Want to alleviate stress or cope with
depression? Exercise may help. Increasingly, there is evidence from researchers
that certain levels of physical activity can positively affect mental health. A
growing body of research over the last 10 years shows that physical activity
and exercise also improve psychological well-being. Published data show that people with higher
levels of fitness are capable of managing stress more effectively than those
who are less fit. It appears that
cardiovascular exercise is the method that most benefits stress reduction. Moderate-intensity aerobic exercise, performed
three times a week (sessions lasting over 20 minutes) for up to 12 weeks, has
the most influence on stress management.
Cardiovascular and resistance
exercise seem to be equally effective in producing antidepressive effects. Research does imply, though, that the
greatest antidepressive effects occur after 17 weeks of exercise, although you
can observe improvements after 4 weeks. The effects of exercise on depression
seem the same for men and women. The
results of over 30 published papers show a link between acute and chronic
exercise and the reduction of anxiety. It appears that even short bursts of 5
minutes of cardiovascular exercise stimulate anti-anxiety effects. The research
also indicates that people who train for periods of 10–15 weeks receive the
greatest beneficial effects. It appears that cardiovascular and resistance
exercise can positively affect various mood states, including tension, fatigue,
anger and vigor in normal and clinical populations. Plus, it has been shown
that even a single session of 25–60 minutes of aerobic exercise (at low,
moderate or high intensities) increases positive mood feelings while also
decreasing negative mood feelings. Let me know if you want a tailored program just for you.