In the
previous post in this series, we discussed how yoga can benefit not only your
physical health but also your psychological health. You can find this post
here. This post will focus on how aerobic exercise can benefit your overall
health.
(Photo credit freedigitalphotos.net)
As before Psychology Today suggests that you or a loved one seek out professional help if you are displaying any of the following signs. If you are feeling uncontrollably sad or angry, or otherwise not your normal self, this may be a sign of a mental health issue that could be nipped in the bud before it gets out of control. If you or a loved one are abusing drugs, alcohol, food, or sex and are using these things to cope with an emotional issue then you should reach out for help. If you have suffered a significant loss or if something traumatic has happened there is no shame in meeting with a councilor to deal with the grief or emotional trauma associated with the event. Lastly, if you can’t do the things that you enjoy doing or you don’t feel the motivation to do these things anymore, this may be a sign that you have a mental health issue that a professional can help with. With that in mind, if you do not show these signs then aerobic exercise may be enough to help you become healthier and more mentally relaxed.
Aerobic exercise has been studied for a while, looking into the
benefits it provides. We are currently surrounded with information regarding
the fact that exercise helps us make better choices during the day and provides
us with energy to work through our days. What is not currently widely known is
the mental benefits of aerobic exercise. Aerobic activity can include, but is
not limited to, jogging, bicycling, fitness training, swimming, step aerobics,
kick boxing, and dance. As long as your heart rate is increased to about 150
beats/minute for greater than fifteen minutes, then you are exercising your
heart and your body. Research is proving that this exercise will also help your
psychological state as well.
It has been
found that moderate to vigorous exercise will help reduce the risk of
depression symptoms even 5 years after the exercise has ceased. It has also
been found that the harder the work out, the greater the reduction of
depression symptoms (Brunet, Sabiston, Chaiton, Barnett, O'Loughlin, Low &
O'Loughlin, 2013). Another study has found that voluntary exercise provides
resilience to uncontrollable stress. Without this exercise it was found that
there is a more anxious state in social behavior among test subjects
(Greenwood, Loughridge, Sadaoui, Christianson & Fleshner, 2012).
Participants in a tango dance program were found to have a reduction in
depression, reduction in stress, improvement in anxiety, an increase in
mindfulness, and an improved satisfaction with life (Pinniger, Brown,
Thorsteinsson & McKinley, 2012).
I prefer
swimming to most forms of aerobic exercise simply because it is low impact and
forces me to better train my lungs. It isn’t always easy to get to a lap pool,
though, and I often find myself running on city trails or taking my dog out for
a jog through the trails at our local dog park. It is important to wear
the proper shoes if you are trail running so you don’t impart damage to your
knees, back, or ankles. I've found that the REI sales associates are well versed in the differences in running shoes. If you have access to a clean beach then running
barefoot on the beach is a great way to work your body and the soothing sounds
of the ocean in the early morning are always a great way to start or end your day.
Unfortunately,
volleyball does not always count as an aerobic exercise because of the constant
breaks between volleys. There are certainly drills that will keep your heart
rate raised for that period of time though. In the next post we will be
focusing on the mental benefits of team sports so don’t fret about volleyball
not helping your mental health.
Works Cited
Brunet, J., Sabiston, C., Chaiton, M.,
Barnett, T., O'Loughlin, E., Low, N., & O'Loughlin, J. (2013). The
association between past and current physical activity and depressive symptoms
in young adults: a 10-year prospective study. Annals of Epidemiology, 23(1),
25-30. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1047279712004188
Greenwood, B. N., Loughridge, A. B.,
Sadaoui, N., Christianson, J. P., & Fleshner, M. (2012). The protective
effects of voluntary exercise against the behavioral consequences of
uncontrollable stress persist despite an increase in anxiety following forced
cessation of exercise. Behavioural Brain Research, 233, 314-321.
Pinniger, R., Brown, R. F., Thorsteinsson, E. B., & McKinley, P.
(2012). Argentine tango dance compared to mindfulness meditation and a
waiting-list control: A randomised trail for treating depression. Complementary
Therapies in Medicine, 20, 377-384.
Sack, D. (2013, March 18). Where science meets the steps: 5 signs it's
time to seek therapy. Retrieved from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/where-science-meets-the-steps/201303/5-signs-its-time-seek-therapy-0
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