LONDON (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Everyone is aware of the advantages of exercise, including improved sleep, increased energy, and stronger muscles. Frequently, a mood lift is added on as an extra. But there is more proof than ever before that exercise not only enhances but also safeguards your mental health.
According to Jack Raglin, a kinesiology professor at Indiana University’s School of Public Health, the psychological advantages of exercise have been underestimated, despite depression being the fourth most dangerous disease in the world. The proof just keeps coming.
In fact, exercising would be beneficial even if done for mental health reasons alone. The good news is that even a little bit helps a great deal.Â
Here is how you can move to make yourself happy.
How does exercise improve our mood?
Although it is oversimplified, it is generally accepted that the psychological advantages of exercise result from the production of endorphins. Raglin asserts, the evidence supporting that is pretty weak.
Instead, when we exercise, a variety of hormones, including endocannabinoids, are produced; all of these chemicals help us feel happy. While endorphin production peaks at a specific level of activity, exercise’s mood-enhancing effects occur at considerably lower levels.
What sort of psychological advantages are we referring to?
Numerous and noticeable advantages. Exercise gives you a “one-two” boost of happy feelings since it both increases positive “affect” (or emotion) and lessens negative affect.
Raglin explains, a single “dose” of exercise can elevate your mood for several hours. But t he advantages are not just instant and perceptible; with a regular routine, they can build up over weeks. In other words, he says, there is a long-term and ongoing improvement.
Additionally, clinical anxiety and people who have been admitted to the hospital with psychological illnesses can both benefit from exercise. However, Raglin notes that there are also significant advantages for those who experience above-average levels of anxiety but do not meet the criteria for a professional diagnosis.
How much activity is needed until I experience psychological benefits?
The threshold for what constitutes exercise is much lower if your main goal is to elevate your mood rather than lose weight or improve your fitness. Low-intensity exercise has significant psychological advantages, according to Raglin. It is not like the more time or effort you put into working out, the better you feel.
The long-term, more substantial benefits can be gained by doing aerobic exercises for 15 to 20 minutes three times each week, but any “dosage” will have an impact. Five minutes of walking can improve your mood, he claims. The amount, or “pill,” that you need to take in order to get a psychological advantage is quite modest and palatable.
Which workout is best?
In a comparison of aerobic versus anaerobic activity, Raglin and his colleagues discovered that the aerobic exercises like jogging, running, swimming, or other cardio appeared to be more successful at lowering anxiety levels. Both methods were equally successful for those who were particularly anxious before the activity; a combination of the two was also found to be successful.
The ideal exercise is one you enjoy doing, whether it be swimming, playing a team sport, or dancing. Individual preference is the main factor in the benefits to mood.
Should I maintain my current regimen or change things up?
Variety is vital for fitness improvement, but according to Raglin, the most effective workout regimen for psychological effects is one you can stick with. He distinguishes between two groups of people: those who discover “their exercise” and are pleased to run the same path every day and those who like to mix things up.
Raglin claims that it’s almost more about personality: both can work as well. Just be careful when moving to another exercise if you are used to performing one, he advises. When you feel sore, it’s your body informing you that you’re utilising those muscles in a new way, he continues.
Making physical activity a way of life and incorporating it into daily activities is the most effective. This not only reduces anxiety, depression, and other psychological problems, but also stops their onset and controls mood swings.
I don’t work out, but I need to feel better. How do I begin?
The Joy of Movement author Kelly McGonigal, a health psychologist and lecturer at Stanford University, advises people to look for an activity that makes them feel happy. In order to get maximum calorie burn or a specific body type, she explains, it can involve reframing movement away from the types of workout that people are generally drawn to.
McGonigal advises pairing exercise with socialising, time spent outside, and/or music if you are hesitant to do it or have had negative experiences in the past. She claims that simply moving for three minutes while listening to your favourite song can have a significant impact.
Any movement can only be good for us. McGonigal refers to it as the “feel-better effect”. There doesn’t appear to be a dose too small or a modest enough movement, she claims. What’s fantastic is that there is no exercise that doesn’t work. Weight training? Swimming? Tai chi? or simply running? Yes! Everything works!
