Connecting Mental Health and Exercise

This morning at the gym, one of our members, who happens to be a therapist, said, “So much of what my clients are going through could be made better if they just moved more.”

That’s a powerful statement, especially when you consider that the source is an experienced mental health professional.

There have been studies that show that exercise is just as powerful in helping depression as any medication. (Google “Exercise for depression study” to see a bunch of them.)

Of course, I need to point out that I am in no way qualified to make any diagnosis concerning you or your mental health, but I just want to let you know four things exercise can help with that you may not have thought about.

1. Confidence. There’s something powerful to be said for doing something that you know is good for you, even if you don’t necessarily want to do it. In some cases, not wanting to do it makes it even more powerful because it proves that you can push through your own mental barriers, and, after all, that’s the hardest thing of all to do!

2. Distraction. What happens when we just sit around and mope over our problems? Most of the time, nothing except the passage of time. Sometimes lots of time. And then more moping and stewing. There’s a lot of value in simply having something positive to do with your time. 

3. Community. Do you know what helps people feel better? People! Connection with others is a crucial aspect of our mental health, and exercising with other people can be a great way to get that. We’ve had many of our members develop deep friendships at our gym with people they would never have met otherwise. It’s one of my favorite things about it.

4. Sleep. Bedtime is the primary time when our bodies recover both mentally and physically, and exercise can help make sleep deeper and more effective.

You can add these to the exceedingly long list of benefits you get by exercising other than weight loss.

I’d love to hear about any benefits you’ve experienced that may be unexpected. Drop me an email and let me know.