We all constantly hear the fact that exercise is good for mental health. But why is that? Many research trials have shown that moving more can lower stress, improve mood, and decrease symptoms associated with anxiety and depression. Upon exercising, our body releases increased concentrations endorphins, which work on the brain’s response to stress and alleviate this. Regular exercise is also known to help regulate sleep patterns, which as you can imagine, in turn has a positive impact on all aspects of our lives.
When faced with mental or emotional challenges in life, exercise can help you build resilience and cope in a healthy way, instead of resorting to alcohol, drugs, or other negative behaviours that ultimately only make your symptoms worse. Regular exercise can also help boost your immune system and reduce the impact of stress. And whilst it may not seem like it at the time, regular exercise helps boost your energy levels! Leading to increased concentration, memory, and productivity!
Now don’t get me wrong, whilst all this sounds amazing, finding the motivation to get started means people often fall at the first hurdle! A hurdle that I have fallen at many a time! Mix this with that age old friend anxiety, it is something I avoided for a long time. I constantly had people telling me “just do it. You know you’ll feel better afterwards, you really enjoy it once there” and so on. All of which is true, but still this wasn’t easy. I wanted to join clubs, play team sports, literally try everything. I would sign up to classes, then dread going, skip sessions and generally feel rubbish about the whole scenario. Plus, this is obviously just a waste of money (money which I don’t have the luxury of wasting!). Then would come the guilt, beating myself up because “I never see anything through”, plummeting me further into my negative mood and thoughts, and this became a vicious circle.
Eventually I decided that maybe this situation wasn’t for me after all. No matter how much I convinced myself I would do it, I didn’t. The biggest tip I have… if you’re anything like me in this sense, don’t commit. Unless you are a person that knows this will encourage you of course. I shouldn’t commit to things, because when I couldn’t see it through, the guilt was intense. So instead, I looked for pay as you go classes, and for the days I can’t face people, found exercises to do at home instead (which avoids the anxiety of having to physically go somewhere else). I found that taking things slowly, doing things on my own terms, meant that I actually exercised more!
As with everything in our lives, there seems to be constant barriers in our way to achieving our goals. One of the biggest ones I can think of (and use as a major excuse) is a lack of time. Being a working mum with two young boys, a wife, a friend, having a house to keep clean, extra studying to do and trying to set up a business all seems a hell of a lot of work. Then to throw exercise in the mix too…. HOW?!?!?! Well, here’s a few tips I find helpful, and hopefully you will too.
- Get up 30 minutes early on a morning. I know I know, who on earth wants to do this?! But the thing is, working out early in a morning, means its over and done with right away! The rest of the day is yours! You don’t have to do a massive workout. Take a walk. Do a short exercise video, a bit of yoga. The choice is yours!
- Schedule! Plan a few small chunks of time. 15-30 minutes is all that’s needed per chunk, remember a little is better than nothing! Set an alarm or reminder
- Build tiny pieces into your normal daily tasks
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- Do star jumps while you wait for your water to boil
- See if you can do a plank for an entire commercial break
- While you’re waiting on hold on the phone, do a few lunges
- Stretch for 10 minutes before you get into bed at night
- Do a short walk whilst waiting to pick the kids up from school
- Do squats whilst brushing your teeth
See where I’m going here? It may seem crazy, but all of these small activities will make a difference in the long run (I promise!).
Another major factor that can put people off exercise too is cost. Can’t afford that extortionate gym membership? Me neither! And exercise really doesn’t have to be expensive (or cost a thing).
My tips for cheap (or free) exercise
- Walking / cycling. One of my favourite things to do is take a walk. Being out in the fresh air, some me time. Perfect. This just helps clear my mind.
- Walk the dog! Walk to work if you can or get off the bus a stop early. Take the family for a bike ride. What’s better, getting some physical activity in whilst spending quality time with the family.
- Running. Now this one isn’t for me. In my eyes you’re a runner or you aren’t. I’m the latter! If it is your thing, get your trainers on and go! Just starting out? The programme couch to 5k is amazing in helping you build up stamina.
- Youtube (or similar). If you have the internet, there are some fantastic free workouts available out there, from yoga to dance, you name it you’ll find it. Get the kids involved! They love a good boogie!
- Use things available in your house. No weights? No problem! Raid your food cupboards. A tin of soup or vegetables is just as good, or even a bottle of water.
And what about those who have medical conditions or mobility issues that means it can be a struggle physically to exercise?
For those with conditions restricting intense physical exercises, or those with any physical issues, exercise is just as important. Potentially more so, as often keeping mobile and exercising in fact helps those conditions. Again, the internet is a wonderful resource, and there are many videos out there offering gentle exercises or adapted workouts. Yoga for example is a brilliant way to work out gently and can be adapted in many ways.
Seated workouts are also hugely popular and can be effective for working on all aspects of the body. Exercise.co.uk [1] has some great information specifically on the topic of exercising with limited mobility that I recommend looking at for some tips.
So, all in all, exercising on a regular basis and being more active, has a hugely positive impact on our wellbeing, both physically and mentally. As a sufferer of both and anxiety and depression, I have to say this has had a positive impact for myself. Am I as active as I would like to be or as I should be? In all honesty, nowhere near it. But I’m more active than I have been in a long time, and continue to take small steps. Even with that small shift, I’ve seen a noticeable improvement in my mental wellbeing. Remember to do what works for you. Don’t beat yourself up about not doing things, otherwise you will never make progress. Bite size pieces lead to bigger things!
A resource that I found super useful was The Mental Health Foundation [2] who have loads of fantastic tips, links to further reading and support. Please do check it out! And don’t forget we are always here for support at the York St John Communities Centre too.
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Author: Kirsty
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References
1. How to Exercise With Limited Mobility – Exercise.co.uk
2. How to look after your mental health using exercise | Mental Health Foundation
