Exercise is fundamental for a healthy life. Engaging in regular physical activity has tremendous benefits not only for the body, but your mental wellbeing as well. Exercising will keep your major organs in optimal health and will trim your waistline, but it will also have a positive impact on your emotional wellbeing. And this is backed up by scientific research.
In a recent systematic review, professors from the University of South Australia carried out an in-depth analysis of the effects of physical activity on mental health. The Australian researchers examined 1.039 randomized controlled trials with a total of 128.119 participants. After analyzing the data, the scientists confirmed the mental health benefits of exercising. The results showed that exercise can considerably improve symptoms of depression, anxiety and psychological distress in healthy adults, in individuals with mental health disorders and people with diverse chronic diseases.
So there’s no question about it, engaging in physical activity can truly boost your mood. But what exactly can you do? Should you start lifting weights? Well, not necessarily. There are various forms of exercise you can do in order to lift your spirits. It all depends on your preferences, your fitness level and health. The most important thing is to find something you enjoy and you can integrate into your routine.
Walking
One of the simplest, yet rewarding things you can do is walk for your mental health. Going for a walk, particularly in a green environment, has the power to heal. This is the conclusion reached by professors from the University of Edinburgh Medical Quad in UK. The evidence found in their recent paper shows that nature-based walking can improve your mood, sense of optimism and overall wellbeing. At the same time, going for a stroll in a park can decrease stress, anxiety and negative rumination.
How much should you walk? Well, there isn’t a simple answer. Taking 10k steps per day is truly beneficial, but it’s not mandatory. You can start with a smaller target and increase it gradually. Reaching that small target, even if initially it doesn’t seem like much, will help build self-confidence and will raise your self-esteem.
How to track your walks? Just use a pedometer app like our own ActivityTracker. The app will automatically count your steps, the distance walked, the active time and calories burned without draining your phone’s battery (no GPS). You’ll be able to set and adjust your personal fitness goal and analyze your progress in time for each day, week, month and year.
Running
Walking, as a low-impact activity, may be great for some people. Others though may feel the need to try something more intense, such as running.
Running makes your body release endorphins and serotonin. These are natural, “feel-good” chemicals that can regulate your mood. By increasing the level of endorphins and serotonin in your brain you can better cope with pain and get to feel calmer and more stable from an emotional standpoint.
The relationship between running and mental health has been widely studied over the years. Scientists from the University of Edinburgh and from Victoria University Wellington reviewed hundreds of papers on this subject, published between 1970 and 2019. After analyzing the data, they concluded that running can have a truly positive impact on our mental health, particularly on depression and anxiety disorders.
Resistance Training
Resistance training isn’t limited to just physical benefits. No, this type of workout can actually help you build a better mental health. Burning fat and toning up your muscles will make you feel less insecure about your appearance and will improve your body image. This will aid you be more confident in yourself and boost your self-esteem.
The mental benefits of strength training have been confirmed by research. A study, published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology, investigated the anxiolytic effects of resistance exercise. Researchers focused on both single-bout sessions and long-term training. The findings indicated that resistance training, done at a low-to-moderate intensity, can generate reliable and robust decreases in anxiety levels and can be efficiently used in the clinical management of this disorder.
Yoga
Yoga is one of the recommended exercises for mental wellbeing. And this is because it can help you on several levels.
Practicing this mind-body discipline will aid you remove negative thoughts and feelings, brighten your mood and increase your energy levels. Yoga can help you deal with stress and place you in a much-needed state of relaxation through controlled breathing techniques. Also doing yoga before going to bed will improve not only the quality, but also the duration of your sleep.
Moving forward wit the benefits, research has shown that this type of exercise can lower depressive symptoms in individuals diagnosed with diverse mental disorders. At the same time, taking yoga classes will give you the opportunity to walk away from loneliness. You’ll enter a community of like-minded people, support each other and heal together.
Team Sports
Playing sports in general is a great way to have fun, stay in shape and destress. Playing team sports, in comparison to individual sports, is even more beneficial when it comes to your mental health. This is mainly linked to the social component involved. In a team sport, you get to meet new people, share ideas, motivate and support each other and basically enhance your social relationships and fight off loneliness.
A 2019-study found that taking part in team sports in adolescence can lead to an improved adult mental health for individuals who faced adverse childhood experiences. According to the results, those who didn’t engage in group activities manifested depressive episodes with a higher frequency. A different paper discovered that individual sport athletes are more likely to show symptoms of depression and anxiety than team sport athletes.
Conclusion
Are you feeling down? Are your mood and energy levels low? Then take a step forward and exercise to improve your mental health. Exercise has the power to chase away negative feelings, to lift your spirits and boost your emotional wellbeing. It doesn’t matter if it’s walking and running in nature or working out with dumbbells or doing push-ups in the comfort of your home. Do an exercise you enjoy and do it regularly. Once you’ll create such a habit and stick to it, you’ll be able to reap all the mental health benefits.