Listen to the podcast version here

Those who regularly exercise do so because it gives them an incredible sense of well-being. I exercise regularly because it makes me feel more energetic throughout the day, more relaxed, improves my memory, and makes me sleep better at night.

Consistent exercise has a profound impact on your mental health and relieves stress, improves memory, helps you sleep better, and boosts your resiliency. You don't have to go to extreme lengths to get these benefits; keep reading, and we will start slow.

Mental Health

For me, exercise is a non-negotiable component of my mental health. While I used it to escape reality in the past, exercise has so many benefits that failure to be consistent causes me to spiral downwards quickly.

When my back issues were discovered in the military, and I was put under orders to cease most kinds of exercise, I quickly lost control of my life and reality. I isolated myself by living like a hermit and suffered from major insomnia.

To compensate for the lack of sleep, I reverted to my teenage habit of consuming an excessive amount of energy drinks. I became so disconnected from my body due to the lack of exercise that I was permanently stuck in a flight-or-fight response resulting in erratic behavior.

Depression

Research shows that regular exercise can help most common types of depression as effectively as antidepressant medication, with the added benefit of not experiencing any side effects as a result¹. One study found that running for 15 minutes or walking an hour every day reduces the risk of depression by over 25%².

Exercise is a powerful medicine against depression for several reasons. Firstly, it releases endorphins which are powerful neural chemicals that energize and make you feel good. Exercising also promotes all sorts of changes in the brain by reducing inflammation and creating new neural patterns that make you feel calm and improve your well-being.

Anxiety

Exercise is also a natural and quite effective anti-anxiety treatment as it helps to relieve stress, boosts energy, and enhances your well-being by releasing neurochemicals. Exercising especially pays off when you focus on the sensations in your body rather than the external world.

When you're exercising, pay attention to the feeling of your feet hitting the ground or the metal bar on your skin. By using exercise to ground yourself in the present, you will be able to interrupt the flow of constant worrying and connect to the joy of moving your body.

ADHD

ADHD can make it difficult to focus, control your emotions, and finish the tasks you start. In my experience, exercising is one of the most simple and effective ways to reduce symptoms of ADHD by improving concentration, memory, mood, and motivation.

Physical activity is the primary driver of the release of dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin³, all of which directly increase your ability to focus. In this way, exercise functions in a similar manner to ADHD medications like Ritalin and Adderall.

Stress

Mental stress can produce many physical ill effects such as headaches, neck and back pain, tense muscles, and gastrointestinal discomfort. The worry and discomfort resulting from these symptoms may cause even more stress, creating a vicious cycle between your body and mind.

Exercising is a great way to break this cycle; physical activity doesn't just release "feel-good" chemicals; it also reduces levels of the body's stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol. When your body feels better, so will your mind.

Trauma

There is an increasing amount of evidence that exercise can be a significant benefit in reducing the effects of PTSD. When you focus on your body and how it feels as you exercise, you move out of the immobilization stress response characterized by the flight-or-fight response.

Implementation

You don't have to go to extremes such as lifting weights for hours at a time or running mile after mile to get the benefits of exercising. Research has shown that 30 minutes of daily exercise five times a week is sufficient⁴.

Exercise Moderately

Research indicates that moderate exercise is most beneficial⁵ as it is the most effective at reducing heart disease, improving sleep and cognitive function, weight loss, and reducing mental health disorders.

Moderate exercise is characterized by anything that gets your heart beating faster and gets you breathing harder than if you were inactive, yet still able to speak. It is important to remember that something like an easy walk of under ten minutes doesn't count as moderate exercise.

A Bit > Nothing

While I recommend exercising for at least thirty minutes a day, you don't have to do it all in one go, so feel free to break it up. You could choose to exercise twice for 15 minutes or three times for ten minutes.

Start with five or ten-minute sessions and slowly increase your time as you listen to your body. Set weekly or monthly goals; as exercising becomes a habit, you can slowly start adding minutes or trying different activities.

Overcoming Obstacles

Even though you know that exercise will make you feel better in the long run, taking that first step is much easier said than done. Everyone faces obstacles to exercising, and they may seem even more imposing for those with depression or anxiety.

Insufficient Time

One of the most common obstacles I get told about is an insufficient amount of time. People talk about their demanding jobs, children, friends, and other obligations. The simple truth is that carving 30 minutes out of your day is relatively straightforward with the proper planning.

Select activities that you can fit into your work or at-home routine, so you're not wasting time on transportation and preparation. Running in your neighborhood, climbing the stairs at your office, or doing yoga at home are all great options.

Insufficient Motivation

An insufficient amount of motivation is usually rooted in issues with discipline or being unclear on your goals. Motivation is the result of emotion, and a powerful way to evoke emotion is to have a clear goal in mind.

Discipline is the result of learning and applying, it isn't created overnight but rather in small incremental actions.

Exhaustion

Honestly, whenever I am tired, sad, or stressed, it seems like exercising will simply make me feel worse. But in reality, physical activity is one of the most potent natural energizers.

Regular exercise can have a profound impact on the reduction of fatigue and increase of energy. Whenever you're exhausted, tell yourself to start an activity for only five minutes, and chances are you'll be willing to go for longer once you get started.

Lack of Resources

If you're not ready to sign up for a membership at a nearby gym or club, or you don't have access to one, go for activities that require minimal facilities or equipment, such as jogging, running, jumping rope, calisthenics, or body-weight exercises.

You can also try finding inexpensive and convenient community resources, such as parks and recreation programs, wellness groups, exercise clubs, and meetups.

Getting Started

1. Focus on enjoyable activities. Remember that anything that gets your heartbeat up and gets you breathing heavily counts as moderate exercise. If you hate running on a treadmill, then don't.
2. Schedule your workouts when your energy is highest. There are two benefits to this approach: scheduling will make exercise more likely to happen, and working out when your energy is highest will require less motivation.
3. Start small and build up slowly. Sticking to extravagant goals is hard, especially when you're overwhelmed by emotions. Start with something you can easily commit to and finish, and as the habit builds, you will be able to go for longer.
4. Reward yourself after completing an activity in order to associate it with pleasure in your brain. When you end exercising with a reward, your body will start craving it the next time.
5. Involve others and make exercise a social activity to reduce some obstacles to working out, such as a lack of accountability and motivation. When I go climbing, the companionship of going with friends is just as beneficial as the exercise itself.

Tags

• commit
• apply