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What Physical Activity can do for your Mind
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You may be asking yourself, "How does physical activity affect both the body and mind?", well we are here to tell you all about it!
Physical activity plays an important role in managing mild-to-moderate mental health diseases such as anxiety and depression.
What is physical activity?
This is any bodily activity resulting in expended energy
*swimming
*cycling
*gardening
*dancing
*really any movement
Mental Health improvements from physical activity:
-
Reduced anxiety, depression, and negative mood
- Improves self-esteem
- Increased cognitive function
- Stress relief
- Increased energy and stamina
- Reduced fatigue and increased mental alertness
WHY??
Everyday life can be full of stressors, deadlines, negative environments, and last minute life events that can have a negative impact on your overall well-being. Although there is no control over when stressful situations may arise, there is some control on how you overcome them. Physical activity is a powerful stimulus for improving mental health by tapping into the brain to make structural adjustments leading to a more efficient mind and body!
For more information:
What Is Anxiety ?
Anxiety is a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease. A nervous disorder characterized by a state of excessive uneasiness and apprehension, typically with compulsive behavior or panic attacks.
-In general, inactivity or the absence of exercise has shown a strong correlation with the development of anxiety disorders. Your body is made to move, so inactivity is just creating tension as you do nothing.
-Exercise is considered to be a great method of managing anxiety and as powerful as some medicines. Most people dealing with anxiety has an excess of cortisol in their body. Exercise gets rid of that cortisol, preventing the symptoms.
What can you do ?
- Stand up and stretch
- Walk and use stairs as much as possible to get to nearby places
- Ride a bike
- Go bowling or dancing
- Yoga
- Hiking
In what ways can exercise affect anxiety ?
- Releases "relaxation" Neurotransmitters
- Burns cortisol
- Improves Sleep
- Prevents inactivity
- Improves your overall mental health
Stress
Stress is a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstances. Stress is an universal and unavoidable phenomenon that none of us can stay away from. People of all ages experience stress and try to deal with it. Stress reduction has many positive health implications, and physical activity has been consistently shown to be a mechanism to reduce stress.
Stress and Health
- stress is a significant individual and public health problem that is associated with numerous physical and mental health concerns (Jackson, 2013)
- it is estimated that between 75% and 90% of primary care physician visits are caused by stress-related illnesses (Jackson, 2013)
- cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes, depression, anxiety, immune system suppression, headaches, back and neck pain, and sleep problems are some of the health problems associated with stress (Jackson, 2013)
- just as stress can increase the risk for chronic diseases and other health problems, dealing with chronic conditions and poor health can increase the amount of stress one experiences. Stress also influences behaviors that affect health (Jackson, 2013)
Benefits of physical activity on stress:
- it pumps up your endorphins
- it is meditation in motion
- it improves your mood
Types of exercise that reduces stress:
- Tai Chi
- Yoga
How much exercise is needed to manage stress?
- proposed physiological adaptations thought to improve the way the body handles stress and recovers from stress can occur with a regular moderate to vigorous aerobic exercise program (Jackson, 2013)
- 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise per week or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise per week
- if an individual is using exercise as a time-out from stressors, shorter duration activity can serve the purpose, especially when lack of time or fatigue is a concern (Jackson, 2013)
What is Depression?
"Depression is a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest. Also called major depressive disorder or clinical depression, it affects how you feel, think, and behave and can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems."
-www.mayoclinic.org
Depression and Physical Activity:
-There's no difference between aerobic and non-aerobic exercise when it comes to lowering depression.
-"In adults
with major depression, the efficacy of exercise seems
generally comparable to antidepressant medication and
both tend to be better than placebo." (Stro¨hle, 2008)
-"The effects of physical activity might
stimulate a complex system and trigger a cascade of events,
which, for example, result in higher resilience against
(stress-associated) mental disorders". (Stro¨hle, 2008)
-"...Increased self-efficacy,
a sense of mastery, distraction, and changes of
self-concept seem to be involved in the therapeutic efficacy
of exercise training." (Stro¨hle, 2008)
How can physical activity help depression?
-Greater energy expenditure is associated with larger reductions in depressive symptoms.
-Exercise programs that last 9 weeks or longer can greatly reduce depression symptoms.
-For patients with major depression, 30 minutes of treadmill walking for ten consecutive days reduces depression scores when tested with the Hamilton Depression rating Scale.
-In studies that focused on major depression, running was just as effective as psychotherapy.
Are sports more your thing?
The Story Behind The Madness
- In relation to mental health sports can have a greater impact then one would assume.
- Participation often helps give kids a safer outlet from their potential upsets throughout the day
- When individuals feel a sense of safety their mental health is shown to improve.
- Participating with friends and family can give some individuals a sense of purpose.
What Does Sports Got To Do With It?
-Sports have been proven to help individuals immensely throughout their daily lives.
-Many children aspire to be like their favorite athlete when they grow up.
-Watching others may cause individuals to want to improve their skills.
-Great way to stay in shape if gym workouts aren't your style.
Who Can Benefit?
- One of the great things about sports is that they are open to anyone
- You can play with your little sister or even your grandfather.
- As long as you are actively playing for 30 minutes or more you can reap all the benefits
- Engagement in sports can lead to new athletic skills for those looking to learn
What Does F4F Offer Me?
-Cardio Kickboxing: This can increase your coordination, self defense skills and of course alleviate some stress
-Yoga: Can help prevention of injury, improve your respiration and vitality, and can increase your flexibility!
References:
* Jackson, E. M. (2013, May/June). STRESS RELIEF: The Role of Exercise in Stress Management : ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal. Retrieved April 21, 2018, from https://journals.lww.com/acsm-healthfitness/Fulltext/2013/05000/STRESS_RELIEF__The_Role_of_Exercise_in_Stress.6.aspx
* Sharma, A., Madaan, V., & Petty, F. D. (2006). Exercise for Mental Health Retrieved April 21, 2018, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1470658/
* Marlier,M., Van Dyck,D., Cardon,G., Bourdeaudhuij,I., Babiak,K., & Willem,A. (2015). Interrelation of sport participation, physical activity, social capital and mental health in disadvantaged communities:a SEM analysis. 1-18.
*Ströhle, A. (2008, August 23). Physical activity, exercise, depression and anxiety disorders. Retrieved April 21, 2018, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18726137
*Rivera, R. (n.d.). Can You Beat Anxiety by Exercising? Retrieved April 21, 2018, from https://www.calmclinic.com/anxiety/treatment/exercising