Matters of the mind

I recently read an article on www.headtalks.com that described what depression felt like, this is what it said…

‘Imagine you are in a car crash, where you are catapulted through the windscreen and wake up on the side of the road, in unbearable pain and unable to move your legs. Then imagine that, when an ambulance is called, the paramedics say: “sit tight, we’ll be there in six weeks”.

That is what people with mental illness have to face everyday!

That inspired me to write this blog

‘Mind’ statistics state that 1 in 4 people in the UK will experience a mental health problem each year. These figures only take into account those people living at home and not hospitalised or imprisoned.

So how can exercise help?

All the evidence indicates that being active is great for your physical health and fitness and improves your mental wellbeing. I believe mental wellbeing means feeling good – both about yourself and about the world around you and being healthy and fit means being able to get on with life in the way you want.

We make the mistake of thinking that our mind and body are separate but what we do with our bodies can have a powerful effect on our mental wellbeing. Being active doesn’t mean we have to spend hours in the gym, I know that doesn’t appeal to everyone (you know who you are) :-) We just need to find activities that we enjoy and think about how we can fit more of them into our daily life. Perhaps you can take part in a team sport, attend classes at a leisure centre, or just be more active in your daily routine by walking or cycling instead of travelling by car or public transport.

For those who are already convinced, the guidelines state we need to aim for 150 minutes of exercise each week including aerobic and strength exercises.

This could be split in the following ways:

75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity, such as running or a game of singles tennis each week and strength exercises on two or more days a week. For strength you need to work all the major muscles, legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms. These types of exercises could include lifting weights, working with resistance bands, body weight exercise i.e. push ups and sit ups or heavy gardening, such as digging and shovelling.

Or,

A mix of moderate activity such as cycling, fast walking, doubles tennis, hiking and water aerobics and vigorous aerobic activity every week such as a 30 minute run plus 30 minutes of fast walking. Plus strength exercise two or more days per week.

A good rule to remember is one minute of vigorous activity provides the same health benefits as two minutes of moderate activity.

So how does exercise help depression?

Exercise releases feel-good brain chemicals that have been shown to ease depression (neurotransmitters, endorphins and endocannabinoids). It can also help to reduce immune system chemicals and these chemicals have shown signs of worsening depression.

Regular exercise has can make you feel good, its great for self-esteem, self-control and discipline. All things we need at some point in our lives.

Remember any exercise is better than none, even a 15 minute walk can clear your mind and help you relax.

Go on – you’ve got nothing to lose. Get active!

Lisa
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