Movement is Medicine
The Benefits of Exercise on Our Mental Health and Well-Being
Nicole Martorella, MS, ACSM-EP
Do you notice how good you feel after exercising? Feeling less stress after a good workout? Maybe your muscles ache but your mood is elevated? Movement is medicine, and not only helps improve our physical health but our mental health as well.
It is well established in our cultural mindset that exercise benefits our physical well-being. From weight loss to heart health, physical therapy to muscle conditioning, regular exercise, or even some exercise, can contribute to living a longer life, as well as leading a happy life. More recently, research shows how exercise contributes to that happiness, especially for those who suffer from stress, anxiety, depression, and/or other mental health conditions.
More than one in five adults live with a mental health diagnosis, and more than one in five teens (age 13-18) either already have, or will develop, a mental health condition (CDC, 2023). 46% of Americans will meet the criteria for a mental health diagnosis at some point in their lifetime, half of whom will have developed the condition by age 14 (MHA, 2023). During the COVID-19 pandemic, depression and anxiety have increased worldwide by 25% (WHO, 2022). Now, more than ever, is a time to be aware and understand the impact mental health has on our communities, and that many here among us are living with, or suffering from, mental and emotional health challenges.
“Exercise has a more profound and sustained positive effect on mood, anxiety, cognition, energy, and sleep than any pill I can prescribe” - Anna Lembke, MD in Dopamine Nation
How Does It Work?
There is a trove of research available supporting the mental health benefits of physical exercise, especially the benefits of cardiovascular activity. Along with the opening of blood vessels to allow more oxygen to pass to the brain, regular exercise over months and years has been shown to improve neuroplasticity, the process by which brain neurons (nerve cells) adapt to disturbances (stress, trauma) over time. Like a muscle, the brain also grows as a result of consistent exercise. The prefrontal cortex, caudate nucleus and hippocampus have all shown a significant increase in gray matter volume over time due to regular aerobic exercise. Neuroplasticity and increased gray matter volume are brain structures that support the coping necessary to healthfully handle life’s mental and emotional challenges.
Exercise affects the SAME brain pathways that are involved with virtually every mental health condition (addiction, ADHD, depression, etc.). As a result, regular, moderate to vigorous exercise has the power to rewire and heal our brains, making new connections and creating new, healthy brain cells.
The magic is in the simplicity. Contemporary research demonstrates that ALL forms of exercise will benefit our mental and emotional states. More and more researchers and doctors find that exercise can be more effective than medication. (Singh et al., 2023), specifically in the realms of depression, stress and anxiety, which do overlap for many people.
- ALL forms of exercise, depression and anxiety highlighted
- Interventions in this study were 12 weeks or shorter - the benefits and changes due to exercise on mental health are QUICK!
- Anxiety - the higher intensity the exercise = greater relief from anxiety (Lavars, 2021)
Exercise Guidelines
According to the American College of Sports Medicine,
- 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity every week (30 minutes of cardio, 5 days a week) OR 60-75 minutes of vigorous physical activity every week (about 20 minutes for 3 days a week), or a combination of both will positively impact “the regulation of blood pressure, management of anxiety and depression and the prevention of weight gain.”
AND
- at least twice per week, exercising each muscle group. Even starting out with going on walks has been shown to be effective! Walking 3x/week for 30 minutes has previously been shown to be as effective as Zoloft; continued exercise reduces symptom severity (Blumenthal et al., 2012)
Most of the research on this subject has been limited to the effects and benefits of cardiovascular exercise on mental health. As a result, this form of exercise has been emphasized. We are now just beginning to uncover the benefits that strength training has, too!
This information is exciting and mind-opening. Clearly, the evidence of recent studies demonstrates that mental health treatment and recovery plans should include exercise. However, it must be stated that even though some of this evidence shows exercise to be more beneficially impactful than medication, patients should never go off their medication without the professional guidance of their physicians and mental health care providers. I cannot emphasize enough how important it is that patients in mental health treatment and/or recovery consider all their wellness options while in the care of medical and psychiatric experts, including therapists. If you believe you might benefit from professional guidance for your mental or emotional health, make sure you contact your primary care physician. If you are in a mental health crisis, please dial the National Mental Health hotline at 988.
No one should be scared or embarrassed about seeking help for their mental or emotional health. Removing the stigma and raising awareness and understanding around mental illness is an important part of the work of YMCA of Bucks and Hunterdon Counties. To learn more about the work of the Y in mental health and recovery, please visit our Healthy Horizons webpage.
Nicole Martorella is Association Director of Wellness Services and Healthy Horizons Program Coordinator for YMCA of Bucks and Hunterdon Counties. She holds a M.S. in Exercise Science from California University of Pennsylvania, and has been providing support to individuals in mental health recovery for over three years.
References
Blumenthal, J. A., Smith, P. J., & Hoffman, B. M. (2012). Is exercise a viable treatment for depression? ACSM’s Health Fit Journal, 16(4), 14-21.
Lavars, N. (November, 2021). Higher intensity exercise found to offer greater relief from anxiety. Health & Wellbeing. https://newatlas.com/health-wellbeing/strenuous-exercise-relief-chronic-anxiety-symptoms/
Malenka RC, Nestler EJ, Hyman SE (2009). "Chapter 8:Atypical Neurotransmitters". In Sydor A, Brown RY (eds.). Molecular Neuropharmacology: A Foundation for Clinical Neuroscience (2nd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Medical. pp. 199, 215.
Mental Health America (2023). Quick Facts and Statistics About Mental Health, mhanational.org. https://mhanational.org/mentalhealthfacts
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division of Population Health, Center For Disease Control (April, 2023) About Mental Health, CDC.gov. https://www.cdc.gov/mentalhealth/learn/index.htm#:~:text=More%20than%201%20in%205,a%20seriously%20debilitating%20mental%20illness.&text=About%201%20in%2025%20U.S.,bipolar%20disorder%2C%20or%20major%20depression.
Singh B, Olds T, Curtis R, et al. Effectiveness of physical activity interventions for improving depression, anxiety and distress: an overview of systematic reviews. British Journal of Sports Medicine Published Online First: 16 February 2023. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2022-106195
World Health Organization (March, 2022). COVID-19 pandemic triggers 25% increase in prevalence of anxiety and depression worldwide. Who.int. https://www.who.int/news/item/02-03-2022-covid-19-pandemic-triggers-25-increase-in-prevalence-of-anxiety-and-depression-worldwide