There is plenty of research that supports the emotional and mental health benefits of exercise. These benefits range from boosting self-esteem to alleviating symptoms of mild to moderate depression. It really doesn’t matter what type of physical activity you do as long as you do at least 20 to 30 minutes five days a week.

Neither does it matter where you start from. No matter your fitness level or age exercise will benefit you. If you haven’t exercised in a while then just starting from where you are will give your mental health a boost. But please seek medical advice before you start any new exercise program.

So what are some of the ways exercise can benefit our mental health?

It increases our work and academic performance. Plus it also helps with memory improvement and decreases confusion. Some positive indications have been linked with ADHD support. Our feeling of assertiveness and confidence improve as does positive body images.

It can also decrease our feelings of anger, hostility and tension. Depression, anxiety and phobia symptoms lessen. Exercise will help relax us as it uses up those excess stress hormones so we feel less stressed and our sleep improves. In fact our well-being and positivity will rise about our self and our lives.

So let’s look more closely at some of those benefits.

What Are Some Of The Benefits Of Exercise To Our Overall Mental Health?

Exercise to improve your mood.

Studies show that even building up our exercise habit to 30 minutes of walking 3-5 days a week will boost our mood. It showed that people can feel more content, more energised and calmer after participating in physical activity.

Stave off cognitive decline with exercise.

Apart from the physical benefits to our body exercising can have it is well research how it can also benefit our brains. There has been an increase in the number of older people living with Alzheimer’s and one of the main symptoms is memory loss. Concentration and attention can also decline as we get older. Exercise has been shown to help protect and even prevent further decline as it improves memory and concentration.

The benefits of physical exercise on depression.

With depression we can feel very isolated. Plus with depression it will want us to isolate ourselves even more from those we love. There is a lot of research that shows depression symptoms can be helped by exercise. It can also prevent relapse when you maintain a regular exercise routine. Even some walking or 15 minutes of running will reduce the risks and improves your symptoms.

Why does exercise do that? It’s really a multi-answer reason. As exercise promotes healthy changes in the brain releasing endorphins that help calm us and make us feel good. Plus it also serves as a distraction from our negative thoughts. Gives us some quiet time and people report it helps them clear their minds.

Anxiety, phobias and exercise.

Just like with depression exercise will help act as distraction from the negative thought patterns that keep us locked in anxiety. It also uses up those excess stress hormones –flight, fright, freeze – so our anxiety, stress and tension is reduced.

Anxiety and phobias just like depression can leave us wanting to isolate ourselves but with exercise the changes in the brain will help counter this. You will become more socially interactive with people and gain confidence from this. Just like with depression exercise will also help you learn new healthier ways to cope with your anxiety.

Physical activity immediately boosts the brain’s dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin levels. These also help with concentration, memory and motivation so you will be able to think more clearly. So all those feel good hormones help boost our mood and help us feel better about our self and our lives.

Exercise and addiction.

Exercise has been shown to help with addiction recovery. It releases dopamine which is also activated when we consume addictive substances. It can also provide distraction from craving and help repair some of the damage done such as the disruption to sleep.

Stress, sleep and exercise.

As I said exercise will help relieve muscle tension which can come from added stress and pressures in our lives. Tension like this can really affect our ability to sleep properly. And as we know sleep is vital to our mental and physical health. Once we enter into a vicious cycle of not getting enough sleep it very quickly impacts all other aspects of our life.

Relieving the tension from stress is important as is breaking the stress cycle. Exercise as well as reducing our muscle tension it will also improve our ability to handle our emotions better. It will help relax and calm us down. So our anger, hostility, frustrations will be reduced. Our head will feel clearer so we’ll handle problems more effectively. Have better concentration levels, improved memory and motivation. Thus also benefiting our sleep and work patterns.

Other benefits from exercise to our mental and emotional health.

Exercise has been shown to benefit that feeling of being “stuck” that comes with PTSD and trauma. Movement is one effective way, alongside professional treatment, to get the nervous system mobilized again.

Boost our self-esteem as it helps boost our mood and overall sense of self-worth. Exercise also helps build our resilience and have more energy. It also helps keep the mind sharp as it improves our memory. We have clearer thinking and better concentration particularly if we mix things up.

Exercise has been shown to improve our ability to inspire others, be more creative and get more things done. If we are feeling overwhelmed, unmotivated then a quick walk can often be the solution to clear our minds. We can feel calmer and more motivated when we return. So we are more likely to get more things done.

Research has shown that we can be more creative for 2 hours after we exercise. So perhaps fitting in that walk or gym class is better before work. Plus if we pick a team or group class we find that we gain more confidence and become more inspired by the buddy system.

Start Building The Exercise Habit.

Yes exercise is a habit and one I’ve included in my basic self-care list. We don’t need to do a lot to reap the benefits of exercise. If we can build up some moderate walking to 30 minutes 5 days a week then we will see all of the above benefits.

But if you can’t do that, then it is okay to start from where you are. You can do 5 minutes to start with and work up. One author I read who wanted exercise to be part of his goals started with one push-up. But always check with your doctor before you start.

Get creative and step out the box.

You can even get creative about getting more active. Move around the home and garden. Get a step counter and start monitoring what you already do. Remember housework and gardening is hard work. Hoovering, all those trips up and down the stairs, mowing the lawn, weeding, can all add up to increased steps.

Slip in a walk at lunch time or online class if you work from home. It’s a good idea to get out of the office or workplace at lunchtime. Get out in nature and enjoy the change of scenery and fresh air. It’s not always possible to get to the gym before or after work so walking at lunchtime could be one solution.

Get the whole family involved with some walks at the weekend. Or walk or jog around the pitch while your child takes part in their practice. Get another parent involved and you can have a chat and good laugh along the way.

Make it fun.

If this is one of your goals then try to make it fun and an everyday part of your life. You don’t have to endure exercise to stay fit and healthy. It should be enjoyable and fun for you that way you are more likely to stick to a regular routine. Ask for support from family, friends and medical professionals. Be practical about what will fit into your lifestyle. But do a little outside of the box thinking with your supporters too.

Reach Out For Support.

Remember you are allowed to ask for support. No one is an island. In fact I would strongly advice you make sure you create a positive support system before you start to make any changes in your life. One part of that positive support system is working a therapist. Please reach out to a local therapist if you need to.

My Workbooks

I offer a variety of tips and discuss a range of topics in my workbooks The Building Blocks Of Self-Care, Moving Towards Self-forgiveness, The Little Book Of Reflection And Gratitude and Building Acceptance Into Your Life. You can purchase them on Amazon or here.