Move for your mental health

We all know plenty about how exercise is good for the body, but most of us don’t know that exercise is great for mental health. So much so, in fact, that it is used in the treatment of difficulties like depression, anxiety and even attention deficit disorder.

We know that exercise is good for us in more ways than one, but what actually happens to our bodies when we exercise?

Produces that feel-good feeling 

Exercise kicks up endorphin levels, the body’s famous “feel-good” chemical produced by the brain and spinal cord that produces feelings of happiness and euphoria, and dulls physical pain. Exercise not only releases endorphins, but also stimulates the release of dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin.

These brain chemicals play an important part in regulating your mood and improving your appetite and sleep cycles. Even exercising for 30 minutes of moderate exercise (or 15 minutes of intense exercise) a few times each week has been shown to alleviate symptoms of depression and anxiety, so much so that some doctors recommend trying out an exercise regimen for these conditions before turning to medication.

Builds mental resilience against stress

It might seem counterintuitive that you would exert stress on the body for it to be less stressed; however, that is indeed what happens when you exercise. When you exercise, all the systems that are involved when the body’s fight or flight responses are activated and the body’s systems which are controlled by the sympathetic and central nervous system are practicing communicating with each other.

This essentially prepares your body to be better equipped to cope with the stress response when it actually happens, making you more resilient to future stress.

We all know plenty about how exercise is good for the body, but most of us don’t know that exercise is great for mental health

Improves creativity and learning

Exercise optimises your mindset, it prepares the brain to learn, it helps create new brain cells, especially in the hippocampus, our learning and memory center, so we can retain what we have learned and ensure we are alert and motivated. An increase in the hippocampus can also slow the effects of Alzheimer’s disease and other neurological disorders.

It also improves your processing speed and cognitive flexibility, which is the ability to shift thinking between different tasks – all skills required in intellectually demanding jobs.

Builds and protects the brain

Exercise increases our level of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene. The BDNF’s role is to improve the functions of brain cells, encourage new brain cells to grow and protect brain cells from stress and cell death, especially in the hippocampus.

For example, individuals with diagnosis of neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s, and Huntington’s disease have low BDNF. Lower levels of BDNF are also detected in individuals with depression and anxiety.

So when you exercise or are engaging in low to moderate intensity aerobic exercise, you can stimulate your BDNF and create new brain cells – a process called neurogenesis – and protect your brain from stress and other neurological disorders as well as improve overall brain performance.

Gives a sense of control in times of uncertainty

When you make a commitment to show up for yourself, even if that is for a 15-minute walk first thing in the morning, you start the day off keeping a commitment to yourself. This improves confidence, self-esteem, and self-trust, while giving a sense of control, certainty and predictability in times of uncertainty.

So where should you start? If you have been sedentary and don’t know where to start, start with five minutes of walking per day and slowly add three or four minutes every few days until you get to 20 or 30 minutes.

If you have been exercising for some time, make sure to get a mix of aerobic and strength training, since many of the benefits of exercise are a result of low to moderate levels of aerobic exercise.

Exercise increases our level of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene

Avoid exercising close to bedtime and try to do it first thing in the morning while under the sun to give the most benefit to your brain and body. 

While I am by no means saying that exercise is a magic solution to all of life’s difficulties, I am saying that a strong body will help you maintain a strong mind and spirit.

*As a clinical psychologist for the past 13 years, Dr Saliha Afridi has spent 12 years working in the UAE and founded The Lighthouse Arabia in 2011, a community mental health and wellness clinic providing quality psychological and psychiatric care to children, adults, couples and families. Dr Afridi has worked with prominent companies and ministries such as The Executive Council, The National Program for Happiness and Well-being from the Happiness Ministry, many professional service firms and fortune 100 companies in her bid to dissolve mental health stigma and be at the forefront of the mental health movement within the UAE and the region.