The Effect of Exercise on Mental Health

It’s well understood that exercise is extremely important for our overall health. Exercise has many physical benefits that reduce our risk of, and help prevent, several health concerns such as cardiovascular and heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure. However, the physical benefits only scratch the surface of why exercise is so important for our health.

Research supports that low- to moderate-intensity exercise has a profound impact on mental health concerns such as ADHD, depression, and anxiety, along with positive effects on people’s overall well-being and sense of self. Depression affects roughly 1 in 6 adults at some point in their lifetime. Studies show that exercise can be effective in treating mild to moderate depression, in some cases as effectively as antidepressants.

Harvard published a study in January 2019 indicating that running for only 15 minutes a day, or walking for an hour, reduces the risk and likelihood of experiencing depressive symptoms by 26% (Harvard Gazette, 2019). The results indicated that any movement, big or small, that a person is aware of can add up over time and is shown to reduce depressive symptoms significantly. This research highlights that in order to notice antidepressant effects, you don’t necessarily have to go for a large run or do intensive weight lifting. The benefits of exercise go much further than antidepressant effects, however. Research supports that exercise may help people have increased energy, better sleep, sharper memories, and a more positive overall outlook on themselves and their lives.

Exercise and the brain

When we think of exercise, many of us engage in it for the physical aspects: fitting into our clothes better, feeling more positive about our appearance, and the benefits it has on our heart health. As we have already learned, exercise does far more than that. Research suggests that exercise has many positive impacts on the brain, including a reduction in inflammation and new activity patterns that promote feelings of calm and well-being. Exercise releases endorphins and enkephalins, better known as the body’s natural feel-good hormones (Reynolds, 2016).

Exercise increases the volume of certain brain regions by providing better blood supply and improving neuronal health through improved oxygen and nutrient delivery. The hippocampus, located in the brain, is involved with memory, emotion regulation, and learning (Reynolds, 2016). Evidence suggests that many mental health concerns are present when there is reduced neurogenesis, or fewer hippocampal neurons, in the brain. Antidepressants, along with exercise, are said to increase neurogenesis, therefore increasing cognitive flexibility that can lead to lasting mental health changes and a different outlook on new and existing memories (Reynolds, 2016). Simply put, exercise is a natural antidepressant that supports your brain in flexible thinking, directly counteracting the effects of the inflexible thinking that is often present in many mental health concerns.

Let’s work out!

So how does this translate into actually engaging in exercise? Studies show that 40–60 minutes, three or more times a week, is shown to be effective in treating chronic depression. We often see “quick fix” diet and fitness trends, given the fast-paced lives many of us live. However, this quick-fix approach is not particularly useful in treating mental health. Instead, research suggests that exercise should be continued for at least 10–12 weeks to see an antidepressant effect (Reynolds, 2016).

You might be thinking that 10–12 weeks seems like a long time to commit to. However, it’s important to note that small positive changes to our exercise and diet create a positive upward spiral. This upward spiral increases our sensitivity to the dopamine receptors that signal reward, which means that exercise might eventually become rewarding — believe it or not!

What type of exercise?

As with anything, it’s important to remember that varying physical abilities and overall health play a factor in engaging in exercise. For some, this might look like going for a long-distance run, participating in a high-intensity interval training class, or weight lifting. Evidence supports that small movements add up over time and can have a similar impact on mental health and depressive symptoms as larger-scale, more intensive styles of exercise (Harvard Gazette, 2019). Therefore, it’s not the type of exercise so much as the frequency with which we move that is of greater importance.

One activity that can easily be done, requiring no equipment, is of course walking. Walking is a low-impact, easily accessible form of exercise that can better suit individuals with various barriers to more intensive forms of exercise. It is an excellent, cost-effective, and safe alternative to indoor gyms.

Create a routine

Many fitness experts report that the most significant challenge they see people face in exercising is actually showing up. As we highlighted earlier, exercise does not have to be complex or intensive to have antidepressant effects. Setting aside time for yourself requires a great deal of discipline and commitment.

It can be hard to imagine carving out time for yourself, and sometimes it’s easiest to put ourselves last when we are juggling so much. However, as the old saying goes, “put your own oxygen mask on before anyone else’s” — and this also applies to things like exercise. If we want to be able to show up for our families, we have to attend to our own self-care and well-being first.

One of the more effective strategies you can use is creating a routine and structure within your schedule. Physically writing the time you’ve set aside for your workout into your calendar can help you stay consistent and hold yourself accountable to your goals. It takes time to form a habit and get into a routine, so this means devoting at least a couple of weeks to trying something new, creating a structured routine, and setting aside time for yourself before exercise becomes a regular part of your day.

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