Exercise and mental health
Did you know?
A single session of exercise can improve mood and there is such a thing as a runner’s high.
Ongoing physical activity can improve cognitive performance and prevent against the development of mental health conditions, like depression.
Physical activity can help the management of mental health disorders such as depression, schizophrenia, and post traumatic stress disorder. There are now some mental health services that incorporate exercise into their treatment plans.
This may be because of:
Endocannabinoids. These are tiny fat cells that circulate the body and contribute to body and mind balance or homeostasis. Performing at least moderate intensity exercise results in an increase in these endocannabinoids, which in turn boosts mood and can even trigger a near state of euphoria (i.e., a runner’s high).
This may also be because:
Exercise can trigger the release of endorphins. These reduce pain and discomfort.
Exercise can get you outdoors and in nature. And it can be enjoyed with people. Both of which improve mood on their own.
What and how much should you do?
I’m sometimes less keen on these questions because they forget individual preferences and baseline fitness and also maybe forget about fun. And it always seems to depend on who you ask.
Most information sources - be it single studies, official guidelines, or media pieces will say something is better than nothing and more is better than just some. Some scientific studies are more specific and suggest performing at least 30-minutes of moderate intensity exercise for at least three days per week is necessary to experience substantial benefit. Other researchers emphasise the benefits of different types of exercise. This media piece comments on the benefits of walking and jogging (good on them!) as well as yoga, dance, and strength training. And I was excited recently to learn of a German researcher testing community-based bouldering as an intervention for mental health.
The takeaway: get outdoors and come to Can Walk Can Run!
My main information sources for this piece were:
(I found it more efficient searching the conversation and the ABC than actual scientific papers today)…
