Typically, when you think of exercise, the physical benefits of movement immediately come to mind. It is known that regular exercise can help you:
Control your weight
Reduce your risk of diabetes
Lower your blood pressure
Increase your energy
In addition to these amazing advantages, did you know that exercise has psychological benefits as well?
Regular exercise has been proven to keep your memory sharp and ease symptoms of depression and anxiety. Lifestyle modifications are often used to improve quality of life and overall health, and exercise is no exception to these adjustments. Lifestyle changes that highlight moderate-intensity activity are the most beneficial. Additionally, the positive effects of movement on mental health encompass self-efficacy, social interaction, and distraction. Exercise has the ability to enhance your self-efficacy, also known as the belief in your capabilities. Movement can act as a form of social interaction in various ways. For instance, you may have a ‘workout buddy’ or you may engage in group classes. Lastly, exercise can act as a distraction from life stressors, giving you much needed time to mentally rejuvenate.
If you would like to learn about the mental health benefits of exercise, keep reading!
Anchor Therapy is a counseling center in Hoboken, NJ with psychotherapists specialized in helping children, teens, adults, and couples with anxiety, depression, relationship issues, trauma, and life transitions. Anchor Therapy is accepting new clients and is now providing in-person sessions and telehealth (video/phone) sessions to residents of New Jersey and New York.
1. Exercise Reduces the Likelihood of Developing Anxiety and Depression
If you are struggling with an anxiety or depressive disorder, you may be physically passive or withdrawn which explains why you may engage in exercise less than the general population. Research has supported the notion that there is an association between depression in men and women and sedentary lifestyles. The same association is found with some anxiety disorders as well. Research evidence proves that people who are physically active have a lowered proneness to develop depression. Exercise was recommended as a treatment for clinical depression over a century ago. When exercise is coupled with therapy, depression levels can significantly drop. When you are experiencing anxiety, movement can reduce those anxious feelings.
2. Exercise Decreases Stress
Everyone has stressors in their life and exercise can help decrease the impact of stress. Movement produces endorphins (happy inducing hormones!) which can lead to reduced pain and intensified pleasure. This often results in the feeling of well-being. Endorphins reduce stress and can enhance your ability to sleep. Stress is a component of life that everyone experiences and, while it is impossible to always be stress-free, exercise can help decrease your stress levels. Those who engage in regular exercise experience physical and mental benefits.
3. Exercise Improves Self-Esteem and Self-Confidence
Your self-esteem is your confidence in your worth or abilities. Achievements are a great way to advance your self-esteem and keep it at a high standing. By achieving something, you gain confidence and, therefore, add onto your self-esteem. In regard to health-related behaviors, high self-esteem is associated with choice and persistence. In other words, you may, for instance, make the active choice to work out on a daily basis regardless of how difficult the exercise may be. While self-esteem is multidimensional, it is greatly tied to your physicality. In addition to increasing self-esteem, movement can promote physical self-worth and more positive notions of personal body image. Movement impacts systems in your brain which are involved in reward, emotion, and motivation. It has been shown that as little as 10 minutes of exercise can improve your mood.
4. Exercise Improves Brain Performance
Unfortunately, as you age, your cognitive functions can decline as well. Exercise, specifically aerobic exercise, can help counter this natural decrease. Common cognitive declines include:
Memory (the mind stores and remembers information. It is how we remember things.)
Executive function (a set of mental skills that include working memory, flexible thinking, and self-control. It is how we focus, follow directions, and handle emotions, among other things.)
Visuospatial skills (a person's capacity to identify, integrate, and analyze space and visual form, details, structure and spatial relations in more than one dimension. Visuospatial skills are needed for movement, depth and distance perception, and spatial navigation.
Processing speed (how long it takes someone to get something done.)
Healthy sedentary adults who performed aerobic training for three hours a week can reap the benefits of exercise’s boost in brain performance. Aerobic exercise can lessen biological and cognitive results of aging in sedentary adults. Additionally, exercise can generally improve cognition, including memory, for everyone regardless of age. These advantages occur because exercise increases brain function.
5. Switching up your workout routine
If you are looking for a way to incorporate exercise into your daily routine, it is helpful to explore various methods until you find an activity that you find to be fun. While we often have positive intentions for our health and wellness journeys, you may find that your plans unravel within a few days or weeks due to pure boredom. Fortunately, this boredom that is caused by routines does not have to have power over your life. You can easily switch up your routine to make exercise more fun.
You can try the following methods to spice up your fitness:
Get a workout buddy - Finding a gym buddy not only gives you more motivation to show up every day, but it can also make the experience more enjoyable.
Work Out Without Realizing It - There are many ways that you burn calories without even realizing it. For instance, completing a deep clean on your house for an hour can burn about 190 calories.
Watch your favorite TV show - Why watch a show from your couch when you can multitask? The next time you head to the gym, try completing a workout on a cycle machine or treadmill while watching your favorite TV show. Not only are you doing something good for your body, but you are also catching up on your favorite show which can make time appear to go by faster.
If you are experiencing stress, symptoms of depression and anxiety, brain fog, and/or issues with self-esteem, we highly encourage you to seek help from a licensed mental health worker while also incorporating exercise into your routine. It is important to note that you do not need to become a member at the most exclusive gym or purchase an expensive machine to get a good workout in, simply throwing on a pair of sneakers and going for a walk will help relieve psychological discomfort. You can use whatever is available to you to achieve results!
For additional information, please view the following sources:
Chapman, S. B., Aslan, S., Spence, J. S., Defina, L. F., Keebler, M. W., Didehbani, N., & Lu, H. (2013). Shorter term aerobic exercise improves brain, cognition, and cardiovascular fitness in aging. Frontiers in aging neuroscience, 5, 75.
Childs, E., & de Wit, H. (2014). Regular exercise is associated with emotional resilience to acute stress in healthy adults. Frontiers in physiology, 5, 161.
Fox, Kenneth. (2000). The effect of exercise on self-perceptions and self-esteem.
Grison, S., & Gazzaniga, M. S. (2019). Psychology in your life. W.W. Norton & Company.
Martinsen EW. Physical activity in the prevention and treatment of anxiety and depression. Nord J Psychiatry. 2008;62 Suppl 47:25-9.
Sharma, A., Madaan, V., & Petty, F. D. (2006). Exercise for mental health. Primary care companion to the Journal of clinical psychiatry, 8(2), 106.
Warburton, D. E., Nicol, C. W., & Bredin, S. S. (2006). Health benefits of physical activity: the evidence. CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne, 174(6), 801–809.
Victoria Scala
is an intern at Anchor Therapy in Hoboken, New Jersey. She is currently an undergraduate student at the Honors College of Rutgers University-Newark, looking to study Clinical Mental Health Counseling at the graduate level. As an intern at Anchor Therapy, Victoria is committed to producing content for and managing the office’s social media presence and blog.
