How to look after your mental health using exercise

There are many reasons why physical activity is good for your body – having a healthy heart and improving your joints and bones are just two, but did you know that physical activity is also beneficial for your mental health and wellbeing?

It is vital we change the way we view physical activity in the UK in order not to see it as something we ‘have to do’, ‘should do’ or ‘ought to do’ for our health, but as something that we do because we personally value its positive benefits to our wellbeing. 

Being active doesn’t have to mean doing sport or going to the gym. There are lots of ways to be active; find the one that works for you and let’s all get physical! ‘It is exercise alone that supports the spirits, and keeps the mind in vigour’ Marcus Tullius Cicero

What is a physical activity?

At a very basic level, physical activity means any movement of your body that uses your muscles and expends energy. One of the great things about physical activity is that there are endless possibilities and there will be an activity to suit almost everyone! It is recommended that the average adult should do between 75 and 150 minutes of exercise a week. 

This can be either moderate intensity exercise, such as walking, hiking or riding a bike, or it can be more vigorous activities, such as running, swimming fast, aerobics or skipping with a rope. 

Any activity that raises your heart rate, makes you breathe faster, and makes you feel warmer counts towards your exercise! An easy way to look at types of physical activity is to put them into four separate categories. 

1. Daily physical activity For adults, physical activity can include recreational or leisure-time physical activity, transportation (e.g. walking or cycling), occupational activity (i.e. work), household chores, play, games, sports, or planned exercise in the context of daily, family, and community activities. 5 Everyday things such as walking to the bus stop, carrying bags or climbing stairs all count, and can add up to the 150 minutes of exercise a week recommended for the average adult. 
2. Exercise Purposeful activity carried out to improve health or fitness, such as jogging or cycling, or lifting weights to increase strength. 
3. Play Unstructured activity that is done for fun or enjoyment. 
4. Sport Structured and competitive activities that include anything from football or squash to cricket. We can play these as part of a team or even on our own. This can be a fun and interactive way of getting exercise that doesn’t have to feel like exercising. These activities can vary in intensity and can include high-intensity activities, such as tennis, athletics, swimming, and keep-fit classes, or they can be lower-intensity activities and sports, such as snooker or darts. Making exercise fun rather than something you have to do can be a motivator to keep it up.

Blog by UCAN Thrive

Mental Health Support