How Exercise Can Improve Mental Health

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Mental health is a topic that has been gaining more and more attention over recent years, with more people than ever before suffering with poor mental health, depression, anxiety, and similar.

Everybody thinks differently, and everybody looks at the world in different ways, so it is often impossible to tell how a person is thinking and how they ‘really’ feel. A lot of people aren’t aware of how much exercising, and training in or outside of a gym can actually help those that struggle regularly with their mental health, but it can be a huge help for a lot of people.

Exercising regularly significantly reduces stress and anxiety for many people, as exercising reduces levels of stress hormones inside the body, such as cortisol and adrenaline. Stress hormones can play a huge role in negative moods and depression, as too much of either of these hormones can cause anxiety and nervousness, along with other negative responses from the brain.
When we exercise, our bodies release endorphins which naturally boost mood. Exercise improves mood by increasing the production of neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin. Dopamine is produced in the brain, and promotes feelings of pleasure and reward, and as exercising increases activity in the reward centre of the brain. Exercising also increases the availability of tyrosine, which is a precursor for dopamine. Even occasional exercise increases tryptophan production, a type of amino acid that is converted to serotonin. Serotonin is produced in the brain and is primarily responsible for positively effecting appetite, mood, and sleep, tryptophan travels from our blood to our brains and is converted to serotonin there.

Our general ‘brain power’ can improve with regular exercise, as improved cognitive function has been repeatedly linked to if, and how often people exercise. Studies have shown links between exercise and better memory, attention span, and learning ability, and it is often suggested this is because of improved blood flow to the brain, which is important for longevity and overall brain health. It has been suggested in several studies that regular exercise can improve how quickly a person’s cognitive ability could decline as they get older, also likely due to improved blood flow to the brain promoting the growth of new brain cells, aiding with conditions such as dementia in the elderly.

An aspect of exercise or attending a gym that is quite often overlooked in regards to how it helps us mentally, is having the routine of regular exercise, and also simply taking part in something that helps keep us accountable. Having regular exercise, a gym session, a regular fitness class, or any number of similar activities available can help someone build a solid routine and relationship with exercise that benefits them physically, but also benefits them mentally as a result of that.
When someone sets up a gym routine that they can stick to and stay consistent with, the benefits go far beyond just the physical. Being accountable and establishing a routine with habits like going to the gym and exercising can do wonders for a person’s confidence, give them targets and goals, and motivate them to go further in whatever they choose to do once they understand that they can stick to something like a regular exercise routine. Being accountable and working on improving yourself in any way can lead to improved confidence, and a sense of achievement that effects other areas of your life, as can anything that leads to an increase in motivation and inspires us to do more, even if it is just small steps at a time.

As always, anyone that is struggling mentally should be speaking to a professional first and foremost, but if you are looking for something to focus on, and apply yourself to, a regular training routine could really help most people.
Having clear goals, improving health, and becoming physically fitter and stronger is something that could really benefit those who may not have even thought about getting seriously involved in physical training, but are looking for a way to boost to their mental health or attitude.