frame. On a busy day, the most you may be able to accomplish is walking the dog while taking a work call. On other days, you may have more flexibility for a more extensive workout. By scheduling your exercise, you are moving from an aspiration to a plan and are more likely to follow through and prevent the excuses (for help with planning workouts, check out our thoughts on setting SMART Goals here).
You can also leverage your friends and community to help build motivation! Think about activities that might be more fun (or at least less miserable) with others. Then recruit friends to join you! You may find hiking more fun with a friend or find out that a volley of tennis with some friendly banter is good for both your body and your soul. Joining a workout class with a friend can allow you to share the fun and commiserate the pain. Exercising with friends can also help keep you accountable and decrease the odds of you canceling.
Exercise can also help build community if you’re looking for a friend group. Many gyms and clubs foster a camaraderie that may welcome you with open hands. If you are looking for connection, find a sport or activity you have been interested in trying and then find a club or gym to join! You will be surprised by the friendships you can build over a game of basketball, a hike in the forest or a consistent triathlon training group.
If you don't yet have an active exercise routine, I challenge you to pick one activity that you will do this week, invite a friend to join you or make a friend during! Make sure you also add Kool Keith’s “Poppa Large” to your workout playlist! Then see how it impacts your mood and mental health.
Interested in taking a deeper dive in therapy to kick off your new year? Follow the link below to schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation!
AI Disclaimer: This post is original and written by Kevin Boyd of Future Full of Hope, PLLC. No AI tool was leveraged in the development of this post
