When we think of the many types of mental health treatments, exercise and physical activity rarely appear at the top of the list, if they make the list at all, which begs the question, “how much does exercise impact our mental health?”

I’ve struggled with my mental health since I was a teenager, first being diagnosed with depression. I was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder and panic disorder. Through the years, I’ve seen many doctors, have taken many medications, talked with several counselors, and have seen the walls inside several psychiatric hospitals. Until my late 30s, I relied on my doctors for the best treatment plans possible. While I believe they were giving me the best care for what their education covered, it wasn’t the best care for me.

My treatment plans always focused on medication. I’m still of the belief that many of us will always need medication, but meds don’t cure us. They don’t even put us on the same playing field as everyone else. Our bodies are very complex, and all our systems are interconnected. Everything we do to our bodies and everything we put in them is either “fighting” disease or feeding it. I like Jim Carrey’s quote, “I believe depression is legitimate. But I also believe that if you don’t exercise, eat nutritious food, get sunlight, get enough sleep, consume positive material, surround yourself with support, then you aren’t giving yourself a fighting chance.”

Power of Fitness and Nutrition

Never settling for anything, including my mental health struggles, I always fought to feel better. Unfortunately, I didn’t learn the significance of fitness, food, supplementation, and sleep until I was 38 and started studying the gut-brain connection. The more I learned, the more I wanted to learn, and it has now become my passion. While I believe in doctors and psychiatrists, their studies barely tap into nutrition and fitness, which are imperative for our mental (and physical) well-being. When diet and exercise are mentioned in a doctor’s office, they usually aren’t emphasized as much as the medication being prescribed. Why is that? Even though everyone believes there are benefits from physical activity, most people don’t fully comprehend the magnitude. We are quick to associate exercise with calories, muscles, and fat, not hormones and the chemical reactions that are taking place inside us.

My personal experience tells me that exercise does not take away the dark and cloudy that comes with mental illness, but when done right and done consistently, it can only help. My personal experience also tells me that my highest and happiest moments are often associated with exercise, workouts, fitness friends, running, races, and pushing myself to the limits. It’s not by accident either; exercise has many benefits on our mental health.

10 Benefits of Exercise on our Mental Health

1. Endorphins

When we exercise, our bodies produce chemicals called endorphins. Endorphins got their name because they’re the body’s natural pain relievers. They not only reduce pain, they also boost pleasure resulting in a feeling of well-being.

2. Serotonin, Dopamin, and Norepinephrine

Serotonin, Dopamine, and Norepinephrine. Exercise also increases the body’s production of serotonin (the happy chemical), dopamine (part of the reward system), and norepinephrine (helps the body respond to stress). These neurotransmitters play an important role in regulating our mood, as well as many other critical bodily functions.

3. Self-Confidence

Exercise can improve our mood and make us feel stronger and more independent. We become more physically fit and healthier, which can have a positive impact on our relationships, careers, goals, and aspirations, all of which can improve our self-confidence.

4. Energy

While poor mental health can feel like it depletes us of energy, exercise is exactly what we need to increase it. Exercise delivers oxygen and nutrients to our tissues and helps our cardiovascular system work more efficiently.

5. Relationships

Joining a team sport, group exercise class, running or cycling group, etc. helps cultivate new, positive relationships. The people we’re surrounding ourselves with have a desire for fitness, so they’re great accountability partners and often the support system we need.

6. Reduced Anxiety

Thinking about something else instead of worrying can get you away from the cycle of negative thoughts that feed anxiety.

7. Physical Fitness

Chronic disease and sickness can contribute to mental health conditions and vice versa. Exercise (along with real food) improves our physical and mental well-being. It can help manage chronic disease symptoms (if not reverse them) and can help with weight loss and weight management.

8. Reduced Stress

Exercise decreases levels of tension, stabilizes mood, and improves sleep, all of which help reduce stress. In addition, physical activity helps take your mind off your worries or stressors. Focusing on repetitive motions during certain exercises can produce some of the same benefits as meditation, which can also help in reducing stress.

9. Improved Sleep

Exercise can improve our sleep for several reasons, as well as our quality of sleep. On the simplest level, exercise reduces stress and tires us out making us rest better.

10. Pride

Exercising gives us a sense of pride for accomplishing something hard and helps us realize how strong we are and what our bodies are capable of.

What is the best exercise for mental health?

This is an important question with an easy answer. The best exercise for us is the one we make happen! What does that mean? The best exercise recommendations, even with studies attached, don’t matter if you’re not going to do them. My best piece of advice is to find something you love so you’ll commit and stick with it. You’re less likely to stay dedicated to an exercise or workout you dislike. All exercises have their pros and cons. Depending on your goals, some are certainly better than others, but only if you do them. That’s why the accountability that comes with group fitness and team sports is priceless!

6 Benefits of Group Fitness

1. Happy People

We listed reasons why exercise makes us happier. Now multiply that by a class full of people. Happiness is contagious! A lot of group fitness classes are overflowing with good vibes. If yours isn’t, you’re in the wrong one.

2. Structured Schedule

A schedule can be good for those of us with a mental illness. It’s also good for us to have something on the calendar so we can plan around it. If we want physical activity to change our lives, we must make fitness our lifestyle. If we want it to become our lifestyle, it must remain on the schedule.

3. Accountability

Once you commit to a class and stick with it, others in the class become your fitness family. Unconsciously or consciously, you begin to hold each other accountable.

4. Work Harder

Even though I’m extremely motivated, it’s difficult for me to work as hard or as long when I’m alone. For me, having a running or workout partner is almost ALWAYS better.

5. Safer

When you have an instructor, trainer, or coach to show you correct form, the workout can be safer.

6. No Stigma

Exercise is the one treatment that has zero stigma attached to it!

Everyone is different. The only thing consistent is that exercise is beneficial for our mental health. As for the type, intensity, frequency, and duration, you must find what is best for you. I’m passionate about HIIT, running, and strength training, but that combo isn’t for everyone. While I believe in them, I think it’s more important to find what will make you get up, get dressed, and get out the door. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and try new things or even circle back around and try something you’ve tried before. You never know, it may just change your life!

Run Happy! Find Your Fitness! Be A Badass! You Got This! You’re Worth It!

How much does exercise impact our mental health?