Exercise is a wonderful activity that can help you lose weight, improve your health, and even add years to your life. But did you know that exercise is also good for your brain?

Exercise is a powerful medicine for many mental health issues. If you didn’t know that, below are a few clues that show you how exercise improves mental health.

How Does Exercise Improve Mental Health?
No matter what your age or fitness level, you can use exercise to deal with mental health problems. People who exercise regularly tend to sleep better at night, have sharper memories, and feel more relaxed and positive about themselves. Just a few simple activities can do the trick; after all, you don’t need to be a fitness guru to stay in shape and feel better.

Take depression, for example, according to a 2019 study by the Harvard T.H Chan School of Public Health, running for 15 minutes a day or walking can reduce the risk of depression by 26 per cent. How is that so? For starters, exercise promotes various changes in the brain, including neural growth, reduces inflammation, and promotes feelings of well-being. That’s because it causes the brain to release endorphins, which block pain signals, reduce stress, and remarkably improve mood.

We all get anxious at times, but for some people, that feeling can get out of hand. It manifests itself in sweaty palms, heart palpitations, and racing thoughts. Exercise is a powerful antidote to anxiety. It can remarkably regulate your heart rate and release endorphins, which can make you feel calm and less stressed. Moreover, mindful exercise can take the worries off your head as you take deep, gentle breaths or feel the wind on your skin upon taking a brisk walk outdoors, for example.

Have you ever noticed what happens to your body when you are stressed? For starters, your muscles get tense around your face, neck, and shoulders. Stress can cause a host of health problems, including heart attacks. Exercising is a great way to break the cycle of stress; besides releasing endorphins, physical activity relaxes muscles and relieves tension in the body.

People with ADHD have trouble concentrating and completing tasks, that’s because they have lower levels of serotonin. When the serotonin levels are low in the brain, this often manifests itself in poor impulse control, difficulty thinking before acting, and emotional instability. Exercise is a powerful way to boost the brain’s dopamine and serotonin levels, which in turn improve focus and attention.

For those who suffer from trauma, exercise can help them regulate the fight or flight hormone more effectively. Exercise provides a much-needed boost to reduce the level of the stress hormone cortisol and burns off excess adrenaline, helping trauma survivors manage their fight or flight response effectively, which is often chronically activated in trauma survivors. Activities like mindful breathing also help individuals reconnect with their bodies in a safe way.

Making exercise a habit will pay off in the long run. Nevertheless, you don’t need to go all out; simply set aside 10 to 15 minutes a day for any form of exercise, then gradually increase your activity. The more you exercise, the more energy you’ll have, and eventually you will feel ready to take on more robust forms of exercise for the benefit of your mind and body. 

David Messiha | Staff Writer