You almost certainly already know that an inactive lifestyle contributes to chronic miseries such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis, and an earlier death. You may also be one of the third of us who’ve recently resolved to exercise more.

But how often do you consider the contribution of physical exercise to your mental health?

Rates of depression and anxiety are at their highest recorded levels in countries as diverse as India, China, the U.S., and the U.K. Undoubtedly, many aspects of "modern life"—increasing social isolation, poor diets, a focus on money and image—contribute to this state. However, inactivity is another key factor.

Most of us find that a sunny walk or trip to the gym improves our mood in the short term. Exercise is well known to stimulate the body to produce endorphins and enkephalins, the body’s natural feel-good hormones which can make problems seem more manageable. 

In fact, increasingly robust evidence suggests that exercise is not only necessary for the maintenance of good mental health, but it can be used to treat even chronic mental illness. For example, it is now clear that exercise reduces the likelihood of depression and also maintains mental health as we age. On the treatment side, exercise appears to be as good as existing pharmacological interventions across a range of conditions, such as mild to moderate depression, dementia, and anxiety, and even reduces cognitive issues in schizophrenia.

Put simply: Exercise directly affects the brain. Regular exercise increases the volume of certain brain regions—in part through better blood supply that improves neuronal health by improving the delivery of oxygen and nutrients; and through an increase in neurotrophic factors and neurohormones that support neuron signaling, growth, and connections. Of critical importance for mental health is the hippocampus—an area of the brain involved in memory, emotion regulation, and learning.

 With today’s trend for "10 seconds to a new you"-type solutions, this may seem like a lot of exercise but no worthwhile mental health fix comes for free. Exercise levels below these recommended amounts are still beneficial, and of course, the side effects (weight loss, increased energy, better skin, improved physical health, etc.) are pretty palatable.

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What are some steps you can take today to increase you physical activity in order to improve general and mental health?

#Exercise #Health #Well-being