Exercise and Mental Health
by Thom Van Vleck
This is your brain on barbells!
As many of you know I work as a Counselor at A.T. Still University. We have several programs all related to the healthcare field and all graduate level. My job it to make sure our students are taken care of from a mental health standpoint.
A long time ago I realized there was a connection between mental health and exercise. My first test subject was myself! When I was a teen I had a heavy dose of angst, depression, and anxiety. I found that lifting weights and exercise did me a world of good.
So when I came to ATSU I started a weightlifting club. They go by the Osteoblasters Weightlifting Club because our school is the founding school of Osteopathic Medicine. I did it because of my interest in weightlifting but also I realized the importance of exercise and mental health.
So why does exercise impact mental health positively? For one thing exercise stimulates the production of endorphins and enkephalins. These are the body’s natural “feel good” hormones. But it goes beyond that. Exercise requires focus. That focus takes us away from the negative self talk that often dominates our thoughts. The things we worry about and obsess about are pushed out as we focus in the moment on the exercise we are doing. Exercise also gives us a place where we belong. A positive social group and interactions. Like the USAWA!
Let’s take this a step further. We have for a long time separated mental health from physical health. We even call physicians who deal with mental health a whole different name! Psychiatrists! But I’ve preached for a long time that mental health is physical health. The brain is an organ attached to the rest of the body. It suffers illness just like any other organ but the symptoms are behaviors not pains. The brain has no pain receptors so often the only way you can tell something is wrong is through behaviors.
There is now research that shows that mental health conditions are associated with reduced neurogenesis in the hippocampus. Guess what increases neurogenesis in the brain? You guessed it. Exercise. Anti depressants also increase neurogenesis and that is why they are believed to work. I think a good workout would be the preferred method. Then if that doesn’t work try the anti-depressants.
So it’s not just muscles you’re building. It’s mental health! And don’t forget, Mental Health is Physical Health that involves the brain as an organ. It’s not “All in your head….it’s all in your brain!”