I know some people who can’t wait to get to the gym, but I am not one of them. I do go, though, because exercise seems to have endless health benefits.
And lately I’ve been more and more convinced by the research that shows it’s good for your brain. There is evidence that it can help your intellectual functioning — maybe jocks aren’t so dumb. And it can help you regulate your mood.
How does exercise do this? Experts offer two leading theories. One is the increased flow of endorphins, chemicals produced in the brain that can increase a person’s sense of well-being. Another theory is that exercise actually makes nerve cells branch and grow, improving the function of mood-regulating circuits.
Many other factors that boost mood may be incidentally associated with exercise, too — the chance to master a skill, associate with a group of like-minded people, or just do something interesting and engaging. And if you keep a program going, you’ll feel a sense of accomplishment. Regular exercise can also reduce stress and heighten self-esteem by improving appearance and physical strength. Exercising in a group is a source of social support.
Research shows that regular physical activity can ease anxiety and depression, including mild to moderate depressive symptoms. Exercise should help people with even the severest depression, although for them, exercise alone is not likely to be enough.
Exercise helps people sleep more soundly, which is also a good thing for your mood. One study found that 16 weeks of moderate exercise helped a group of middle-aged insomniacs to fall asleep an average of 15 minutes sooner and sleep 45 minutes longer.
Here’s something helpful for people who fear a strenuous workout: In a review of 30 exercise studies, in terms of mood improvements, it made little difference how much a person exercised, how intensely, or how long. What mattered was only how long the program lasted— at least two months to get mental health benefits.
Exercise does so much physical good and so little harm, it’s amazing that motivation is such a big problem. But indeed motivation is a problem, especially if you’re anxious or depressed in the first place. So here are some tips for starting and sticking with exercise:
- Begin slowly.
- Remember that exercise does not have to be strenuous to be helpful. Walking, gardening, or household work will do.
- Try exercising with friends for encouragement
Exercise will not have the same effect on everyone, and by itself, in most cases, is not a total cure for a serious mental disorder. But it costs little or nothing, has virtually no side effects, and almost always makes you healthier for doing it.
Does exercise fit into your life? How? Is motivation a problem? Have you found any tricks for keeping motivated that you would like to share with others?
Exercise Special Health Report
Hundreds of studies conducted over the past 50 years demonstrate that exercise helps you feel better and live longer. This report answers many important questions about physical activity, from how your body changes through exercise to what diseases it helps prevent. It will also help guide you through starting and maintaining an exercise program that suits your abilities and lifestyle.
Dr. Michael Millerhas been on staff of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a large teaching hospital in Boston, for more than 25 years. He is also an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.
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Comments: 26
I have started noticing that I have more energy during the day as well. I haven't been at it long enough to notice any improved sleeping side effects but I hope you are right about that. I have no trouble falling asleep but I can't remember the last time I slept through an entire night without waking up at least 5 times.
the thing is to find something you enjoy so you will stick to it. Then exercise is a pleasure.
After five years of little or no exercise, I began exercising a lot in the middle of August, and I saw huge improvements after a week. The past five years I have been consumed with worries, and I have been on an emotional roller coaster with a fear of losing my mother to her battle with ALS.
I lost my mother in the end of May, and although I would not categorize myself as having being depressed, I have had times where life just seemed like too much. After a week, I noticed how the mood swings started to appear less frequently, my self esteem began to increase and I felt a surplus of energy for the first time in a very long time.
I do agree that after two months the benefits have increased enormously, and I am a much happier woman, mother and wife.
Thank you for this excellent article, and thank you for shedding some light on some of the mental health benefits of exercise.
It is difficult to do research on this subject because there are so many confounding factors. Nonetheless, it is fascinating and constructive work.
I went walking for 2 hours, or about 6 miles every day. Finally, after 10 months I am seeing significant progress. It was depressing that nothing much happened sooner, but about 2 weeks ago I began to be able to run distances, and now I run about 4 miles every time I go out. I feel like I did 10 years ago when I started this before, in fact in some ways I feel better.
Bert, you might engage in some kind of aerobic exercise and see if you can think of it as a positive job in its own - work. I do some things like building things around the house, yard work and stuff, but it is not consistant enough to help my heart though it is good for flexibility and a feeling of accomplishment.
You underscore the sense of accomplishment and I think that is a very useful point for people to think about. People do tend to feel better about themselves when they're accomplishing things that are meaningful to them. Nothing is more meaningful than taking care of your health. Maybe that's what helps get you to the basement every morning. Congratulations on your perseverance!
And K anne m., I love that image of tying shoes, grabbing keys and getting out the door. You're absolutely right, overcoming the inertia, getting started is the hardest part.
Yes — anything you do is more helpful than nothing. A regular program of walking is a great idea!
Thanks for sharing your story with us. Let me clarify: The research described an improvement after 2 months, but it is not at all unusual for people to feel the effects sooner.
Two months is an interesting amount of time, because it parallels the research on antidepressants. That is, it often takes several weeks or even months for people to feel better after starting antidepressant treatment.
Neuroscientists believe now that it takes that amount of time for the nerves in the brain to respond to the treatment. The nerves actually do get a little bigger and make new connections — this growth takes some time.
But many people do describe feeling better within days of getting going.
I appreciate your reminding people that for severe depression, exercise alone is probably not enough. I agree with you that it's a good idea for many people to think of exercise as just one of the many ways we need to take care of ourselves.
I know what you mean about relying too much on medications. Just as exercise is not the whole answer, medications are also not the whole answer.
But I always react a little to that word, "crutch," because I think crutches are a good thing. We all need them. We all use them!
I suggest thinking about crutches as a way to facilitate healing or as a way to make more out of life.
I am completely with you on the music idea. Not everyone responds to music, but if you love music (as I do), it's a great idea to have a soundtrack — not just for your exercise but also for your life!
You're an inspiration — the slow and steady progress you describe is something we can all learn from. What I think is great about it — you demonstrate how well it works to build things slowly.
A lot of people, in fact, get discouraged because they take on too much too fast. So you did your New Year's resolution right — you started with something that you could commit to, stuck with it, and reaped the rewards.
I do think that Bert's plan is also great. Many people find exercise for exercise sake boring. So if you can integrate physical effort into an activity that you're naturally drawn to, it may work better than a traditional exercise program.
Here are some other ways to do this: Park your car further from your destination so you have to walk. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Use a pedestal or "standing desk" instead of sitting down all day long.
Exercise in little bites, what some have called "exercise snacks," are a great way to build activity into your life.
When people ask me why I walk, I say, "Because I can. And I've become very thankful that I can."
I have always felt that to be able to get the endorphin rush that exercise is supposed to bring, the activity should firstly, be enjoyable, which then sets you up in the right frame of mind to be able to feel good. I doubt that there are many people who clean houses for a living who get an endorphin rush for all the effort that they put in.
Another good article! There are studies going back to the 1960s demonstrating these benefits. Some studies have shown that exercise has equal benefit (and occasionally better) than anti-depressant medications! This is NOT stated to suggest that you stop your medications. Many of us find both TOGETHER to be what works best for us.
Mike Miller, PhD
http://drmikemiller.com