Exercise for Mental Health
What Type of Exercise Should I Do for My Mental Health?
We’ve all heard that exercise can (and should!) be included in your mental health treatment, alongside therapy and medication, right? But did you know that certain types of exercise can help you manage your mental health better than others? Below I have outline various types of mental health disorders, along with the types of exercise that benefit them most! But before we get to that list, let’s go over some definitions that might be helpful:
Aerobic exercise = exercise that uses large muscle groups and targets cardiovascular conditioning, also known as cardio
Ex: walking, running, swimming, dancing, cycling, etc
Anaerobic exercise = exercise that focuses on building and maintaining muscle
Ex: strength training, yoga, HIIT, pilates, etc
RPE (rate of perceived exertion) Scale = a scale from 1-10 that helps you to subjectively identify how hard you’re working in response to a type of physical activity
0=not difficult at all
3=moderately difficult
6=heavily difficult
10=extremely difficult
Interoception = your brain’s understanding of physical sensations within your body, typically in response to an activity (like exercise!)
Now that we’ve reviewed those terms, let’s take a look at some of the most prevalent mental health disorders and what types of exercise are most effective in treating them.
Anxiety
Exercise reduces both state (when we’re anxious in response to an event) and trait (when we tend to just “run anxious”) anxiety, as well as anxiety sensitivity (awareness and sensitivity to physiological symptoms of anxiety). Exercise improves distress tolerance/intolerance of uncertainty.
What to Do:
-Moderate intensity (4-5 RPE) aerobic and/or anaerobic exercise
-Yoga with a focus on interoception and breathing might be helpful
What to Avoid:
-Frequent high intensity exercise
-When starting an exercise program, avoid taking on too much too quickly
Tips:
-When getting started, slowly increase bouts of intensity
-Focus on what you’re familiar with before introducing new exercise into your routine
ADHD
Consistent aerobic exercise can lead to improvement in cognitive dysfunction long-term. Exercise also improves ability to focus and decreases behavioral issues consistent with ADHD.
What to do:
-Moderate (4-5 RPE) to high (6-8 RPE) intensity
-Yoga with a focus on meditation/mindfulness
Tips:
-Exercise just before activities that require high focus
-You might need to experiment with timing of exercise when taking stimulants/medication
Depression
Both aerobic and anaerobic exercise reduce depression symptoms. In fact, exercise has been shown to be more effective than medication to prevent relapse of depressive episodes.
What to Do:
-Focus on getting started with any activity to begin with
-Work your way up to 4-5 RPE
-Focus on exercises that are fun and exciting
What to Avoid:
-Complex or daunting goals that will lead to cessation of exercise altogether.
Tips:
-Identify and make a plan for barriers or triggers which might interrupt consistency or motivation to exercise.
-The two most important aspects of exercise for depression are interest in the type of exercise and consistency of movement.
Eating Disorders
Using exercise as a part of treatment for eating disorders can be very tricky. That being said, anaerobic weight training has been shown to increase self-esteem and reduce disordered eating behaviors.
What to Do:
-Anaerobic training, limited to a certain number of days or workouts per week.
-Exercises that focus on interoception and performance rather than appearance.
What to Avoid:
-Any and all cardio, but especially any type of endurance training.
-Unregulated or unmonitored exercise.
-Bodybuilding.
Tips:
-It is critical to work with an entire treatment team. This includes getting clearance to exercise from your medical doctor, seeking guidance and support from a dietitian, speaking with your therapist about any triggers that arise from exercise, and working with a trainer to establish the right amount of exercise for you at your point in recovery.
-Identify and make a plan for triggers which might provoke disordered behaviors.
Trauma/PTSD
Exercise has been shown to reduce frequency and intensity of trauma symptoms. Exercise targets, strengthens, and improves functioning in areas of the brain often impacted by trauma and PTSD, such as the hippocampus, white matter, frontal lobe, and the autonomic system.
What to Do:
-Moderate intensity exercise (4-6 RPE)
-Yoga with a focus on interoception and breathing
-Workout with others to increase a sense of community
What to Avoid:
-Frequent high intensity exercise, as it will provoke more inflammation and stress in the body.
-Taking on too much exercise too quickly.
-Exercises or body positions which trigger trauma responses.
Tips:
-Start with familiar exercises before trying something new
-Practice mindfulness along with specific exercises
-Know that it is very normal to experience waves of emotion when exercising
Want to learn more about how exercise impacts your mental health? Fill out the form on our Contact Us page to meet with one of our therapists!