Correlation between physical fitness and mental health

This blog focuses on the correlation between physical fitness and mental health and how one can have impact on the other :

“You look like you’ve gained some weight, you should start getting in some exercise.”

  “You should start doing cardio, it’s good for your health.”

  “You should meditate, it will help you to overcome your anger.”

” I have joined Pilates class, it tones your body, your skin looks a little loose, you should do it too.”

• Heard these things before, right? We all have, be it friends, family or even neighbors, or even from someone whom we just met.
• Be it whatever place, we all have had to hear these things, from the people who have judged us for how we look, how our body is, or how we naturally are!
• These people are going to tell us these things, whether they practically apply it to themselves or not, and forget about it.
• But what next? One should keep in mind the correlation between physical fitness and mental health here.
• We reflect on our thoughts, on our own body, and on all these comments, and end up following their advices anyway.
• What comes next is a great deal of confusion. Should I do yoga, should I join gym? or should I just go for a run every day?
• And we spontaneously do any one of these things without giving it a second thought. But what happens next?
• Do we become happy? Do we get fit?
• Let me give you an example here:
• Aisha, an 18-year-old girl with a 5″0 height and weighing around 120 lbs. She just began her college. Within the first week of college, she started observing girls around her, wearing the minimum amount of clothes and flaunting their body. Whereas Aisha is of medium built, she decides to lose weight so that she would be able to flaunt her body too.  She switches to a vegan diet, and does some High Interval Training (HIIT) at home for an hour and half every day, without any proper amount of guidance.
• For the first few months, she starts seeing changes in her body, her face looks toned, her waist and hips looks toned. And she is now able to wear the kind of clothes she always wanted to wear.
• After a period of 3 months, Aisha isn’t motivated to workout anymore, she experiences fatigue and loss of interest. Her doctor advises her to include rest days in between and eat everything in moderation, but she doesn’t pay much heed to that and she still continues doing it as she is afraid of gaining weight. She remains hyperactive and anxious half of the time, hardly talks to anyone, and remains isolated. Few days later she faints at the college, she was then taken to the hospital, and the based on the diagnosis, the doctor came to the conclusions that Aisha is suffering from Anorexia (eating disorder) and in her case, exercise has somehow consequently given a way to anxiety and hyperactivity.
• In Aisha’s case, exercise, done without guidance and efficiency, somehow has been proven to be ineffective, which lead to an eating disorder.
• Now let’s come to a different scenario,
• Sarah, a 35-year-old gym trainer, who met with an accident few months ago, which resulted in some minor leg injuries for her, and she lost her sister in that accident. Sarah, quit her job, and has remained isolated since then. During one of her weekly checkups, the doctor recommends her to consult a psychologist. And after the diagnosis, she found out that she has been suffering from clinical depression.
• By this time, Sarah who was healed physically, had lost the motivation to do anything and hasn’t been working out at all. After a few therapy sessions with her psychologist, she then decided to start working out again on the advice of her counsellor. She began with low impact physical exercise and yoga, and also added meditation to her routine. 6 months later, she has overcome her depression and improved her mental health condition with the help of the psychologist, and her own workout routine.
• In Sarah’s case, exercise has worked as a miracle for overcoming her depression.
• Concluding from both of the scenarios depicted above, exercise when done with the right mind, in the right amount, and with proper guidance has proven to be effective on both mental and physical health.

Facts about exercise :

• Regular exercise has been found to have a positive impact on mental health issues. A recent study by HARWARD T.H. CHAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH proved that even walking for an hour has been effective in reducing the risk of depression by 26%.
• Exercise promotes all kinds of changes I.e. neural growth, reduced inflammation.
• Most importantly, it releases Endorphins (powerful chemicals in brain that makes us feel good) and thus helps us in dealing with everyday stress and anxiety.
• Exercise such as walking, swimming, which engages both arms and legs, has proven to be effective in dealing with PTSD and trauma.

Emotional benefits of exercise :

• It helps us feel mentally sharp at tasks and helps us concentrate better.
•  It regulates sleep patterns. So, doing gentle yoga before bed can promote a good sleep.
•  Working out in morning I.e. when your energy levels are at the highest point, has proven to be effective for maintaining high energy levels throughout the day.

Correlation between physical fitness and mental health :

Since we all know by now the correlation between physical fitness and mental health, and how exercise can help us create a healthy lifestyle .But to start working out at some point is the first step. And it’s one of the most difficult tasks for many people.Exercise becomes a tedious task when you’re dealing with mental health issues.

• Whenever you’re feeling exhausted, and you feel like doing nothing at all, exercise works as a powerful Energizer. So even if you’re tired, do any exercise for 5 minutes and you surely are going to end up doing it for more than 5 minutes.
• Exercise can be a big hurdle when you’re a working mother, and all you want to do is sleep at the end of the day, but locking in a workout during your busy schedule will relieve your stress and make you feel better.
• There are days when we see ourselves in the mirror and we don’t like the person we are, we start hating our body and everything about it. Set a goal, even if a small one, and start working out in a group or fitness class. Meeting people of all age groups and at a variety of fitness levels will help you gain confidence about your body.
• It can be a difficult task to stay motivated every day to work out. And it necessarily doesn’t happen that you are able to lock in a workout every single day for a year. For days like this, there are some tips for staying motivated:
• Focus on activities you enjoy on a day to day basis, that involves moving your body. For example:  cleaning your house, window shopping, gardening or even playing any outdoor games. On days when you don’t feel like working out, you can perform these activities.
• Be comfortable, in what you do, don’t push your body to the limits if it’s not ready. Choose a setting that you find energizing. Include some good music.
• Set a routine. And make sure you follow that routine every day.
• Experiment with your workouts: doing the same workout everyday can become tedious after a while. Make sure you add different workouts to your routine, and do it as guided.
• Reward yourself with a cheat day/ cheat meal/ rest day. Rewarding yourself works as one of the important motivators.
• This way, the correlation between physical fitness and mental health is inevitable. Regular physical activity is an investment in your mind, body and soul. When developed into a habit, can improve your self – worth, and can even develop your personality and appearance. You don’t need to spend hours in gym stressing out your body, but rather to make the most of whatever you do. Make sure to make physical activity as one of the most important and fun part of your everyday life.

References:

http://www.helpguide.org

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