What are the benefits of exercise for mental and physical health?
The benefits of exercise for physical health are well known, for example it can reduce the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, some types of cancers, neuro-degenerative diseases and more. Regular exercise is also one of the most important ways we can maintain and improve our mental health and well-being.
Exercise contributes to good mental health because of overlapping neurobiological, psychosocial, and behavioural mechanisms. Here are some examples:
Positive effects on The brain
Exercising has positive effects on our brain. It increases serotonin, which helps our brain regulate mood, sleep, and appetite. It increases our levels of endorphins, which are natural mood lifters; and it promotes neuroplasticity, which is the ability to form new neural connections and adapt throughout life.
improving the Relationship with ourselves
From a psychological point of view, exercising can improve how competent (the ability to do something successfully) we perceive ourselves to be and it can also increase our sense of autonomy. It can also improve self-efficacy and self-esteem. Self-efficacy is the belief we are able to meet challenges and complete tasks successfully and self-esteem is how we feel about ourselves, and both of these have been strongly linked to mental health and quality of life.
HELP WITH ManagING mental health symptoms
Exercise can help prevent and improve symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression, as well as enhance social connections and support, which are pivotal for good mental health.
Exercising is a great way to start feeling comfortable in our mind and body, boost the idea of ourselves and our abilities, and this has a ripple effect on all the other areas of our life.
Even though we can find many great reasons to exercise, it can still be very difficult to start and to maintain consistently. Why is that?
Why is exercising difficult?
Evolution
Exercise is a planned, structured, and repetitive physical activity that we do to improve or maintain one or more components of physical fitness. Yet we did not evolve for this! We, as humans, have evolved to move for necessary purposes, but we have also evolved to try not to consume a calorie more than needed, so not to do planned physical activity for the sake of it. In short, we need controlled and planned physical activity to be healthy, but our brains are not programmed to do it, yet. Our society and lifestyles have evolved so fast that our genetic programme hasn’t kept up with the pace. Which means there is a mismatch between what we have evolved to do and what would be beneficial for us to do in the modern era. Physical activity is more fundamental now than ever, but biologically we do not want to do it, quite yet.
Am I just lazy?
If you are someone who struggles to exercise consistently, know that you are not alone. You may think it’s because of a lack of patience, poor motivation, or you may say to yourself I’m just lazy’. Understanding that we are just not built to exercise in the way we intend it today, helps to explain why sticking to an exercise program is not something that comes naturally.
Being consistent with exercise can be difficult too. We might not be feeling that motivated to start or end up feeling quite stuck. From research we know that the body and the mind mutually influence one another in a bi-directional way: biological processes affect thoughts and feelings, and thinking patterns affect body states. So, whenever we have a thought, there is a corresponding effect on our brain and body. Whenever we experience something in the body, there is a corresponding reaction in our brain and on our mood. This can mean ‘I’m not feeling like it’ can translate into ‘I’m not doing it!’.
What will help me stick at it?
the drive for growth and improvement
The beneficial links between exercise and natural mood boosters, explain why some of us are internally motivated to exercise. Self-determination refers to a person’s ability to manage themselves, make confident choices and to think on their own, so being protagonists of their own life. In accordance with Self Determination theory, people have a natural drive for growth and improvement. So we are more prone to engage in activities that satisfy our Basic Psychological Needs (BPNS; Deci & Ryan, 1985), which are identified as autonomy, competence, and relatedness. When we connect with these needs and benefits on a personal level, we realise that exercise ticks the necessary boxes!
cHOOSE EXERCISE THAT FOSTERS AUTONOMY, COMPETENCE AND RELATEDNESS
We can increased our likelihood of sticking at an exercise plan by consciously looking for activities and environments that foster our sense of autonomy, competence and relatedness. This means activities that we enjoy, where the tasks match our abilities, where we receive positive feedback, and where we feel in control of what we are doing and feel supported and valued. The more we learn and practice and the more connections we build, the more skilled, self-determined and motivated we will likely feel. Engaging in activities that satisfy these needs helps us to be more internally motivated, for example, doing physical activity because you want to and not because of extrinsic reasons such as looking good in a swim suit. This can then lead to positive emotions, general well-being, and more adaptive forms of exercising behaviours.
