Get Moving for Mental Health

During the lockdown, with so little choice of things to do, it may well be that a walk round the block became part of your daily routine. That should have reminded you of the physical and mental benefits of fresh air and moving around. But as lockdown eases, if you find you have reverted to form and even the very word ‘exercise’ makes you want to retreat to the sofa to binge watch Netflix, we hear you! It really doesn’t have to be a chore though. Any type of exercise is useful, as long as it suits you and you do enough of it. It should be something you enjoy or it will be hard to find the motivation to do it regularly. As the saying goes: necessity is the mother of invention and the last couple of months have been amazing for introducing exercise that doesn’t involve being in a gym. From martial arts in the garden, online yoga and cycling to just that brisk walk round the block.

Exercise to boost your mood

Aerobic exercises, where your heart rate is elevated, have been shown to help depression. They reduce your levels of cortisol (AKA the ‘stress hormone’). You could try jogging (using the Couch to 5K app to keep yourself motivated), a virtual exercise class or just dancing in your kitchen.

Exercise to ease anxiety

Yoga and pilates can have a direct impact on your nervous system, helping to calm it down and ease anxiety. Some studies have shown that yoga can also be beneficial for tackling depression, alleviating stress and even reducing pain and blood pressure.

Exercise in nature

According to a study by the University of Exeter, spending two hours a week in nature is good for both your mental and physical wellbeing. This could mean your local park, a field or even doing an outdoor

circuits session in your garden.

Virtual exercise classes

Joe Wicks runs weekday PE classes at 9am on his YouTube channel and you don’t need to have children to take part. If the family classes are too energetic, try some of his other workouts, such as the ones aimed at seniors. Don’t fancy PE? You’ll find dance, martial arts and more online. The dance troupe Diversity teaches regular classes on www.20dv.co.uk. And you can take part in Oti Mabuse’s free dance classes on her YouTube channel whenever you want.

Exercising with a health condition

If you’re worried that exercise might make an existing health condition worse, do speak to your GP. Finally the NHS offers more than 20 instructor-led workouts at www.nhs.uk/conditions/nhs-fitnessstudio, starting from just 10 minutes long. There’s even a 30 minute workout using your sofa!

Keep motivated

Make a note of how you feel before and after your workout. Try rating your anxiety and mood and see whether the workout has had a positive effect.