From Our Team

Exercising for your Mental Health

Posted on May 10, 2018 by Guest Author

Mental health is an important part of everyone’s life. It shapes how we think, feel and act when we’re alone and when we interact with the environment. Many times, when we think of mental health, we focus on an illness or a condition, but just like our physical well-being, we all vary in mental healthiness. Much like physical health, mental health requires regular maintenance.

Exercise is good for the body, but did you know it is also good for the mind? While many praise the physical benefits of working out, decades of research indicate that it can also improve an individual’s mental health. In fact, exercise has great benefits for cognitive processes and emotions, and can even protect the brain from premature aging.

The saying goes that “exercise will make you feel great.” Research on exercise and mental health backs this statement, especially for individuals with a mental health condition. In a systematic review of studies on mental health treatment and exercise, Georgia Stathopoulou, Ph.D., and colleagues at Boston University found that people that coupled exercise with treatment, enjoyed better mental health outcomes than those that did not. Working out can even help improve a person’s ability to cope with stress and function better at school and work.

Getting started on a moderate or vigorous exercise regimen is best in consultation with your doctor. One of the best ways to get started exercising for your mental health is to do the things you love and focus on the good feelings it brings you. Exercise is anything from taking a stroll to your favorite places, dancing to your favorite songs, playing with your pet, or turning down the lights, and stretching and breathing.

The standard recommendation is that exercise should last 15-30 minutes to reap the benefits. Nevertheless, the key to exercise for your mental health is to maximize the “feel-good” benefits, not stress on reaching a specific time. If you can only muster a 2-minute burst of energy, that is okay. When you are ready, you will increase it, and your overall health will reap the benefits.

Challenge yourself to increase your exercise time and intensity. After a challenging day reward, yourself. A walk followed by a long hot shower or snuggling with your pet can improve your mood or find a support group or partner to enjoy exercising with. Your mental health will thank you.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) reports one in five adults experience a mental health condition each year. If you are experiencing a mental health condition it is okay to reach out for help. To be a part of changing the conversation around mental health, check out the Texas “Okay to Say” campaign at okaytosay.org.

Remember, mental health is something everyone can maintain and improve; and exercise is an important activity that provides mental benefits for everyone to enjoy. Take the first steps to improve your mental health and invite others to join you.

Empower Change: Paso del Norte Center for Mental and Emotional Well-being is a backbone organization from the Paso del Norte Health Foundation that works with community partners to decrease the negative bias associated with mental illness and improve access to quality mental and behavioral health services in the region.

If you are in need of mental health services, contact the following:

Emergence Health Network Crisis Line: (915) 779-1800 www.emergencehealthnetwork.org National Alliance on Mental Illness - El Paso (915) 778-5726 http://namiep.org/ National Suicide Prevention Lifeline -1-800-273-8255 - http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ Veterans Crisis Line - (800) 273-8255, Press 1 Crisis Text Line – Text – 741741

By Eden Hernandez Robles, Ph.D., MSW, Director, Empower Change, Paso del Norte Center for Mental and Emotional Well-being

Guest Author

Deborah Zuloaga, President and CEO, United Way of El Paso County - dzuloaga@unitedwayelpaso.org