In a review of various studies that was published in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine they were able to see correlations between aerobic and strength training with a reduction in anxiety symptoms (O'Connor et al., 2010). Anxiety is a mental health problem that many people deal with across the world and these various trials saw a moderate to large reduction in the life altering symptoms that occur due to strength or aerobic training. Exercise not only can make us feel stronger and look better but can also do wonders when we look at the mental benefits that come from constant training.
In an article published in the journal, Preventative Medicine, researchers were able to look at and analyze the benefits that can come from aerobic and strength training on the severity of depressive symptoms (Bennie et al., 2019). This study was able to come to the conclusion that there seemed to be a correlation between individuals meeting the recommended guidelines for physical activity and the reduction of depressive symptom severity. Mental health is an important topic that needs to be addressed and through this study we can see one way to improve our mental health is by going out and being active and participating in physical activity.
While being a convenient and low intensity form of exercise, walking has shown to be an effective treatment for mental health. Despite not being as intense as other forms of exercise like running or weight lifting, the effects walking has on the brain are near equal. This form of physical activity causes blood flow to increase, which also means that more oxygen is being transported throughout the body to each of the organs. This is especially beneficial to mental health since more oxygen is being transferred to the brain. Benefits of walking include sleeping better, being more energetic and alert, and reduced stress and depression. (Brennan, D.)
In a review published by Elsevier, authors looked at previous studies where walking was offered as a treatment for depression. While it was proven before that those who exercise have a healthier mental well-being, they wanted to see if the less vigorous form of physical activity known as walking would have the same results. After reviewing the studies, it was accepted that while there needs to be more research, walking has shown tremendous changes in mental health and health care professionals should recommend patients to incorporate walking into their everyday lives. (Robertson, et. al.)
Mental health is something that everyone deals with whether it is dealing with the normal stresses of your job or more severe mental health disorders we all deal with it to some extent. We need to do our part to make our bodies and mind healthy to help us function and deal with our daily responsibilities and one way to do that is to BE ACTIVE. Exercise is a great way to not only help our body to be healthy but to strengthen our mind and allow us to deal with our mental health in a healthy way.
References
Bennie, J. A., Teychenne, M. J., De Cocker, K., & Biddle, S. J. H. (2019). Associations between aerobic and muscle-strengthening exercise with depressive symptom severity among 17,839 U.S. adults. Preventive Medicine, 121, 121-127. doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2019.02.022
Brennan D. (2021). Mental benefits of walking. WebMD. https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/mental-benefits-of-walking
O'Connor, P. J., Herring, M. P., & Caravalho, A. (2010). Mental health benefits of strength training in adults. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 4(5), 377-396.
Robertson, R. et. al. (2012). Walking for depression or depressive symptoms: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Mental Health and Physical Activity, 5(1), 66–75.