Know your ‘why’
It can really help to know your ‘why’, and not just have a goal to achieve. We are often bombarded by expectations and standards that we feel we ‘should’ meet, and we can easily end up moving towards something we are not even sure matters to us. These pressures may come from family pressures, cultural or societal expectations. Goals can be a powerful motivator but understanding the values that underpin these goals helps us to keep moving in a meaningful direction. Living by our values means doing things that really matter to us, which can help us to adjust and prioritise tasks in our day and stick to training when it’s difficult or not convenient.
Here’s an example:
Goal: I want to back squat 100kg
Value: I want to build and maintain strength in my body so I can live a long and healthy life (this may look like back squatting 100kg but it can also look like many other activities so we are more flexible to days where we need to adjust our weights or activities)
Pause to Practice…
Pause here and write down your ‘why’. Consider whether what you have written contains anything inherited rather than your own and whether you can identify and connect to the values that underpin your choices. Would you like to change anything so exercise is more enjoyable and appealing?
Motivation
Another tip to foster our internal motivation is to trick the brain. For example, science has shown that even smiling when we don’t feel like it can be enough to increase our mood, lower stress, and boost the immune system. Just by making this facial expression we can trick the brain to release dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphins. In the same way, we can change our motivation levels, depending on what we do. So, instead of waiting to feel motivated, it is better to just get started because we will most likely feel motivated to exercise as we start to move. Don’t forget that the choice of activity and environment is important!
When does exercise become harmful?
Exercise ‘addiction’
Generally, exercise addiction is identified in a way of engaging with exercise that becomes all-consuming and disrupts other aspects of life. Exercise addiction can lead to physical problems such as injury, psychological problems such as distress and obsessiveness, and it can damage interpersonal relationships. Exercise addiction can also be linked to using exercise as a means to lose weight or change body shape and is often related to eating disorders. People with exercise addiction may show a range of psychological symptoms such as anxiety, low self-esteem and guilt. You can read more about the diagnosis and phases of addiction here.
Protecting ourselves
There are ways to protect ourselves from exercise addiction such as; engaging in exercise behaviours that are aligned with our values, exercise in ways that satisfy our basic psychological needs and make us feel valued, supported, and as active participants in our decisions; and to seek support when we spot potential signs of exercise addiction or when exercise is becoming problematic rather than helpful and enjoyable.
The article above was taken from an interview with Valentina Pierangeli, sports and exercise psychologist, with our practice director Dr Natalie Bodart. It was based on Valentina’s Masters research looking at which components of training had an impact on psychological wellbeing for CrossFit participants. You can listen to the full interview here.
How to optimise exercise for psychological wellbeing. An interview with Valentina Pierangeli, sports and exercise psychologist and Dr Natalie Bodart, founder of The Bodart Practice
work with us!
Sport & exercise psychology at The Bodart Practice
Valentina Pierangeli, Sport & Exercise Psychologist
Valentina performing her sport of CrossFit
Valentina Pierangeli is a clinical psychologist and sports and exercise psychologist. She is an L1 CrossFit coach and enthusiast.
Sessions with individuals
Valentina works with clients experiencing a range of mental health difficulties such as stress, anxiety, body image concerns, self-doubt, grief and loss, and adjusting to/ coping with life changing events. She focuses on behavioural change using approaches such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Motivational Interviewing.
She helps clients to engage more in sports and exercise by addressing difficulties such as; fear of judgment, lack of confidence, feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt, body awareness, lack of motivation, and social anxiety among others. She also helps her clients to overcome exercise addiction, the use of exercise as a coping mechanism, and perfectionism.
Her sports specific work focuses on improving performance, focus, and recovery. She works on purposeful practice, overcoming obstacles and fears, goal setting, and coping with injuries and illnesses.
You can book a free 15 minute enquiry call with our team to discuss appointments with Valentina here.
Sports and exercise workshops
Valentina along with the wider holistic team offers workshops on topics such as exercise for mental health, neural and cognitive aspects of training, brain health, longevity (e.g. impact of sleep, exercise, and protocols such as cold therapy), purposeful practice, values, acceptance and mindfulness, overcoming obstacles, dealing with setbacks, support for performance and many others.
Book a free call to discuss arranging a workshop here.
Article written by Dr Clare Chandler, edits by Dr Natalie Bodart