"Physical exercise assists in the management of stress in psychological, as well as physiological, ways. One of the psychological ways in which exercise reduces stress is its ability to give you control over your body. "If you have read any of my previous articles, you know that I'm somewhat of an exercise freak. That is to say that I am very straightforward when it comes to the scientifically proven benefits of exercise. As such, I don't sugarcoat the facts. Exercise and live; don't exercise and die!
OK, maybe I'm being a little dramatic, but the facts are that exercise can benefit the body more than any other lifestyle factor or medical treatment currently available. Related to exercise, one issue that most people overlook is the psychological benefits of exercise. In fact, exercise benefits the mental and emotional processes of the body much or more than the physiological, and that's saying a lot! In fact, exercise may be one of the best psychotherapists known to man!
In this article, we are going to look at the latest research on the positive effects of exercise on the mind. So if you want to know just how much you are helping your mind by exercising, this article is for you!
The Psychological Benefits of Physical Exercise
1. Stress Reduction
In today's fast-paced society, stress is a significant part of most people's lives. It is not only a fact of modern daily life, but has also been linked to cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. As a result, the reduction of stress is a strong concern for many, and should be! However, short of visiting a therapist, how does one reduce the daily effects of stress on the body and mind? While there have been many methods of stress management that have been identified in recent years, such as relaxation training, biofeedback and guided visualization, physical exercise may be the most effective.
Physical exercise assists in the management of stress in psychological, as well as physiological, ways. One of the psychological ways in which exercise reduces stress is its ability to give you control over your body. This results from the perception that you can accomplish physical activity, which increases self-efficacy or the feeling of self-reliance. These feelings help to improve your mood and facilitate a sense of optimism. The feeling that you can accomplish physical tasks spills over into other areas of your life, which helps you to deal more effectively with the stress of day-to-day living.
In addition to increasing your feeling of self-reliance, exercise also increases your self-esteem. Making a commitment to a regular exercise program and following through on your plans helps you to understand just how much power you have. This is particularly true for those who, as a result of exercise, have seen positive improvements in their health and are satisfied with their exercise performance. While not a panacea for high levels of stress, science has shown that high self-esteem is successful in reducing the negative effects of stress at low to moderate levels. (1)
If all this talk about feelings and self-esteem is too spongy for you, never fear, because not all the stress-reducing effects of exercise are psychological in nature. Some stress-reducing mechanisms related to exercise are actually physiological. One such mechanism is the release of beta-endorphins during exercise. Beta-endorphins are opioid-like (like the effects of heroin) substances that are released during the body's fight-or-flight response to stress. They reduce your perception of physical pain and enhance your mood.
Another, non-psychological mechanism that comes into play as a result of exercise is the fight-or-flight response, mentioned above. Research has shown that the body's response to exercise is very similar to its response to stress. (2) During exercise epinephrine, norepinephrine and endorphins are released, which is similar to the body's response to stress. The difference is that through regular exercise, you are able to train your body to tolerate increased levels of activity/stress. Since the body responds similarly to exercise stress and actual stress, your ability to tolerate increased physiological and psychological stress is enhanced. So, regular exercise over an extended period of time will result in physiological changes that help you to cope more effectively with daily stressors.
2. The Anxiety Reducing Effects of Exercise
Anxiety is a major component of stress. Any situation or event that produces stress is likely to elicit anxiety as well. So, reducing anxiety is also a means of coping with stressful events or situations. Similar to stress, there are many ways of reducing anxiety such as relaxation techniques, biofeedback and medications. However, exercise is uniquely suited to the task of reducing anxiety and you don't even need a prescription!
Anxiety is part of the body's stress response. When the body responds to a stressor with the fight-or-flight mechanism, a significant amount of anxiety is produced. The reason for this is simple; the fight-or-flight response is designed to mobilize the body's defenses in the face of life-threatening events or circumstances, such as being attacked by a wild animal. So, the fight-or-flight response serves a protective function, which helps the person fight off the attacker or escape.
The problem is that in modern times there is rarely a situation that you need to fight or run to save your life. However, your body doesn't know the difference between psychological and physical stress. So, when your boss at work comes in and starts yelling at you, the fight-or-flight response is initiated without you running or fighting (that is, if you want to keep your job). Without the ability to "fight or flight," a significant amount of tension and anxiety is developed. Fortunately, exercise has been shown to help release this tension and anxiety produced by many such stressful events that most people experience on a regular basis.
Lastly, exercise also produces beta-endorphins (explained above). These substances not only reduce the perception of stress, but have also been shown to enhance the mood by reducing anxiety. (3) In a nutshell, as a result of increased beta-endorphin production and the release of tension built up during daily activities, exercise has the ability to enhance the mood and increase one's perception of well being.
3. The Antidepressant Effects of Exercise
As mentioned above, exercise can significantly increase the body's level of beta-endorphins, which has a mood-enhancing effect. However, is this mood-enhancing effect of exercise also effective in reducing symptoms in mild, moderate or severely depressed patients? The answer is yes! Some studies have demonstrated improvement in mild to moderately depressed patients with exercise. In fact, studies on depressed patients have revealed that aerobic exercises are as effective as other forms of treatment like psychotherapy. (4)
It seems clear that exercise reduces depression in mild to moderately depressed patients. However, there is growing evidence that suggests that exercise may also help to prevent depression altogether. In fact, regular exercise has been shown to actually help prevent depression, especially in the elderly. (5)
While it seems clear that exercise does improve symptoms in mild to moderately depressed patients, it is not entirely clear how this is accomplished. One important factor may be sleep. Most depressed patients have significant alterations in their normal sleeping patterns. Poor sleeping patterns tend to exacerbate depressive symptoms. Fortunately, exercise has been shown to improve sleep quality. So, one of the main reasons exercise may improve mood is through its ability to improve sleep quality, which results in a reduction of depressive symptoms.
Well, there you have it! Even more reasons to exercise. So, once again it is up to you to determine whether a lifestyle change including exercise is needed or "worth it." I can't make that choice for you, but you now have additional information in which to choose to exercise. As I see it, in relation to mental health there are two choices: getting on the psychotherapy couch or getting off your own!
References
- Holahan, C.J., & Moos, R.H. (1987). "Personal and contextual determinants of coping strategies." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52, 946-956.
- Internet Directory: Infoseek: Exercise. "Stress and Exercise" http://fitlife.com/health/stress.shtml. 1996
- Gordon, A., How to Strengthen the Immune System. Torrance, CA.: Homestead Schools, Inc., 1996.
- North, T.C.,McCullagh, P.,& Tran, Z.V. (1990). The effect of exercise on depression. Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews, 18, 379-415.
- Internet Directory: Infoseek: Exercise and depression. "Aging, Exercise and Depression: Separating Myths form realities" http://www.coolware.com/health/medical_reporter/exercise.html.
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