What Are the Benefits of Exercise on Mental Health?
If you struggle with mental health issues, getting regular exercise can be a huge benefit to your mood. Not only does it help relieve stress, improve memory retention and energy levels, but it may even make you happier in general. These are just a few of the benefits of exercise on mental health to consider.
Studies have demonstrated that exercise can reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, boost self-esteem, release feel-good endorphins, improve sleep quality, and provide social support. Exercise also plays a significant role in combatting loneliness.
Top Benefits of Exercise on Mental Health
If you are struggling with anxiety, stress, or depression, regular exercise is an effective way to combat those symptoms. Not only does it lift your spirits, but it also helps relieve stress, enhances memory and sleep quality.
Furthermore, meditation can enhance your overall sense of well-being, elevate self-worth, boost social interaction, and build greater assurance. Furthermore, it may make you more resilient to larger stresses in life.
Exercise remains a controversial topic within medicine, despite its numerous benefits. But mounting evidence shows that physical activity has an immense effect on mental health and well-being. A few of the main benefits of exercise on mental health are found below:
Increased energy levels throughout the day – Exercise for improved mood and a positive outlook on life. Studies have revealed that even moderate physical activity can elevate endorphins – the brain’s “feel-good” chemicals which lift spirits and reduce stress.
Strengthened Resilience – Building stronger coping skills allows you to handle stressful situations healthier, rather than turning to addiction or other negative behaviors that only make symptoms worse.
Exercise Improves Memory and Thinking Capabilities – Exercising has been linked to the development of self-worth and motivation that enhance emotional well-being.
Exercise and Anxiety
Exercise releases endorphins (the feel-good chemicals in our brain), which help reduce feelings of anxiety and stress. Exercise also boosts self-confidence levels and allows us to cope better with stressful circumstances.
Exercise not only offers physical benefits, but it can also enhance memory and spatial navigation. Furthermore, exercise helps us sleep better which in turn prevents anxiety attacks.
According to a new study, people who engage in physical activity tend to be less vulnerable to anxiety disorders and symptoms.
Researchers in Sweden observed that people who engaged in vigorous physical activity, such as running, skiing or other forms of physical exertion, experienced lower rates of anxiety than sedentary individuals. However, it was difficult to quantify exactly how exercise affected mood.
Exercise and Stress
Exercising can be an effective tool to combat stress, which is a frequent cause of mental health issues. Studies have demonstrated that exercise decreases levels of cortisol in the body and encourages the release of endorphins – chemicals that improve moods and reduce feelings of depression.
Furthermore, it helps alleviate symptoms of mild depression and anxiety, boosts self-esteem, and minimizes negative thinking.
Stress can also significantly improve sleep quality, which is often disturbed due to stress.
Exercise’s exact mechanism of relieving stress remains unknown, though researchers have suggested it might work as a form of timeout for the mind, allowing it to escape from a cycle of negative thoughts.
Exercise and Depression
Some of the main benefits of exercise on mental health are seen in those suffering from depression. Exercise releases endorphins, which act as analgesics – they reduce pain perception while simultaneously making you feel good.
Endorphins, those feel-good chemicals in our brains, can lift our spirits and boost self-worth. Studies have even demonstrated that exercise can improve mental health – especially for those suffering from depression.
Furthermore, physical activity can boost your immunity and raise levels of neurotransmitters like serotonin. Not only that, but it can reduce stress and promote better sleep quality as well.
Research is still unclear as to exactly how exercise helps alleviate depression and anxiety, but it appears likely there are multiple mechanisms at work. It could be the release of endorphins or increased neurotransmitter supply; alternatively, physical activity could alter the brain’s response to stress.
Exercise and Trauma
If you have suffered any type of trauma, there are some great benefits of exercise on mental health you can experience. Exercise has proven to be beneficial for people dealing with trauma, particularly those suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Studies have demonstrated that physical activity can reduce symptoms associated with PTSD such as avoidance and numbing.
Exercise can be especially beneficial for those suffering from PTSD, as long as it’s something enjoyable they enjoy doing. Different forms of exercises, such as strength training, aerobics, or mindful-based practices like yoga, may all be beneficial.
