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Exercise for fit body and mind
The benefits of physical activity on mental health are becoming better understood and acknowledged
People have much to gain from increasing their physical activity.
Physical and mental ill-health often occur together and, by improving one, you can also improve the other.
That's according to Prof Louis Appleby, national director for mental health at the Department of Health.
Everyone knows exercise benefits the body physically – weight control, toned muscles, stronger joints and heart etc, but many are unaware of the use of exercise for mental wellbeing.
The benefits of physical activity on mental health are far less widely reported or known. However, as research grows, the importance of physical activity in both prevention and as a therapeutic measure for mental health problems is becoming better understood and acknowledged.
A survey by the charity Mind found 83 per cent of people with mental health problems looked to exercise to help lift their mood or to reduce stress. Two-thirds said exercise helped to relieve the symptoms of depression, and more than half said it helped to reduce stress and
anxiety.
It didn't have to be extreme workouts or any complicated exercise programmes either.
People with mental health problems were more likely to get their exercise from everyday activities like walking, housework and gardening – but exercises classes and regular gym workouts had the same effect.
This could be due to exercise helping decrease stress hormones, like cortisol, and increase endorphins, the body's feel-good chemicals.
Despite evidence that a supervised programme of exercise on prescription can be as effective as antidepressants in treating mild or moderate depression, GPs are still turning to medication as their first-line treatment because other options are not available.
But, with latest Government figures showing prescriptions for antidepressants have increased by 33 per cent in the last six years (costing the economy over 28 million), the benefits of
exercise for depression are being championed by certain charities.
In future it's possible that the prescription pad will not just be used for drugs such as anti-depressants but also for prescription exercise as a healthier alternative for mental health.
Get further information from: www.dh.gov.uk/mentalhealth
www.mentalhealth.org.uk
www.mentality.org.uk
www.mind.org.uk
Get fit by joining a body toning workout at Kempston
Hammers Club, on Mondays at 6.45pm; or at Bromham Village Hall, on Thursdays, at 7pm. Cost is 4 per class.
Call Donna at The Cottage Therapy Studio on 01234 838880 for allergy and intolerance analysis, wellness MOTs and menopause naturally consultations: www.scio-wellness.com
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Tuesday 14 February 2012
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