How does exercise improve mental health?

Exercise does wonders for your mental health. During an exercise session, ‘feel good’ chemicals such as endorphins and serotonin are released in the brain. Any form of exercise is good for the brain, although some types of activities may have more beneficial and long-lasting effects than others. Whether you want to exercise indoors or outdoors, you can still reap the positives of physical activity. Although the benefits of exercising outdoors are even higher due to the synergy of exercising and the outdoors, with research illustrating that being in nature can make us happier. It’s important that we support mental health in older adults, by encouraging regular exercise in order to improve their quality of life and to promote healthy ageing, as generally, the elderly are less likely to voluntarily undertake any form of exercise.

What are the benefits of physical activity and exercise on mental health?

Thankfully, there are many benefits of physical activities for our mental health. Physical activity is seen as any movement your body does that uses energy. And engaging in regular physical activity leads to lower levels of stress, anxiety, and depression. Not only that, it also helps to boost self-esteem, a sense of achievement and promotes a more restful sleep.

Below we’ll cover the benefits of physical activity on mental health, the types of activities you can do, including activities for those who have limited mobility.

Benefits of exercise on depression

Exercising regularly helps anxiety. As you exercise, endorphins, the body’s feel-good chemicals, are released. Exercising serves as a distraction. Naturally, you distance yourself from negative thoughts that feed depression. As well as this, integrating exercise as part of your regular routine has a direct effect on nerve cells in your brain - growing and making new nerve cell connections. Nerve cell growth in your brain means your brain functions better, and also helps to relieve depression. It will take a few weeks before you start to see the payoffs from your working out and depression levels reducing. Think of exercise as a long-term treatment, not a one-off.

Benefits of exercise on anxiety

Exercising offers a natural way to relieve built-up tension, helping to relax the nervous system, which helps to reduce any feelings of stress or worry. According to the Anxiety & Depression Association, even just five minutes of aerobic exercise can begin to stimulate antianxiety effects. And in one study, researchers found that those who got regular vigorous exercise were 25 percent less likely to develop an anxiety disorder over the next five years. Exercises also help to elevate and stabilise your mood, which has a direct effect on your day-to-day, such as improving anxiety symptoms and promoting better sleep.

Benefits of exercise on stress

During exercise sessions, stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline are reduced. Too much of cortisol and adrenaline can cause a host of adverse symptoms, including stress, sleep problems and depression – all which can lead to a repetitive cycle. Sleep quality is essential for managing stress and maintaining emotional balance, so it’s a good idea to incorporate exercise into our routine to support our daily wellbeing. The key is - choose exercises that you enjoy and can be consistent with.

Easy physical activities for older adults

There are different types of physical activities for the elderly that you can do during your day-to-day life to help boost your health and mobility.

• Balance activities can be done to resist forces that can make you fall, and these include things such as yoga.
• Strength activities support your body’s weight and your muscles push against your bones. These include activities such as weightlifting, gardening, dancing and climbing stairs.
• Flexibility activities help to improve your flexibility, and makes moving your joints easier.
• Chair-based activities such as arm cycling, chair aerobic or rowing.

Try to integrate at least one level of physical activity into your regular routine – doing physical activity is always better than doing none.

Exercising outdoors and its benefits - Getting out in the open has significant benefits for your mental health. And combining this with exercise is even better. Fresh air helps to increase serotonin levels because you're taking in more oxygen into your brain. As well as this, being outside offers a sense of calmness and relaxation from the stressors of daily life. While exposure to sunlight triggers the body’s production of vitamin D levels – a vitamin which contributes to reducing stress and anxiety as well as arming people against infections and diseases.

Walking for mental health - a simple yet powerful activity that offers lots of benefits. Walking is proven to help with a range of things which contribute to better health, such as overall mood, reducing stress and tiredness and helps with our self-esteem. Walking, especially outdoors, provides a calming effect on the mind and body, helping to eliminate any worries we may be facing. A daily walking routine can complement other therapeutic activities too.

Water aerobics - an excellent low-impact exercise, gentle on the joints, and offers both physical and emotional benefits. During an aerobic session, your mind is trained to stay present and focus as you match your movements with the music – acting as a mindfulness activity. This helps to reduce stress and anxiety by boosting mental clarity and lowering cortisol levels. Being in water has an aspect of natural tranquillity to it – a calming effect on your body, helping to boost mental health in older adults.

Gardening as a physical activity - Gardening is classed as a low to moderate physical activity. People can benefit from the physical and emotional benefits that gardening can bring. Gardens can be relaxing. Even just looking at green spaces has a therapeutic effect on us, as well as give us a sense of achievement because of the idea of caring for plants and watching them grow, which helps to boost our wellbeing.

Cycling - The rhythmic nature of cycling can have a meditative effect. According to a survey by Cycleplan, 75% of respondents reported a boost to their mental health after cycling. Generally, exercising in natural environments is associated with a feeling of rejuvenation and increased energy. People can experience what some call a ‘cycling high’ – a state of euphoria or elation because of increased serotonin levels following a cycling session.

Muscle strengthening activities

Muscle-strengthening activities can be done at home to boost your overall health and help with mobility. Generally, they are easy to do and gentle on the body. Strengthening activities also include chair-based activities.

How quickly will I see results from exercising?

Good news, you can see results almost immediately after exercising. According to a national study, you’ll see the most benefit if you exercise for 45 minutes at a time. People who exercised more than 90 minutes at a time reported worse mental health than those who exercised less.

Overcoming the barriers to starting physical activity as an older adult

Choosing to be more physically active at any age is always a good thing. You’ll reap the benefits of physical activity whatever your age and type you do. However, if you have not been active for a while, it may mean that you’ll face a few challenges in the beginning – rest assured, you can easily overcome these challenges quickly. It's best to start slow and with low-impact activities such as walking or chair activities – activities gentle on the joints, and then gradually increase the amount of activity over time to reduce the risk of any injuries. For those who are living with chronic health conditions or are taking medication that makes them lethargic, it's best to consult your GP as they can offer advice on appropriate types of activity you could do and offer continued support during appointments.

You can find out more about the activities we offer in our homes or feel free to speak to our friendly team if you’re interested in a care home for your loved one.