Trauma-informed exercise practitioners collaborate with individuals to identify their individual needs. These practices often include coaching and therapeutic movement such as meditation, running, or swimming.
If you’re looking to enjoy the many benefits of exercise on mental health, make sure you choose the right type of exercise for your needs. Even a daily walk can be very helpful for your mental state.
If you want to trigger me, just say that saturated fat is unhealthy. I’m here to show you that it is not. In fact, including saturated fat in our diets is essential for maintaining an optimal biological state of well-being.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF SATURATED FAT?
Saturated fat is needed for:
Mental development – the brain is made up of mostly saturated fat and cholesterol.
Bone development – saturated fats metabolise calcium.
Cardiovascular function – the lungs are coated with fatty acids that are saturated.
The nervous system – as in the brain the nervous system is largely made up of saturated fats.
Hormonal support – saturated fats are the building blocks to making hormones such as testosterone, oestrogen, cortisol, etc.
According to the independent study, A Critical Review of Cardio Disease by Dr Walter Willet from Harvard School of Public Health, we can see that saturated fat is not linked to heart disease and protects against strokes. Daily nut consumption is associated with a 35% decrease in the risk of heart attacks. Consuming full fat dairy is associated with a 60% reduction in risk of type 2 diabetes, lowers high density cholesterol, triglyceride levels and inflammation markers. People that eat egg yolks can reduce the chance of becoming diabetic by 42%. I highly recommend reading Dr Willett’s book, Eat, Drink and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating if you want to gain more of an understanding of his research.
WHY IS SATURATED FAT SEEN AS UNHEALTHY?
You should never trust the science. Question it always. Lessons learned during the recent COVID pandemic have proven why this approach is most important. The same goes for the scientific understanding of saturated fat.
To understand the history, we must go back to the 1920s to spend time with Dr Charles Best & Dr Frederick Banting, two scientists who earned a Nobel Peace Prize for purifying insulin, making it available for pharmaceutical use. They also made some other interesting discoveries.
Drs Best & Banting were the first scientists to discover an accumulation of fat in and around the organs in diabetics. This discovery lead them to believe that dietary fat was the cause of type 2 diabetes. The development of the infamous food pyramid that was pushed onto the public was a direct result of this. It could be fair to say that certain powerful food corporations were able capitalise on these studies, but that’s a different conversation altogether!
Fortunately, technology has advanced a lot since the 1920s. The science that was missing from their research was the role of the liver. The liver plays a key role in fat metabolism. It is now known that the liver converts sugars into fat to be stored, either as subcutaneous – on the outside of the body – or visceral fat – in and around the organs. In fact, to put it quite simply, body fat is nothing more than stored sugar. Once there is no more room for it to be stored in the liver, the body is forced to store fat in the pancreas. When this happens, a person loses the ability to create insulin on their own. Welcome to type 2 diabetes.
Since the recommendation of ‘low fat’ diets by the bodies that govern food & drugs, we have noticed a 400%+ increase in heart disease, diabetes & obesity. Until the public is completely re-educated about nutrition this problem isn’t going to get better.
ARE THERE DIFFERENT TYPES OF SATURATED FATS?
Palmitic acid is often considered an unhealthy saturated fat because people often associate it with palm oil, but you will find that the acid (not the oil product) is already a part of our biological make up. Here are the different types of saturated fatty acids and their benefits:
Caprylic acid – found in coconut oil, dairy, breast milk, nuts. Great for the immune system, acne, and is anti-viral.
Lauric acid – found in coconut oil, breast milk. Needed for the immune system and is anti-viral.
Palmitic acid – abundant in fish, nuts, seeds, animal products. 50% of cell membrane is made up palmitic acid.
Butyric acid – found in butter and vegetable sources. This is the main fatty acid that feeds cells in the colon.
WHICH FATS SHOULD I AVOID?
We can put lipids (fats) into three categories – saturated, unsaturated and trans.
Unsaturated fats – EPAs & DHAs – are the omegas. These often get promoted as ‘healthy fats’, but you should now understand that saturated fat is just as important.
