Exercise, understandably, improves your physical health. But did you know that being active is also very beneficial for your mental health?
Emily Mailey, associate professor of kinesiology, shares how exercise can affect a person’s mental health overall.
Gabriela Faraone, culture writer: “When we talk about exercise, we immediately think about physical changes, but what about the mental changes? How does being active affect our mental health?”
Mailey: “There is a lot of evidence that exercise can reduce risk of depression, help people manage stress and anxiety. The value of focusing on that is that actually you can perceive those changes in a short term, compared to physical changes like your appearance; that requires a little more time.
“If it’s helping me feel better today, then it can make me want to look for ways to prioritize it. I value the positive feelings that come from it and the immediate return on my investment, rather than this delays changes on physical appearance that comes from months or even years sometimes.”
Faraone: “Can you mention some scientific research that has been done that demonstrates the effects of how exercise impacts your mental health?
Mailey: “We did a study a couple of years ago with military spouses, which is a population that has really high stress, anxiety and depression as well. What we found out is that these people are really busy, and these women have a lot on their plate.
“Even when they feel that they are overweight, or that they are supposed to be exercising more, that doesn’t make it on their to-do list. Even though they feel that they have to do it, there is not enough value for them prioritize it.
“When we frame it more as a tool to influence their mental health, they were more receptive to the idea of trying to fit exercise onto their schedule. If its something that its going to help them to feel less stress and depressed, it is there where they found to value it the most.”
Source: kstatecollegian.com
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