Exercise Improves Mood Disorders | moodtraining.com

Evidence shows the mind-body connection is deeper than we thought.

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Great progress begets great challenges: The average human life expectancy has increased by over thirty years since 1900, but pushing the known biological limits has not come without its cost to modern society. In developed areas, more people are alive today than ever before, and they are living longer?a trend that is expected to increase for at least several decades into the future.¹ It is no surprise then that much of the Western world is seeing a resurgence of interest in preventive health care, especially as the incidence and cost of treatment for chronic, degenerative, and age-related conditions continue to rise. From vaccines and hand wipes to multivitamins and Muscle Milk, it seems that we?re doing everything we can to keep our bodies in tip-top shape for as long as we can. But what about our minds? Moodtraining builds functional mind / body strength, and evidence shows that approach is the key to overall health.

Mental Health Challenges

Disturbances in mood, self-esteem, and feelings of control/autonomy are core symptoms in many major psychological conditions and can seriously diminish the quality of life for individuals coping with mental illness. In addition, such chronic states of depression, stress, and anxiety have been associated with premature aging and damage to DNA in multiple bodily systems, which could lead to even further health problems.^2,3 ?A 1999 study by Hemingway and Marmot actually found that depression and anxiety were predictors of coronary heart disease in otherwise healthy people.⁴ While these facts may have just increased your anxiety level a little, there?s a positive side to all of this as well.

The modern definition of health has come to encompass an overall state of physical and psychological well-being, rather than merely an absence of symptoms related to illness. In particular, one?s mental well-being is defined as ?positive psychological functioning encompassing life satisfaction, happiness, resilience, self-esteem, being in control, and coping with life.? ⁵ But our bodies and our minds are intimately connected with one another, and emerging studies on the ability of physical activity to enhance one?s overall state of mental well-being in addition to providing physiological benefits are beginning to show the remarkable strength of that connection.

Exercise Helps

In a study by Wipfli et al., participants were separated into an aerobic exercise group and a stretching control group. After the completion of the seven-week program, the exercise group had lower levels of depression and showed a larger percentage decrease in serotonin in the bloodstream, meaning there was more of that good-feeling hormone available for the neurons that needed it in the brain. Such a reduction in blood serotonin is similar to what is seen with patients who use SSRIs (drugs that keep serotonin working longer) to treat their depressive symptoms.⁶ Other studies show that such improvements in mood can be experienced after just a single session of physical activity and can last up to a full day afterward. ?Even individuals with physical rather than psychiatric conditions (fibromyalgia, nicotine abstinence, menopause, etc.) have reaped the psychological benefits of exercise to improve their quality of life by enhancing their mood. ⁷

A study on men with mental illness might provide insight into how various forms of physical activity help us to attain these mood-boosting benefits. When a person has an illness?whether it be physical or mental?we often find that the story of his or her life revolves around the illness and that the illness becomes a core part of the person?s identity. Physical activity allows one to reconstruct his or her own identity and sense of self in a positive way.⁸ This ability to take control, produce change, and stay motivated can reduce feelings of hopelessness and allow all of us to re-center on the important things in life. And, of course, having an overall positive affect makes us more likely to stay engaged in performing health behaviors.

When we take steps to become healthier, both physically and mentally, we are able to be more present in our own lives. We are not inhibited, incapacitated, or otherwise deterred from doing what we want to do and becoming what we want to be. We can go on hikes with our grandchildren into our nineties, be more receptive to forming new relationships and tackling new challenges, and have the satisfaction of knowing that all of it started with one simple sentence that came from within: ?I can do this.?

References

1. U.S. National Center for Health Statistics, National Vital Statistics Reports (NVSR), Deaths: Preliminary Data for 2008, Vol. 59, No. 2, December 2010.
2. Wolkowitz OM, Mellon SH, Epel ES, Lin J, Dhabhar FS, et al. (2011) Leukocyte Telomere Length in Major Depression: Correlations with Chronicity, Inflammation and Oxidative Stress ? Preliminary Findings. PLoS ONE 6(3): e17837. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0017837
3. Wolkowitz, O. M., Epel, E. S., Reus, V. I. and Mellon, S. H. (2010), Depression gets old fast: do stress and depression accelerate cell aging?. Depression and Anxiety, 27: 327?338.
4. Hemingway, Harry & Marmot, Michael. (1999) Psychosocial factors in the aetiology and prognosis of coronary heart disease: systematic review of prospective cohort studies. BMJ 318: 1460.
5. Rosenbaum, S. & Sherrington, C. (2011). Is exercise effective in promoting mental well-being in older age? A systematic review. British Journal of Sports Medicine 45:1079-1080 doi:10.1136/bjsports-2011-090466
6. Wipfli, B. et al. (2011) An examination of serotonin and psychological variables in the relationship between exercise and mental health. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports 21(3): 474-481.
7. Peluso, M. & de Andrade, L.? (2005) Physical activity and mental health: the association between exercise and mood. Clinics [online]. 2005, vol.60, n.1 [cited? 2012-02-06], pp. 61-70
8. Carlass, D. & Douglas, K. (2008). Narrative, identity and mental health: How men with serious mental illness re-story
9. their lives through sport and exercise. Psychology of Sport and Exercise 9(5): 576-594.

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Source: http://moodtraining.com/2012/02/exercise-improves-mood-disorders/

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