Trans fats increase the risk of heart disease and other health problems. They are found in hydrogenated foods. This is when a hydrogen atom is introduced to an oil to solidify it, preventing it from going rank. Margarine often disguised as ‘spreadable butter’ is a form of trans fat. Trans fats can also be found in fast food, microwave meals and other processed foods. We should avoid these fats at all costs.
The rule that I follow says, if you can dig it from the ground, pick it from a tree or plant, or slaughter it and it’s still in its unaltered state then it is OK to eat. The most important part of that statement is that it is still in its unaltered state. Meaning unrefined and unprocessed.
Study comparing consumption of Saturated Fats vs Unsaturated Fats:
http://www.bmj.com/content/353/bmj.i1246 Astrup, A., Dyerberg, J., Elwood, P., Hermansen, K., Hu, F.B., Jakobsen, M.U., …Willett, W.C. (2011). The role of reducing intakes of saturated fat in the prevention of cardiovascular disease: Where does the evidence stand in 2010? [PDF]. Am J Clin Nutr, 93(4): 684–8. doi: 10.3945/ ajcn.110.004622
In a food processor place ground almonds, dried coconut, cashew butter, sweetener and salt and blend until a bound consistency has formed (about 1-2 mins.
In a silicon mould or a greased dish press down the mixture to form a flat base. Place in the freezer for about 30 minutes until solid In a glass bowl over a pan of boiling water melt your chocolate and coconut oil together and stir until fully combined.
Now pour directly on to the shortbread base and place in freezer for about an hour until set.
Remove from the freezer and allow to stand for about 15-20 minutes before using a sharp knife to cut squares. Store inside a sealed container in the fridge.
1 cup almond flour
1/2 cup hemp hearts
1/2 cup coconut flour plus extra for rolling the
dough
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt for topping
6 tablespoons cold salted butter – very cold
4 tablespoons salted butter melted
2 tablespoons olive oil
2/3 cup ice water
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 205°C.
Put the almond flour, hemp hearts, coconut flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Grate the chilled butter, stirring it into the flours. Stir gently with a big spoon to ensure the butter is coated with flour and you can see butter shreds throughout your coconut flour mixture. Add the olive oil and stir gently to combine, then add the water. Let the mixture stand in the refrigerator for at
least 30 minutes.
Dust a sheet of parchment with coconut flour. Roll the chilled dough between sheets of baking parchment until it is about ¼ -inch thick. Cut the dough in the desired shapes. Bake the crackers on the bottom parchment sheet for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt to melted butter and brush the crackers while they are hot.
Turn oven off and place back in the oven for 5 minutes. Let cool.
A lot of people think of starvation when you mention the word fasting, but I’m here to tell you that this isn’t the case. Intermittent fasting means that you are eating within a certain window of hours in the day and fasting for the rest.
Although there are others, the most popular intermittent fasting schedule follows a 16 – 8 hour split (sixteen hours fasting and eight hours eating). This also includes your sleeping hours during the night. For example, if you stopped eating at 8PM tonight you would then break your fast at 12PM tomorrow.
Firstly, the most important thing to know is that sixteen hours is the magic number and should be your minimum amount of fasting time for reasons that I will get into later. Personally, speaking in terms of body fat loss, I have had the best results when fasting 18-20 hours per day, shortening my eating window down to six or four hours, and so have many of my clients.
The second most important thing to understand is that intermittent fasting does not mean that you can spend your meal times eating junk food. You will not lose weight by fasting alone. Will fasting give you more wiggle room when it comes to cheat meals? Yes. Will you still get all of the other benefits from fasting if you’re not concerned with weight loss? Meh, yes and no.
Let’s not get it twisted. YOU MUST FOLLOW A KETO/LOW CARB BASED DIET AS WELL. No carbs or sugar is the most important aspect of eating healthily.
Nature has given us two sources when it comes to fuelling the cells in our bodies – glucose (sugar), or ketones. Glucose comes from food and ketones are created naturally within the body from our own fat reserves.
In order to understand what happens during the fasted state we first have to understand insulin, which is a key hormone when it comes to fat storage. When we eat, blood sugars rise, so the pancreas has to release insulin to take sugar from the blood to the liver in order to be processed. This is the body’s natural way of lowering blood sugar levels in order to avoid toxicity. Carbohydrates and sugars raise the blood sugars to levels that are particularly higher than those of proteins and dietary fats, which is why I recommend avoiding them altogether.
