Exercise To Boost Your Mental Health.
WITH PHYSICAL EXERCISE BEING PRESCRIBED ON THE NHS AS A FORM OF THERAPY, WE ASK THE EXPERTS WHICH WORKOUTS BEST IMPROVE OUR MENTAL WELLBEING AS WELL AS OUR BODIES
We all know that working out can make us more powerful in terms of physical strength, but how many of us map out fitness goals with the aim of seeing our mental health improve?
If we weren't aware of the power exercise to relieve depression and anxiety, then lockdown and the Covid-19 pandemic, have brought it home to us. More than a third of UK adults are (38 per cent) are turning to regular exercise to improve their mood and relieve stress, according to a survey of more than 1000 Brits by health club Total Fitness. More than one in four people (27 per cent) use exercise to take a moment to themselves – particularly parents.
The most popular form of exercise according to the survey is running: ‘runner’s high’ is a well-known endorphin fuelled phenomenon, but it’s not just sprinting into the distance that gives your mood a leg-up; a study by researchers at University College London found that increasing activity levels from nothing to taking part in three exercise sessions a week reduced the risk of depression by around 20 per cent.
How often should you exercise for mental health benefits?
If three sessions a week sounds unachievable just now, don't worry, starting small with just one session a week once a week is enough to make a difference. An Australian research team found that 12 per cent of cases of depression could be prevented if participants took part in just one hour of physical activity each week.
GPs nationwide prescribe exercise as a treatment for depression, among other conditions, and The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends that those suffering from mild to moderate depression take part in three activity sessions ranging from 45 minutes to an hour in duration over a period of 10 to 14 weeks to reap the benefits of mood-elevating exercise.
For many of us, heath anxiety has spiked during the pandemic, and it's a motivational boost to know that by exercising we're doing the important job of supporting our immune systems, as well as helping to control weight gain - obesity is one of the factor that can worsen the effects of Covid-19.
(As an aside, exercise can also have a powerful effect on your lungs in that it may reduce the risk of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), a major cause of death in patients with Covid-19, says leading exercise researcher Zhen Yan, PhD, of the University of Virginia School of Medicine).
FOCUSING ON WHAT YOU WANT TO FEEL OR RATHER THAN STRUGGLING WITH WHAT YOU ARE FIGHTING AGAINST SHIFTS YOUR ENERGY TOWARDS SOMETHING POSITIVE:
The messaging around getting fit is finally beginning to shift from a focus on weight loss to mental health benefits. In an interview with the Sunday Times this week, the nation's self-appointed PE teacher Joe Wicks described HIIT exercise as "my antidepressant."
From reduced anxiety to clearer thinking and increased self-esteem when we see positive changes to our physical fitness or social life, working out really can be a great way to work through mental health problems, but finding the right kind of exercise and environment can be key to reaping the psychological rewards of getting sweaty. Here are a few ideas of activities that have been known to give mental health sufferers a lift, other in more ways than one…
WALKING FOR MENTAL HEALTH
The simplest, most accessible and most affordable exercise of all, don’t knock a bit of a ramble until you’ve tried it. Clinical Hypnotherapist and Master Life Coach Jacqueline Hurst endorses putting one foot in front of the other in order to improve mental wellbeing:
“My top suggestion here is that any exercise is a great idea. A small ten-minute walk in nature can be of huge benefit to mental health. What is very important to remember is that moving your body, in a way that is effortless and enjoyable, is the best way to start. Don’t put too many harsh goals down. If you do that it will be less likely that you will want to do it, and in turn it just doesn’t get done.”
Research has found that low-intensity aerobic activity is the best form of exercise for encouraging positive thoughts and improving alertness, so starting off slow and building up pace and distance as you go could have a big payoff in terms of making mental health strides. Gentle, low impact exercise may also be the best choice initially if you suffer with a physical health problem or are prone to panic attacks, which can affect breathing. Speaking of more low impact movement…
What to do now: Walking is probably the most accessible of all exercises in the current climate and there's something ever-so satisfying about clocking up the steps on your activity tracker. For a little extra motivation invite your friends to the walking challenges on the FitBit app - you choose the duration (weekdays or weekend) and see how walks the most. It sends you reminders when your friends have overtaken you, inspiring you to start making strides - even if it is just around your house.
Peleton is currently offering a 30-day free trial and has walking workouts, which you can listen to on the go, to encourage you to get moving.
YOGA FOR MENTAL HEALTH
Perhaps a bit of an obvious choice, but if you’d like to complement walking with something a little more dynamic or stretching (literally and mentally), yoga could be just the thing, as Jacqueline explains:
“If you love gentle movement, go for yoga. It’s very soothing, and it’s always the first activity on my list for helping people to get in touch with themselves; starting to focus and connect with your breath, and your body, can be very powerful. It’s hard to hide when you’re in your mat and in the zone, and that in itself can be really therapeutic.”
Yoga's superpower when it comes to mental health benefits is the way it uses breathing, adds Victoria Woodhall, yoga teacher trained in positive psychology and GTG's Editorial Director. "Taking long deep steady breaths is a way of cutting through all those destructive thought loops that can be so hard to get out of. Calming the breath puts the nervous system into its rest and digest mode (the parasympathetic nervous system) and takes it out of the anxious or panicky fight-or-flight response, which is characterised by shallow rapid breathing.
"Simply by taking long slow out-breaths, which you are guided to do in a yoga class, you can trick your nervous system into feeling that you are not under attack and are safe." On top of that, she adds, yoga puts your body through all planes of movement and helps you see the word from new angles in interesting poses. "After a session of yoga, your problem-solving abilities tend to improve and you find a new perspective around whatever was bothering you. It helps you get unstuck both physically and mentally."
Not all yoga involves chanting but if your teacher starts the class with an Om or chant, there's a good mental health reason to join in. "Chanting and singing have been shown to tone the vagus nerve, which runs down the back of your throat and is an important regulator of your nervous system," says Victoria.
If you’re struggling to establish a mind-body connection in other forms of exercise, schedule in a yoga session and see how it makes you feel. "Lose the perception that you have to be bendy or 'good at yoga' to do yoga," says Victoria. "It's not about how good you are at making 'yoga shapes', but how putting yourself in postures makes you feel on the inside. If it's any consolation, really bendy people may find certain poses so easy that they are not feeling any progression or developing their strength, leaving their mind to get distracted an wander."
The most important thing is to find a style that you like and will stick with. Look out for hatha, restorative or yin if you want to move at a slower pace (good if your mind normally races) or more active vinyasa flow and ashtanga styles to get your heart rate up (good if you feel sluggish) or if you are Type-A person who likes a sweaty challenge.
SWIMMING FOR MENTAL HEALTH
While we can't currently head to the leisure centre or gym, this is another low-impact, non-weight-bearing option, Jacqueline has seen clients experience a mental health boost by incorporating just ten minutes of swimming into their daily routine. The most important thing is whether or not you enjoy it; if you hate every second in the water, get out and give something else a go instead. Feeling enthused about the activity you do take part in is as important as the physical benefits you’ll gain, as
Jacqueline emphasises: “Think about how you are going to feel afterwards and also notice how you are thinking about the exercise beforehand. In other words, when you get your mind right, you get the right actions out of it. You have to have the right thoughts in your mind first before you take the action.”
A bit rusty? Read our top tips on being a better swimmer here. If the thought of gliding through the water or going for a brisk stroll aren’t really lighting your fire, by all means step it up - HIIT swimming is a thing too you know - but remember that even getting the most out of a HIIT session involves being in a positive headspace.
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