Mental Health and Exercise

"Hi there my moods are a bit up and down at the minute and I have been told that exercise can help, is that true? Are there benefits and is it even worth trying?"

Your mental health can be significantly benefited by participating in regular physical activity and exercise.

These benefits can include:

Reducing stress anxiety and depression,

Boosting your mood,

Improving your sleep,

Enhancing your self esteem,

Improved cognitive function, memory and concentration.

"Wow these benefits of physical activity and exercise on my mental health are great but how does it do it?"

Physical activity and exercise benefit peoples mental health by:

Physical activity helps release endorphins, which have mood boosting and pain relieving effects. Exercise can also help reduce the release of stress hormones like cortisol. This in turn helps to reduce stress. Regular exercise can help reduce feelings of anxiety and worry. 

Exercise can improve mood by releasing neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine, which play a role in regulating mood and happiness. Physical activity can help regulate the body's sleep-wake cycle, leading to better sleep quality. Achieving fitness goals and feeling physically strong can boost self-confidence and self-esteem. Exercise can improve memory, focus, and cognitive function, helping individuals feel more alert and mentally sharp.  Participating in group exercise or activities can provide social opportunities and help combat feelings of isolation. Exercise has been shown to be effective in managing symptoms of depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions. 

"That all sounds really good and I think my mental health could really benefit from adding physical activity and exercise into my life but how do I do it, I just don't know where to start?"

Heres some tips to get started:

First thing to do is find an activity that you enjoy because if you find it enjoyable it will motivate you to keep going with it. Its so important to start slowly, find shorter or less intense workouts or classes and slowly build up the intensity and duration as it gets easier and you get more confident. Set yourself realistic and achievable goals and make achievable changes as this will keep you motivated moving forward. Stay consistent in your efforts and aim to complete 30mins of moderate-high intensity exercise five days a week. Get support off qualified professionals to help you do what is right for you.

"That all sounds really good to me, so I need to find something I enjoy and start off slow and easy aiming for 30minutes a day. Is there anything I need to be aware of?"

Things to consider:

Before starting any new exercise program its always good practice to talk to your doctor first. This is especially important is you have any health conditions as they will advise you if its a good idea and may need to fill a exercise referral form dependant on the condition you have. Be aware of the signs of over exercising, these include fatigue, mood swings and getting injured. If you have not exercised before it is easy to go in all guns blazing and do too much which unfortunately could cause more harm than good, that is why we advise to take slowly and consult a professional for help. Do not get addicted to exercise as the benefits of exercise are amazing but becoming completely reliant on exercise to regulate your mood can be dangerous.

"Ok so that is a few things I should have a think about and watch out for. I think im ready to start but what kind of things can I do?"

Physical activity and exercise include:

Going out for walks,

going dancing,

going swimming,

attending exercise classes,

training in a gym,

going jogging,

going running,

playing sport,

hiking,

taking up a martial art.

That is not a full list, there are lots more ways that you can add physical activity or exercise into your life. The most important thing is when getting started is maki8ng sure it is something that you enjoy doing and you can stick too.

"Wow thank you for all your help and advice I have a good idea of what I am going to do moving forward. do you have any last minute advice?"

The last bit of advice is to not give up, like everything in life with exercise and physical activity sometimes you will experience set backs or wont be able to do what you wanted to do on that day or might not achieve your goal as quick as you wanted to. However it is important to be patient, stay consistent and keep going and the results will come. Making healthy habit changes is a great way to start and if in doubt reach out for help.

I hope you have found this useful and if you want to have a chat about how you can start increasing/adding exercise or physical activity into your life then drop me an email on lee@lhfitness.co.uk and ill be happy to have a chat and help you get started.

Yours in fitness and life

Lee

#mentalhealth #positivementalhealth #exercisebenefitsmentalhealth