Exercise improves mental health but an overdose could be grievous

                                          Exercise well but don’t overdo (Image by Taco Fleur from Pixabay)

“A body in motion remains in motion unless acted upon by an external force. A body at rest remains at rest.”
-Newton’s First Law of motion
“Eating alone will not keep a man well, he must also take exercise.”
-Hippocrates (Greek Physician)
How true to say that humankind was born to run!

The neuroscience of exercise is a growing research area that is dedicated to furthering our understanding of the effects that exercise has on mental health and our day-to-day performance. There are a lot of positive responses to regular physical exercise emphasised in various research articles such as enhanced functional capacity, increased autonomy and improved self-esteem.

Trust me, these are good enough reasons for recommending regular exercise to everyone reading this article.

Towards better engagement

In addition to my regular morning exercise regime, I make time to go running or walking if I come home feeling low or out of place as it helps me come back to my present self, making me engage better with my family leaving behind all the unnecessary worries of all kinds.

And dear reader, you will be surprised to know how physical exercise improves the mood and our ability to deal with the challenges in life.

Physical exercise helps promote positive changes in our brains due to increased metabolism, higher oxygen levels and blood flow and there is evidence to prove it.

Research shows that exercise is associated with the increased synthesis and release of both neurotransmitters and neurotrophic factors.

Neurotransmitters are often referred to as the body’s chemical messengers which act as joining agents between neurons which carry signals from the brain, more neurotransmitters, more active brain. Simply put, these chemicals have regenerative effects and help in the development and healing of our bodies and minds.

Hippocrates said, “Men ought to know that from nothing else, but the brain come joy, delights, laughter and sports, grief, despondency and lamentation.”

Mastering the Mind

These words play a powerful anchor to my feelings when I deviate or am swept away by uncertainties or the weirdness of life. If you focus on each of the words of Hippocrates, you will realise their profundity. To me, this would mean that I and only I am (my mind) the creator of all the feelings I feel. That would possibly also mean that I may have an inherent power to change those feeling, although I may not realise.

Think and reflect if you find yourself away from your happy and true self.

An amazingly simple starting step would be going out and move! There is a lot of research with a multidisciplinary investigation that aims to understand the relationship between our body and the brain, and it is no exaggeration that regular physical exercise has the power to change the structure and function of our brains. Performed regularly, it will boost your self-efficacy and self-confidence.

Recent increases in the number of people getting inflicted with mental disorders such as Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), Dementia and Parkinson’s Disease points out the need for more effort that focuses on identifying treatments that can improve an individual’s mental health.

Side-effects of Medication

Medication has its adverse side effects which may result in failed outcomes.

Henceforth the smarter and much cost-effective way should be to reduce expensive hospitalisation and medication and strive to enhance the quality of life of mental health patients. Exercise could be one all solution.

Exercise can be a secondary treatment for several mental disorders. There is strong evidence to prove that exercise has positive effects on mental health and cognition.

However, Over-exercising can have adverse effects and moderation is the key.

Suggestions for beginners

(Inspired by ‘The First 20 Minutes’ by Gretchen Reynolds)

Begin with Five to Ten minutes of Easy Aerobic Exercise: Jog if you will be running; walk slowly if you are gearing up for a brisk walk. Bicycling will work too. The reason why we are doing this is to elevate your heart rate and breathing gradually so that your core body temperature rises gently. Keep the pace slow. There is no point in tiring oneself before even really begin to exercise.

Proceed Into Dynamic Stretching. At this point, you want to awaken and activate the various tissues that attach to your joints. Ideally, four or five dynamic stretches would be good enough. The moves need to be simple and familiar. Jumping jacks for example activate the ankle, knee and to some extent the shoulder joints. Start with a few of those and add/increase some of them gradually. Few other ones could be skipping, back skipping, bottom- kicks and straight-leg march.

Be Judicious. Be aware that a warm-up should save us from exertion and not be a contributing factor to tire us up. Start exercising and unravel the magic of great living!

Aparna Dubey runs Gentem Life Coaching: Redesigning Life. She leads her life with a passion for helping people lead their best lives and achieve what they truly desire. Gentem aims to help people and professionals transform their lives. She has about 15 years of experience in leading transformation in businesses and individuals. Email: aparna@gentem.co.nz
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