When insulin is working at high levels, the body is running on glucose and potentially storing fat, so we refer to this as the fed state. It takes 16 hours of fasting to get the insulin levels low enough to enter the fasted state – where you are producing ketones for fuel (burning fat). That is when all of the amazing stuff starts to happen. Human beings have evolved by way of adaptation to eat far more infrequently than we do today. Getting into a fasted state also allows the body to unlock unique proteins that improve brain, gut, bone health and much more.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF KETONES?
Ketones…
are an appetite suppressant
are antioxidants
will increase oxygenation in the body
will decrease carbon dioxide levels in the body
can improve thyroidal conditions
burn fat
increase energy levels
unclog arteries
increase good cholesterol and reduce the bad
lower blood pressure
improve mental disorders
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU FAST UP TO 24 HOURS?
Although I don’t necessarily recommend it, I’ve known people to fast up to 21 days, but let’s just stick to the first day of fasting for now! Intermittent fasting for 24-hours is the one of the best ways to naturally trigger the anti-ageing, self healing and detoxification processes in the body.
12 HOURS INTO INTERMITTENT FASTING
After 12 hours the body starts to produce ketones.
Growth hormone levels also start to spike at 12 hours. This is beneficial for muscle and bone development.
16 HOURS INTO INTERMITTENT FASTING
Ketosis begins.
18 HOURS INTO INTERMITTENT FASTING
Autophagy – 18 hours into fasting, the body begins to recycle old, damaged and used proteins, organelles (such as mitochondria) and cell membranes, turning them into new ones. A great example of this is the regeneration of Advanced Glycated End Products, or AGEs, which are proteins destroyed by the glycated (sticky) mixture of glucose (sugar) and proteins in the body. It is at this point in the fasted state that the body starts to turn these old, damaged proteins into new amino acids. A person that has undergone dramatic weight loss surgery, for example, could benefit from autophagy if they suffer from ‘loose skin’. That loose skin is only an accumulation of dead proteins that can be recycled into new skin cells, simply by triggering this natural regeneration process.
Amyloid plaque is the dense, insoluble protein that forms between the nerve cells (neurons) and can cause neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s. These proteins get a good clean up when you hit the 18-hour mark. The same applies to all other types of cellular proteins that are no longer working in the body.
24 HOURS INTO INTERMITTENT FASTING
Now you are now freeing yourself of glycogen (stored glucose) built up in the liver. You see, the process of body fat storage looks like this:
GLUCOSE —> GLYCOGEN —> ADIPOSE TISSUE/BODY FAT
In order to get into the visceral (organ) fat, you must burn through the glycogen stores first.
Gut healing from the increase of stem cells. That’s right, you’re now detoxing your gut and you didn’t have to spend a penny on any of those ‘miracle supplements’.
24 hours of fasting improves cardiovascular functions by lowing blood pressure, cholesterol, and reversing heart disease.
The reduction in ‘monocytes’, which are the cells that cause inflammation in the body, helps to eliminate conditions such as diabetes, multiple sclerosis and irritable bowel syndrome.
You’re getting smarter! Stimulating the production of a protein in the nerve cells, called Brain Derived Neurotropic Function (BDNF), will improve learning, memory, and the production of new nerve cells in the hippocampus area of the brain.
CONCLUSION
The scientific world is currently experiencing a lot of breakthroughs when it comes to fasting. It seems as if science is starting to catch up to the ancient knowledge and practices that our ancestors relied on so heavily. Up until about a century ago, people often used fasting as a way to treat a wide range of illnesses. The decline in the practice of fasting can be correlated with the rise of big pharmaceutical companies. As many natural medicines were made illegal by the forces that be, so came the deterioration of the way of life.
It is not in the interest of food, or pharmaceutical companies to encourage fasting as a health option. There is no money in it for them. You have the power.
Get yourself into a 24-hour fast as quickly as possible. That will ensure that you are burning through visceral (organ) fat right away. You will have to get through that before you see anything shift from anywhere else. Try to maintain a minimum 16 hour fast everyday thereafter, keeping it mind that it could take up to one week for your body to properly adjust to the new changes.
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