Exercise is often recommended to us for our physical wellbeing, but did you know that it also supports our mental wellbeing too? Getting active can boost how we think, feel, and connect with the world around us. Our mind and body are incredibly well connected, so it’s important that we look after both.
In this guide, we’ll explore the mental benefits of fitness, as well as a few activities you can easily try!
How does exercise support mental wellbeing?
Physical activity can maintain and improve your mental wellbeing in a number of ways. From taking up short, brisk activities to increase your mental alertness, to following regular physical activity to increase self-esteem, there’s many ways to move your body and improve your mental wellbeing.
According to the NHS, physical activity is thought to cause chemical changes in the brain, which can help to positively change our mood. Evidence from tests shows that physical activity can help protect people against anxiety, and also support people with mild depression.
Doing something physical can help release cortisol, the hormone that causes us to feel stressed or anxious. In turn, it also increases our levels of serotonin and dopamine, hormones that make us feel happy.
Alongside the physical benefits of exercise and the directly-linked chemical changes that can improve our mental wellbeing, the long-term effects of physical exercise can also support our wellbeing. Seeing improvement in your body’s agility and movement can bring about a sense of greater self-esteem, self-control, and self-confidence.
What are the mental health benefits of exercise?
Being more active is not only proven to improve our physical health, it also has a positive effect on our mental health, which can further develop our esteem, confidence, and social connections. Mental health benefits of exercise include:
Better quality of sleep
Improved mental alertness
Increased self-esteem
Lessened effects of anxiety
More opportunities to connect with people
More positive mood
Reduced stress levels
Reduced risk of depression and mental health problems
How you can get more active
If you want to get active, think about physical activity in the broadest sense. Physical activity can include sport and recreational activities, as well as transportation (such as walking or cycling), work (for example, if you work in a laborious job), and even chores.
According to the NHS, a healthy level of exercise is at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, such as fast walking or cycling, each week.
At Calmer, we recommend trying different activities, such as park runs, yoga classes, or gym training, and making the ones you enjoy part of your life. Exercise that you can enjoy will double how good you feel about it afterwards!
Here’s a few ways you can start trying out new activities:
Start running with the NHS’ Couch to 5K podcasts
Join in with free events for National Fitness Day
Read through this list of activities, curated by Mind
Take up breathing exercises which you can do anywhere, at any time
Join the Calmer Community for access to restorative yoga training videos and more
Also consider boosting the effectiveness of your physical activity by relaxing afterwards.