Exercise is important part of improving or maintaining mental health and wellbeing.  Finding the motivation to lace up your runners and do whatever kind of exercise you’re most inclined towards is not always easy but sometimes it can be a little easier to find that motivation when you know that exercise can strengthen your body and mind all at once.  Exercising to boost mental health can be especially helpful for people who are facing mental health concerns.

Exercise can have a major impact on your mood and wellbeing.  Studies have demonstrated that aerobic exercise like jogging, swimming, cycling, walking, gardening and dancing, can reduce feelings of anxiety and depression.  When you do aerobic exercise, you increase blood circulation to your brain and influence something called the hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal axis, and these two factors combined can reduce stress on a physiological level.

Exercise can also improve self-esteem, increase social interaction (if you’re doing a group activity) and be a great distraction from stressors.  You don’t need to be a marathon runner or bodybuilder to reap the benefits of regular exercise.  Researchers have found that 30 minutes of moderate exercise, like power walking, three times a week, is enough to see these health benefits.

The health benefits that come with regular exercise positively impact both physical and mental health.  Some benefits include improved sleep, better endurance, stress relief, improvement in mood, increased mental alertness and reduce tiredness.