How does exercise benefit mental health?

Discover more of our fitness guides, from what to eat if you exercise in the morning to what to eat before a run, swim and before cycling. Plus, find out how to increase your serotonin.

How much exercise should you be doing?

The World Health Organisation (WHO) recently updated its global physical activity guidelines. In short, any form of movement is better than nothing. These guidelines recommend that all adults should be aiming to do 150-300 minutes of moderate intensity or 75-150 minutes of vigorous intensity aerobic exercise every week, or an equivalent combination of the two.

11 ways that exercise benefits your mental health

1. Boosts your self-esteem

Physical activity boosts self-esteem and body image, especially if you're acquiring new skills. Studies in all ages suggest exercise supports a sense of self-competence and self-concept.

2. Helps manage stress

Exercise is a great distraction after a day of back-to-back meetings or other stress-triggering events.

Within the past decade, there has been greater awareness of ‘mindfulness’, encouraging our full presence within the moment. These mindful movement techniques can be cultivated through exercise including yoga and walking, and may help reduce stress and help you manage difficult situations in a more considered way.

3. Improves emotional regulation

Recent research found aerobic exercise improves the three stages of emotion regulation (perception, valuation and action). It appears that exercise helps encourage us to re-interpret emotional situations in a more positive way and helps us control our expression of these emotions.

4. Supports restful sleep

It's well documented that poor sleep impacts sports performance and recovery. Luckily, exercise can help you sleep better. Studies show that different forms of exercise may improve sleep efficiency (the percentage of time spent asleep while in bed) – just make sure you avoid intense exercise too close to bedtime.

5. Improves cognition

Exercise may improve your working memory and cognitive functions – this may reduce the chance of dementia. Obviously, we can’t change our genetic risks, but there’s still much we can do to help prevent this neurodegenerative illness.

6. May help ease depression

Exercise may be a potential antidepressant, regardless of depression intensity. It's been shown to work well for older adults who participate in group exercises, which reinforces the benefits of socialising as we age. It's not just aerobic activity, there is a growing body of evidence to suggest that strength training is just as effective.

Unfortunately, depression may directly impact motivation and energy levels, so exercise may not be a go-to strategy for everyone. Those with physical health conditions or who don't exercise regularly should seek medical clearance to ensure it is safe for them to participate in increased activity.

7. May ease anxiety

Both aerobic and anaerobic exercise appears to be a useful treatment for anxiety disorders, although not as effective as antidepressant treatment.

8. Enhances brain connections

The role of exercise on brain mechanics and mental illness remains an enigma, although researchers have identified some of the key mechanisms. For example, exercise enhances key brain connections, signalling pathways and blood flow patterns. It may also reduce inflammation and rejuvenate brain cells.

9. May improve alertness and focus

Increased activity levels improves blood flow to the brain, which promotes cell growth and energises brain cells. This means just 20 minutes after exercise you may notice better concentration and focus.

10. Sharpens memory

Studies suggest that the parts of the brain that control thinking and memory (prefrontal cortex and mental temporal cortex) have a greater volume in people who exercise versus people who don’t. In fact, the beneficial effects of exercise on memory can last up to two hours after an exercise session.

11. Mentally energising

Low-intensity exercise appears to be energising, which supports the brain and may result in more creativity and better academic performance.

What is exercise addiction?

In the wise words of Hippocrates: "Everything in excess is opposed to nature." In some instances, exercise may turn from a healthy, recreational hobby to a compulsive, behavioural addiction. Those affected may express severe guilt when not exercising and forgo food or social events to train. Exercise addiction tends to be particularly problematic in those experiencing eating disorders, making their illness harder to treat. You can learn more about this through BEAT charity resources and you can access help through its local GP service.

Lastly, is exercise good for you?

Exercise as a key lifestyle factor plays an important role in optimising our physical and mental health but it should be tailored to the individual in order to optimise benefits. It's important to maintain balance when it comes to exercise and it should fit into your life, rather than rule it, if it's going to support your wellbeing.

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This article was last reviewed on 24 April 2024 by Kerry Torrens.

Dr Amit D Mistry is a consultant sports psychiatrist, author and mental health advisor to Oxford University Sport. He is a frontline NHS clinician working in eating disorders. You can follow him on @DrAMistryPsych.

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