For this post we have Ollie Chrzanowski-Smith, who has previously researched the health benefits of physical activity and now works as a community support worker. Ollie will be talking about the benefits of physical activity for wellbeing with a focus on mental and emotional health.
Being physically active is one of the five pillars to promote personal wellbeing alongside Connecting, Taking Notice, Learning and Giving. You can read more about this here.
These ‘five ways to wellbeing’ were developed by a report from the New Economics Foundation (2008) that condensed a large body of evidence. In this article, we explore how being physically active may contribute to our mental and emotional health and wellbeing.
What do we mean by physical activity?
Physical activity includes a wide variety of movements, whether this be playing, gardening, going for a run, playing a sport, doing an exercise class, cycling to work, or going for a walk with friends. Many different mechanisms are likely to explain why physical activity promotes mental and emotional health and wellbeing.
Biological Mechanisms
Mood
Many of us have likely heard about, or experienced, that ‘feel good’ factor brought along by doing some physical activity. This immediate positive affect associated with physical activity may be attributable to the release of various hormones and chemicals in our bodies such as serotonin, dopamine, noradrenaline and/or beta-endorphin.
Stress and Inflammation
Stressors (physical or psychological) activate our body’s natural stress response system. This involves the activation of our autonomic nervous system and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which control many physiological changes. Regular physical activity is thought to help us better regulate our stress response system which may be because it reduces the HPA axis response to stress and helps regulate the levels of the stress hormone cortisol.
Regular physical activity also has anti-inflammatory effects. This may help protect against chronic low-grade inflammation which has been proposed to have a role in the development of some mental and emotional health problems such as depression. Physical activity can also upregulate our body’s antioxidant properties. This may help protect our organs (like the brain) against oxidative stress, which is the increased production and/or build-up of reactive oxygen or nitrogen species.
Brain Health
Regular physical activity releases a number of chemicals and hormones (e.g., brain-derived neurotropic factor and vascular endothelial growth factor). These can activate pathways that promote positive changes in our brain function and health such as increased blood flow and the formation of new neurons in the brain.
Sleep
Sleep is an essential need for our physical, mental and emotional health. Research shows that a single bout of activity and regular physical activity generally has beneficial effects on sleep. Various mechanisms are currently thought to link physical activity and sleep, including; changes in body temperature, changes in mood and anxiety, enhanced vagal tone (i.e. our ‘rest and digest’ system) and changes in certain hormone levels (e.g. cortisol).
Psychosocial
Self-esteem
Regular physical activity is often proposed to improve self-esteem which can be seen as the way in which we judge and view ourselves. This may be through physical activity improving physical self-perception (e.g. perceived physical fitness) and giving a sense of mastery.
Social Contact, Interaction and Support
This includes virtual classes or connecting via social network / online communities. Having positive social relationships and support is often protective for our wellbeing and ‘connecting’ with people around us is one of the five ways to wellbeing, as mentioned at the start.
Self-efficacy, Mastery and Learning
Regular physical activity has been proposed to help improve our self-efficacy and mastery of physical abilities that might contribute to our mental and emotional wellbeing. Additionally, we can learn new skills through physical activity (e.g., gardening or orienteering), with ‘learning’, another one of the key pillars in promoting our wellbeing.
Exposure to bodily sensations
Researchers think that because physical activity causes many physical symptoms of stress and anxiety (e.g., increased heart rate and breathing), this ‘mimicking’ may help show us that these bodily sensations are not inherently dangerous.
Distraction and/or a Release
It has been suggested that physical activity can be used as a distraction technique because at relatively high intensities it can be difficult to simultaneously worry or think excessively, consequently providing an ‘escape’. Similarly, for many of us, physical activity may act as a release and an outlet of pent up emotions.
Being present and aware
Physical activity provides sensory stimulation. This can help ‘ground us’ and focus on the here and now, embracing the wellbeing pillar of ‘Taking Notice’. Additionally, physical activity can provide an opportunity to reflect and have space from everyday stressors.
However, whilst physical activity is generally beneficial for our wellbeing, it is important to be aware of when activity may be bad for our physical, mental and emotional health such as overtraining or exercise dependency. If you are concerned, please reach out to your GP, a mental health charity and/or speak to family and friends for the support you deserve, you are not alone.
Finally: what type of physical activity is best to promote wellbeing?
Research has shown that both aerobic and strength-based physical activity can have positive effects for mental health. Being physically active during our leisure time or for active transportation, rather than work- or household-related activity, appears to be beneficial for our wellbeing. This may be explained by greater levels of choice, enjoyment, social interaction and/or personal meaning to us during leisure time activity or active transport . Some research also suggests that physical activity performed in nature compared to indoor settings could have greater benefits for our wellbeing, although further research is needed.
The take home message: overall, it seems that being active in a way that you personally choose to, find enjoyable and in your leisure time or travel, could be a great way to help promote your mental health and wellbeing!