05/05/2025 “How Does Exercise Improve Mental Health?” By Kaylee McGrath

Opening Statement:

All of us should already know that exercise is good for your body. But did you know it can also boost your mood, improve your sleep, and help you deal with depression, anxiety, stress, and more? Exercise is not just about aerobic bulk and muscle size. Of course, exercise can improve your physical health and your physique, trim your waistline, improve your sex life, and even add years to your life. However, that’s not what motivates most people to stay active. Those of us who exercise regularly tend to do so because it gives us an enormous sense of well-being. With exercising, we feel more energetic throughout the day, sleep better at night, have sharper memories, and feel more relaxed and positive about ourselves and our lives. And it’s also a powerful medicine for many common mental health challenges.

The Positive Impacts:

·       Regular exercise can have a profoundly positive impact on depression, anxiety, ADD, ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, various mobility disabilities and disorders. It also relieves stress, improves memory, helps you sleep better, and boosts your overall mood. Additionally, you don’t have to be a fitness fanatic to reap the benefits. Research indicates that modest amounts of exercise can make a real difference for everyone.

·       No matter your age or fitness level, or disability you can learn to use exercise as a powerful tool to deal with mental health problems, improve your energy and outlook, and get more out of life.

Benefits Of Exercise on Depression and Anxiety

·       Studies show that exercise can treat mild to moderate depression as effectively as antidepressant medication but without the side-effects, of course. As one example, a 2019 study done by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that running for 15 minutes a day or walking for an hour may reduce the risk of major depression by 26 percent. In addition to relieving depression symptoms, research also shows that maintaining an exercise schedule can prevent you from relapsing.

·       Exercise is a powerful depression fighter for several reasons. Most importantly, it promotes all kinds of changes in the brain, including neural growth, reduced inflammation, and new activity patterns that promote feelings of calm and well-being. It also releases endorphins, powerful chemicals in your brain that energize your spirits and make you feel good. Finally, exercise can also serve as a distraction, allowing you to find some quiet time to break out of the cycle of negative thoughts that feed depression.

·       Exercise is a natural and effective anti-anxiety treatment. It relieves tension and stress, boosts physical and mental energy, and enhances well-being through the release of endorphins. Anything that gets you moving can help, but you’ll get a bigger benefit if you pay attention instead of zoning out.

·       Try to notice the sensation of your feet hitting the ground, for example, or the rhythm of your breathing, or the feeling of the wind on your skin. By adding this mindfulness element, really focusing on your body and how it feels as you exercise, you’ll not only improve your physical condition faster, but you may also be able to interrupt the flow of constant worries running through your head.

Benefits Of Exercise on Stress

·       Ever noticed how your body feels when you’re under stress? Your muscles may be tense, especially in your face, neck, and shoulders, leaving you with back or neck pain, or painful headaches. You may feel a tightness in your chest, a pounding pulse, or muscle cramps. You may also experience problems such as insomnia, heartburn, stomachache, diarrhea, or frequent urination. The worry and discomfort of all these physical symptoms can in turn lead to even more stress, creating a vicious cycle between your mind and body.

·       Exercising is an effective way to break this cycle. As well as releasing endorphins in the brain, physical activity helps to relax the muscles and relieve tension in the body. Since the body and mind are so closely linked, when your body feels better so, too, will your mind.

Benefits Of Exercise Concerning Various Developmental Disabilities

Exercising regularly is one of the easiest and most effective ways to reduce the symptoms of ADHD and other developmental hidden disabilities. Exercising improves concentration, motivation, memory, and mood. Physical activity immediately boosts the brain’s dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin levels, all of which affect focus and attention. In this way, exercise works in much the same way as ADHD medications such as Ritalin and Adderall.

Benefits Of Exercise on PTSD And Trauma

·       Evidence suggests that by really focusing on your body and how it feels as you exercise, you can actually help your nervous system become “unstuck” and begin to move out of the immobilization stress response that characterizes post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or trauma.

