Exercise is paramount for mental health

Ask your average gym-goer or runner what their primary training goal is and they may tell you they’re hoping to run a marathon, or hit a new ‘personal best’ in the weights room.

What’s emerged from the past few decades of research is, as well as increasing our fitness and our ability to lift heavy objects, exercise has tremendous benefits for our mental and emotional health.

‘Exercise is paramount for mental health,’ says Kate Allott, national fitness coordinator at Anytime Fitness, pointing out that people often ‘make that shift from initially going to the gym because it makes you look good, to actually going because it makes you feel better mentally.’

Aside from the endorphins it releases, learning new routines and skills in your workout class, or outside playing group sport, can be very beneficial for the mind. In fact, research has shown that regular aerobic exercise actually improves memory by boosting select parts of the brain.

And there are numerous studies that show clearly the effects of exercising on mental health and wellbeing – from aiding with depression to decreasing feelings of anxiety.

Let’s say you’ve had a rough day at work, a stressful commute, or organising that big family get-together is driving you round the twist. Do you want to take that stress home with you, and suffer through a grumpy dinner, or leave it behind on the treadmill? Kate encourages people to think of exercise as a circuit-breaker between the stress of daily life and the time you spend at home.

‘The more you have exercise in your life, the more you can have that zen or relaxed feeling at the end of the day,’ she says. ‘Being able to go and have that time for yourself gives you more of a relaxed feeling when you’re at the end of a long day or at home with your family.’

Research has also found that exercise improves the quality of our sleep, helping us to feel less sluggish and sleepy throughout the day. (Sleep is also important for improving the quality of your exercise – a 2013 study found that people who had slept poorly found their workouts suffered.)

‘Movement doesn’t just make us more energised, it actually decreases our fatigue as well,’ says Kate.

‘People start to realise that after the gym, they’re going to feel better, they’re going to sleep better, they’re going to be nicer to the people around them; there are so many more benefits than just going in to look better.’

If you’re keen to experience the mood-altering benefits of exercise but wondering where to start, don’t worry – you don’t have to jump straight in to the sort of training routine that would make Usain Bolt sweat.

‘Try to start with two or three times a week, and then build off the back of that,’ says Kate.

‘It doesn’t matter what you like to do – whether it’s … yoga, or higher-intensity training, or a mix – do that, because if you love it you’re going to do it more.

If you’re tight on time simply aim to get up and about more, says Kate, and your body will soon start to feel the benefits.

‘You might only have the luxury of going to the gym or doing a class a few times a week, but on the other days you might take your kids to the park and run around. That’s still being active.’

Exercise keeps our mind fresh, our energy levels up and gives us more capacity to relax at the end of a long day. Our bodies were made to move, and whether you you’re training for a half marathon or you just want to be able to get through the afternoon without dreaming of your doona, take the time to get up and get energised – so at the end of the day you can truly sit back and relax.