Why Exercise Is Good For Your Mental Health?
Exercise is good for your mental health and psychology.
There are those for whom the instinct for the horizontal life remains immutable … those for whom repose os the raison d’etre … the physically unchallenged … the apotheosis of the Type B personality. The problem is that life has its own inexorable way of bringing on ‘stress‘ … and one of the methods of counteracting is by moving. There was always something in that law of Isaac Newton’s, equal and opposite forces and all that, that implied a reaction was normal, rather than the absorption of stimulus into the adiposity of the soul.
Running down the front in Brighton at 7.30 on a cold January morning, the grey winter’s light yet to come, in the blustery south westerly periodically bringing with it squalls of rain, I smiled at the thought of that as I felt a small slurry of seagull excrement coursing down my cheek. It brought back memories of rugby, playing on the wing at the age of fourteen, in the arctic wind, the lack of passes, the lack of will to break the ice with a tackle, the pathetic crossing of arms to harbour warmth, the inefficacious swinging of arms to engender it in the first place, through the New Year’s plunge in the North Sea at sixteen, well-hung-over, nowhere else though, with the water half a mile out … all the imposed or self-imposed discipline and pain of youth. TH
It is not bad going to the gym. or going for a run or a bike ride or a game of football.
Exercise is NOT for other people, it’s for YOU!
Do whatever you can. If you’re feeling desperate walk up and down the stairs ten times or go six times round the block.
Put an old pair of shoes or trainers and go for a run. If you’re physically able to do it.
Go for a bike ride, a swim or to the local gym.
Go first, think later! You may not want to – it’s irrelevant – go and do it. By the time you’ve started you can have a little think, but hopefully by that time it’s too late and you might as well carry on.
Aerobic exercise, where you get hot, sweaty and out of breath is what you need to do if you’re going to use this method to keep depression and anxiety at bay, and achieve a sense of well-being. It gets rid of the toxins and releases one’s own endorphins (opiates from within that make you feel good). It oxygenates the mind and the body.
Exercise with others if you can, but if you can’t it’s not an excuse! It’s easier to arrange with just yourself.
Do it when you’re well, in order to stave off future bouts of depression.
Do it when you’re unwell (but not if you have a fever) and you’ll probably feel better afterwards. Go especially at the most difficult times of your life – during unemployment, cancer, the outrageous office hours, the bust up of your marriage.
Integrate deep breathing exercises. They re-oxygenate the system, open the lungs fully, massage the bowel, suffuse the brain. There are three areas of the lungs to work on. Abdominal breathing can be practised with a towel tightly wrapped around the abdomen and forcing the abdominal wall against it. Use this when you breathe in. The diaphragm moves down and the abdomen protrudes more during inspiration. It is drawn in to exhale. The next is for the lateral chest wall and done by raising the arms to the sides (like chicken wings!) to create bellows effect. The third is for the apex of the lung and can be achieved by short sharp breaths with the hands clasped above the head. These exercises are taught in martial arts, and included in yoga and Tai Chi.
There are scientific studies to support the value of exercise. A well-known one was that of James Blumenthal, published in 1999 in Archives of Internal Medicine. It was a comparison of exercise against anti-depressants. If you are considering stopping anti-depressants and taking up exercise it is important to talk this through your doctor as many people have a better response from medications, and the two forms of treatment can be combined. A more recent study found benefit from exercising either tree or five times a week.
Do it!
