When you are struggling with your mental health, getting active may be one of the last things you feel like doing. But if you can muster the energy, evidence shows that exercise has a powerfully beneficial effect. One 2019 study, published in JAMA Psychiatry, found that physical activity is an effective prevention strategy for depression. Another 2015 paper found that exercise can be as helpful in treating mild to moderate depression as antidepressants and psychotherapy.
"We have known for a long time that exercise promotes physiological and neurochemical (神经化学的) responses that make you feel good," says Prof Nanette Mutrie of the University of Edinburgh's Institute for Sport, Physical Education and Health Sciences. When we exercise, the brain releases endorphins, as well as dopamine and serotonin. "Very often, these same chemicals form part of antidepressant drugs, leading to the happy feelings," she says.
There is also a psychological component to exercise that makes us feel good, says Mutrie. "When you're exercising, you are improving your self-esteem, mastering a new task and meeting new people. All these work together to help lift up spirits."
Jermaine Johnson, another personal trainer suggests avoiding cardio, like running. "That can raise the heart rate and fuel your anxiety," he says. Instead, he suggests that you try strength training. Because you can measure your progress with weight training - heavier weights or more repetitions- you will be able to see how much you are improving, which could lift your mood.
Finally, the act of putting on a pair of trainers can, on its own, be a form of self-care. "Even if you leave after a few minutes, you've already achieved something just by going to the gym," says Johnson. Focus on the fact that you went to the gym in the first place, not that you left. And take everything one step at a time. You're in control.
because it's always the people with no time who get things done. Harriet Stowe, mother of six, wrote parts of Uncle Tom's Cabin while cooking. You're too old? Remember that Thomas Costain was 57 when he published his first novel, and that Grandma Moses showed her first pictures when she was 78.