I like to move it, move it
This week I explore the links between movement and mood, to see what the science says.
Insights into my week
This week I have had a lovely conversation with Emily Verardi, the founder of Team Project You. Team Project You highlight that sometimes people with physical health goals may need support with their mental health. Mental barriers such as poor confidence, low motivation or vicious cycles of negative thought can have a negative impact on health goals, so working in collaboration with both mental and physical health could be a helpful option for many.
This conversation caused me to reflect on my own relationship with exercise. As a child I was always pretty active, more often than not, I could be found running through the woods along with my sisters. Or being dragged, against my will, for walks with my parents. As I reached adolescence, my self-conciousness got the better of me and I was not consistent with my approach to sports. However, during university I started to figure out I actually liked exercise and our relationship blossomed. I enjoyed trying out a number of different things such as swimming, athletics, running, cycling, strength training, and hiking.
Fast forward to now, and joining a gym was something I did in my first week of moving to a new city. It was a top priority for me because I enjoy the way staying active makes me feel. It makes me feel happy, strong, confident, structured and focused. I have learnt in the past few years that when I have periods of time when I cannot exercise, all of those positive qualities I just listed go out the window. I feel unhappy, on edge, self-conscious and lost. Generally speaking, I know being active positively impacts my mood but would this be the same for others too?
Insights to take away
Our brains are linked with our bodies, which might seem like an obvious statement to make, as our brains control how we interact with the world and how we stay alive. There are also parts of the brain linked with our emotions that specifically interact with our bodies. For example, a part of the brain called the amygdala (the emotions centre) interacts with the Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) which causes our fight or flight response to kick in. So it wouldn’t be unintelligent to think that being active may have a positive impact on wellbeing, but what does the research say?
There are many campaigns that promote activity to better your wellbeing, often being recommended by well renowned institutes such as the Mental Health Foundation, The World Health Organisation, Mind and the American Psychological Association. There are a number of articles suggesting that physical activity does have a positive impact on mental health, including depression and anxiety [1, 2, 3]. It has also been found to have other positive effects such as increased self-esteem [4], self-confidence [5] and quality of life [6].
On the other side of the coin, some studies seemed to issue a warning about exercise. Highlighting the possible negative impact of “excessive exercise” or “overtraining syndrome” [1]. It also should not go unrecognised that there may be other mental health problems which can be exacerbated by too much exercise such as anorexia, addiction and body dysmorphia. This is when being ‘active’ can become unhelpful, especially when excessive or in conjunction with negative thinking traps.
After reading up on the links between wellbeing and exercise, the conclusions I have drawn are that being active is a positive thing for most. It is also important to listen to your mind and your body, and to keep to a regular exercise routine that makes you feel good. I am also a firm believer of trying something new or going back to a hobby you used to love but due to it being pushed down the priority list you no longer do it. Every time a thought that causes you to feel self-conscious or embarrassed pops into your mind, act as though you have just said that aloud to a family member or a friend even said it to you about themselves - what would be the response? This response is often a much healthier way to talk to yourself, then the bully that lives in all of us.
From,
Ffion