Mental Health and Physical Health Walk Hand in Hand

The old saying “healthy body, healthy mind,” is well known and holds true. Fortunately, society and the medical community are showing more interest in this connection and whether physical exercise should be part of everyone’s toolkit to achieve this.

Mental health does not just mean mental illness. The World Health Organization defines mental health as follows: “Mental health is a state of well-being in which an individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community”.

The pace of today’s modern day life can sometimes put our lives out of balance. Today we see more and more interest in health and a search for individual well-being. At the same time the problems of sedentary lifestyles and rising obesity are on the increase. There is a real need to find simple and effective tools and strategies to maintain our balance and wellbeing. Physical activity is certainly one of those strategies.

So what are the mental health benefits of physical activity? ■ It improves mood, vitality and quality of life ■ It contributes to a feeling of pride, self-esteem and general well-being (even more so if it leads to needed weight loss) ■ It increases the ability to concentrate and to accomplish our daily activities ■ It reduces stress and improves our capacity to manage it ■ It improves the quality of our sleep ■ It can prevent depression and anxiety disorders and may even be as effective as psychological and pharmaceutical treatments ■ It reduces cognitive decline (especially among middle-aged individuals) ■ It can enhance the impact of treatment for addictions (particularly in reduction of cravings) ■ It can aid in the treatment of eating disorders, chronic pain (when tailored to physical abilities), post-traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia and body dysmorphic disorders