How can exercise help my mental health? 

Exercise is good for both our mind and our body, but how is that the case? Why is it when you’re feeling a little down or stressed, you go for a walk and you feel better? 

Exercise of course has its benefits for us physically, physiologically and psychologically. When we exercise, certain physiological changes occur, such as an increase in endorphins and other neurotransmitters, that can positively impact on our mood and stress levels. Exercise can help improve our cognition, such as improving attention, memory and focus. More specifically, Exercise reduces the level of cortisol (AKA: the stress hormone) and stimulates the production of endorphins; that help improve our mood and are also natural painkillers. 

So the next question you might ask is how much exercise is enough? What type of exercise will help? The good news is, the research doesn’t specifically state a certain type of exercise to have benefits for your mental health; they all do! A 2017 review showed that all exercise regimes showed improved quality of life than those who did not exercise for mental health. In this review, they also looked at aerobic and non aerobic based exercise, and found that anxiety scores improved similarly in both groups. As little as 15 minutes, 3 times a week was significantly associated with lower risk of depressive symptoms.  The research does suggest this might be due to higher levels of adherence. It’s important to find a form of exercise you enjoy. 

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Source::

Kathleen Mikkelsen, Lily Stojanovska, Momir Polenakovic, Marijan Bosevski, Vasso Apostolopoulos, Exercise and mental health, Maturitas, Volume 106, 2017, Pages 48-56,

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.maturitas.2017.09.003. 
Harvard Health Publishing, 2020. Staying Healthy: Exercising to Relax, https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/exercising-to-relax