With January out of the way now, many people will be reverting back from their new years resolutions to get fit. This blog goes into detail why exercise is so helpful, for not only our physical health, but our mental health as well. So, don’t quit the gym, or your exercise routine, just yet!
We are all likely aware of the importance of regular exercise, especially with regards to the physical benefits. There is a long list as to why exercise is so advantageous!
Not only does it allow us to build muscle, tone our bodies and aid our metabolism, but it can prevent us from developing certain health complications such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
Of course, exercise also promotes a healthy mental wellbeing. Researchers and health professionals alike have highlighted how exercise is preventative against various mental health issues. Similarly, it can help ease symptoms of mental health problems and lower their severity.
We also know that if we feel more fit physically, we tend to feel more mentally healthy too.
But in what ways does exercise help, and how can we build an exercise routine from scratch?
How does exercise impact different mental health problems?
There are specific reasons as to why our mental health benefits, specifically in relation to various mental health problems:
- The release of happy hormones – exercise releases endorphins and boosts serotonin levels. These are hormones that make you feel good and boost your mood.
- Sense of achievement and boost self-esteem – A key part of common mental health issues such as anxiety and depression is low self-esteem. Engaging in positive behaviour like exercise provides a sense of achievement, boosting our mood and self-esteem!
- Distraction & mindfulness – To get even more out of exercise, you can very easily engage in mindfulness during exercise. e.g. focusing on your breathing, what your body is doing, how you feel etc. In doing so, you disengage from ruminating (associated with depression) or worrying (associated with anxiety), lowering the severity of these symptoms. The more we get used to time not doing those activities, the more we tend to feel less low or anxious.
- Aids focus and concentration – Similar to the above, it has been suggested that regular exercise can help those with ADHD,or attention difficulties, as it can promote maintaining focus and concentration.
- Release physical tension in your body – When you are anxious or stressed, you can sometimes feel the physical tension in your body. By exercising and stretching, these tensions can be eased, as well as the emotions associated with them (i.e. the stress and anxiety).
- Neuronal benefits – Exercise also aids the growth of new brain cells, improving cognitive abilities such as memory and general brain performance.
- Helps us get some shut-eye! Exercise promotes a healthy sleep cycle. Exercise helps regulate our sleep body clock (or circadian rhythm), allowing us to feel more energised in the day and calmer at night – helping us to sleep at a regular time.
Why do we sometimes struggle to exercise?
Sometimes we can struggle to be motivated to exercise, and there are a few possible reasons as to why this is:
- Fatigued – When we’re very tired, of course one of the last things we want to do is exercise. However, it has been shown that regular exercise does boost energy levels. So if you feel you lack energy, beginning to exercise more often may likely help.
- Physical pain – Of course if in physical pain, this can really discourage us to exercise. And actually, when in pain maybe exercise (or certainly vigorous exercise) is not the answer. It can be worth speaking to your health professional to understand what you can do exercise-wise without further aggravating symptoms.
- Fear of failure and hopelessness – If you are new to regular exercise, at the beginning you may find you are not as good at it as you may wish. Sometimes this can be disheartening, and people give up because of this.
- Busy schedules and stress – It can be difficult when stressed to then then be obligated to workout, especially with a demanding schedule.
How can we build an exercise routine from scratch?
It can be tricky and daunting setting up and beginning a new exercise routine, and even harder to stick to sometimes. Here are a few tips to getting going:
- Start small – having an intimidating routine is one of the reasons people end up avoiding it. Starting small e.g. walking 10 minutes everyday, can be a much easier commitment.
- Schedule exercise sessions when your energy levels are highest – Some people are more energised in the mornings, others’ in the evenings. Or maybe a lunchtime exercise session is best for you? You’re more likely to exercise when you have energy, so try to time it around that.
- Do what you enjoy – Pick exercises that you enjoy. You can always make it a social activity too, by exercising with others or joining exercise classes.
- Reward yourself – Maybe try and do something you really enjoy after exercising as an incentive to stick to your exercise routine!
Get in touch if you want some help
One to one therapy can help you to set goals and keep to them. It can help you work out why you procrastinate with goals too. So if you feel you need some support in sticking to your routines and goals, therapy may be able to help.
Brighter Life Therapy provides fast access to CBT treatment and psychotherapy, which you can read about here. If you are interested, you can get in touch using the enquiry form below (and scroll down below that if you want to subscribe to our mailing list to hear all about latest blogs):
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