All about exercise and mental health
When you’re struggling with your mental health, daily life can feel like an uphill climb. And that might mean the last thing you want to do is an actual uphill climb — or any other form of exercise. But experts are finding again and again that exercise can actually help our mental health.
If the idea of going for a run feels impossible right now, there’s some good news: you don’t need to run a marathon to feel the benefits, you just need to take things one step at a time.
Read on to find out the facts about exercise and mental health, what the official recommendations are, and why a prescription for exercise might be coming soon.
Does exercise help mental health?
Exercise can help our mental health in a variety of ways, and for a few different reasons. In fact, one study showed that people who exercise regularly experience 40% fewer poor mental health days than those who do not.
Exercise can enhance mental performance across a huge range of measures — from academic performance to memory and attention to self-esteem, exercise can help. It can also reduce stress, fight anxiety and depression, and even help with fatigue and sleep quality. Few conditions are untouched by exercise, whether Type 2 diabetes, vascular health, addictions, chronic pain, or PTSD —and many of these can directly or indirectly affect your mental health.
Why does exercise improve mental health?
There are several reasons for why exercise can make a difference in our mental health. Exercise boosts the production of chemicals — such as endorphins and endocannabinoids, which can reduce cortisol levels — and neurotransmitters — such as dopamine and serotonin, which can activate brain receptors associated with improved mood. Exercise can also stimulate blood flow and reduce inflammation, both shown to improve overall health. Even the social connections from group activities are thought to benefit our mental health.
What is the best type of exercise for mental health?
While studies show that the most benefits come from three to five 45-minute exercise sessions a week, experts also say the biggest benefits will be found going from no exercise to any exercise. The other important thing? Choosing an activity you enjoy will likely have the most benefits, and it will be something you can stick with.
Activities with a positive mental health impact include, but are absolutely not limited to:
- Team sports
- Cycling
- Walking
- Dancing
- Aerobics
- Swimming
- Strength training
- Housework
- Gardening
- Yoga or tai chi
While it’s recommended to commit to a minimum of 10 minutes of exercise per session, even just doing “exercise snacks,” or small sessions of five minutes or less, can make a difference.
A prescription for exercise
Here at The Ottawa Hospital, we have experts looking into not only the benefits of exercise for mental health, but also the best way to prescribe it to patients. Dr. Nicholas Fabiano is a psychiatry resident at the hospital, and he recommends doctors follow FITT principles — which stands for frequency, intensity, time, and type — to help patients figure out a tailored plan that meets their needs, goals, and constraints. Dr. Fabiano is also pushing to formalize exercise as a prescription for mental health, which could mean including it in medical school, clinical guidelines, and having insurance cover it.
Meet Dr. Nicholas Fabiano
What is the future of exercise for mental health?
The study of exercise and mental health is, in many ways, just beginning. There is a significant opportunity for research into different types of exercise, frequency of exercise, intensity of exercise, among other factors. One interesting area is exercise mimetics — or medications that mimic exercise in the body. Researchers at The Ottawa Hospital are already looking into whether these could offer the same benefits for patients, such as stroke survivors or older patients, who might face barriers to exercise.
When you support The Ottawa Hospital, you support our team’s race towards better mental health for everyone — whether through exercise, medication, or other practice-changing interventions.