·       Instead of allowing your mind to wander, pay close attention to the physical sensations in your joints and muscles, even your insides as your body moves. Exercises that involve cross movement and that engage both arms and legs—such as walking (especially in sand), running, swimming, weight training, or dancing—are some of your best choices.

·       Outdoor activities like hiking, sailing, mountain biking, rock climbing, whitewater rafting, and skiing (downhill and cross-country) have also been shown to reduce the symptoms of PTSD.

Other Mental Health Benefits of Exercise

Even if you’re not suffering from a mental health problem, regular physical activity can still offer a welcome boost to your mood, outlook, and mental well-being.

Exercise can help provide:

·       Sharper memory and thinking: The same endorphins that make you feel better also help you concentrate and feel mentally sharp for tasks at hand. Exercise also stimulates the growth of new brain cells and helps prevent age-related decline.

·       Higher self-esteem: Regular activity is an investment in your mind, body, and soul. When it becomes habit, it can foster your sense of self-esteem and make you feel strong and powerful. You’ll feel better about your appearance, and, by meeting even small exercise goals, you’ll feel a sense of achievement.

·       Better sleep: Even short bursts of exercise in the morning or afternoon can help regulate your sleep patterns. If you prefer to exercise at night, relaxing exercises such as yoga or gentle stretching can help promote sleep.

·       More energy: Increasing your heart rate several times a week will give you more get-up-and-go. Start off with just a few minutes of exercise per day and increase your workout as you feel more energized.

·       Stronger resilience: When faced with mental or emotional challenges in life, exercise can help you build resilience and cope in a healthy way, instead of resorting to alcohol, drugs, or other negative behaviors that ultimately only make your symptoms worse. Regular exercise can also help boost your immune system and reduce the impact of stress.

How To Obtain the Mental Health Benefits of Exercise

You don’t need to devote hours out of your busy day to train at the gym, sweat buckets, or run mile after monotonous mile to reap all the physical and mental health benefits of exercise. Just 30-minutes of moderate exercise five times a week is enough. And even that can be broken down into two 15-minute or even three 10-minute exercise sessions if that’s easier.

Even A Little Bit of Activity Is Better Than Nothing

If you don’t have time for 15 or 30 minutes of exercise, or if your body tells you to take a break after five or 10 minutes, for example, that’s okay, too. Start with five- or 10-minute sessions and slowly increase your time. The more you exercise, the more energy you’ll have, so eventually you’ll feel ready for a little more. The key is to commit to some moderate physical activity. As exercising becomes a habit, you can slowly add extra minutes or try different types of activities.

You Don’t Have to Suffer to Get Results

Research shows that moderate levels of exercise are best for most people. Moderate means:

That you breathe a little heavier than normal but are not out of breath. For example, you should be able to chat with your walking partner, but not easily sing a song. That your body feels warmer as you move but not overheated or very sweaty.

Can’t Find Time to Exercise During the Week? Be A Weekend Warrior

A study in the United Kingdom found that people who squeeze their exercise routines into one or two sessions during the weekend experience almost as many health benefits as those who work out more often. So don’t let a busy schedule at work, home, or school be an excuse to avoid activity. Get moving whenever you can find the time—your mind and body will thank you!

Closing Statement:

Some people think, when you’re tired, exhausted, depressed, or stressed, it seems that working out will just make you feel worse. But the truth is that physical activity is definitely the powerful energizer. Regular exercise can dramatically reduce fatigue and increase your energy levels. If you are really feeling tired, promise yourself a quick, 5-minute walk. Chances are, once you get moving, you’ll have more energy and be able to walk for longer. If you have a mobility disability, severe weight problem, arthritis, or any injury or illness that limits your mobility, talk to your doctor about ways to safely exercise. There are low impact chair Yoga that you can also do sitting in a wheelchair.  You shouldn’t ignore pain, but rather do what you can, when you can. Divide your exercise into shorter, more frequent chunks of time if that helps, or try exercising in water to reduce joint or muscle discomfort.

Source of Information: Various Google Searches and Online Publications

Until Next Week, Stay Safe and Well!