A Long Run One Step At a Time
By: Laura Jaramillo
For many, the memory of being told to run a timed mile in your school PE class is one that, to this day, brings back feelings of dread. And if you lived in an area with a colder climate, required to run the mile outside, you’d be immediately numb and sniffling for hours afterwards. Even years later, these memories remain intact in my mind and were a huge reason as to why, at first, I struggled to get into exercising. I didn’t have any motivation. Besides, if I wasn’t being told to exercise by my doctor, I didn’t think I needed to.
Fast forward to the beginning of the pandemic, and all of this changed. Like many, my mental and physical health began to suffer; I remained locked in my house, took classes from bed, and slept in. My daily “exercise” involved walking to the kitchen and then back to my room. But when restrictions began to ease, I found myself still feeling down. I was always tired. The most embarrassing thing was probably how quickly I ran out of breath after climbing up two flights of stairs.
After months of trying many options, I still didn’t feel my best. It wasn’t until I came across an article on exercise and mental health, which changed my life, did I finally take action. Concentrating on successfully completing a mile or some other task allowed me to focus on myself and find a way to detach myself from negative emotions. And as I gained consistency, I noticed a change in my day to day energy and mindset which, compared to how I was feeling before, was a huge win. It wasn’t an easy journey, but the effort was worth it.
Research shows that just 20 to 40 minutes of aerobic activity can improve anxiety and mood for several hours (Raglin, 2012). This is because exercise releases endorphins in the moment and triggers a positive feeling while promoting the release of neurotrophic proteins, helping nerve cells grow and make new connections (Harvard Health Publishing, 2021). The importance of neurotrophic proteins has gained increasing attention given the neurotrophic hypothesis of depression which believes alterations in these proteins may be one explanation for the structural and neurochemical changes seen in mental health illnesses (Netz, 2017).
But the real impact and effect of exercise occurs over the long run. In patients suffering from depression, it has been seen that the hippocampus, the area of the brain where emotional responses originate, is smaller than those without depression; nerve cell growth in the hippocampus could help offset the changes that might be affecting a person’s emotions (Harvard Health Publishing, 2021). Moreover, it can increase self-esteem, alertness, energy, and improve sleep, among many other things, all of which can contribute to you feeling better (Robinson et al., 2021). Overall, the studies indicate that exercise can be just as helpful as medication, and patients prescribed medication who also exercise might feel better even more quickly compared to when they were just relying on psychotherapy (Netz, 2017). (It is important to note that there is much more to research in this field, but preliminary findings are hopeful!).
And on a preventative basis, we can see that exercise kills two birds with one stone; it addresses both physical and mental health. In the same way that issues with mental health can cause physical problems like cardiovascular diseases, physical problems can also negatively affect mental health (WHO, 2021). This means that being physically healthy can help prevent the development of mental health problems. This is not to say that exercise is the best or only solution; keep in mind that everyone has different needs, and that your path to being healthy will be different from others.
Just because you know something is good for you doesn’t mean it is easy to do. Mental health manifests itself differently in different people; symptoms and coping vary. But no matter what exactly it is you feel or how you cope, it is debilitating (it is actually the leading cause of disability) (WHO, 2021); don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. In my case, I experienced a lot of fatigue, the idea of getting out of bed and going out, even for a walk, was in itself exhausting. Even knowing about the benefits of exercising wasn’t enough to motivate me for a while. Other side effects of mental illnesses such as appetite changes, feelings of hopelessness, or disturbed sleep can further reduce motivation. But here are a few of the things that were recommended to me that helped me start, and hopefully, can help you.
Only do what you feel you can do. Even if that's just putting on tennis shoes and walking outside. Take it one day at a time and be proud of whatever you achieve that day, no matter how big or small.
Choose to do something that you will enjoy. It can be anything from going on a walk alone, dancing with friends or going on an adventure. Exercise is often made out to seem like it has to be a high intensity work out, but that is definitely not the case.
Try exercising when you are energized. Do not force yourself to do something at a specific time every day, because if you aren’t up for it, you’ll grow to associate resentment with exercise.
Set small goals for yourself; while it may be hard in the beginning, you’ll feel proud once you accomplish them. Personally, setting out small goals and successfully pursuing them, gave me something to look forward to doing.
Lastly and most importantly, however, put yourself first!
Reference List
World Health Organization. (n.d.). Depression. World Health Organization. Retrieved January 25, 2022, from https://www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/depression
Exercise is an all-natural treatment to fight depression. Harvard Health. (2021, February 2). Retrieved January 26, 2022, from https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/exercise-is-an-all-natural-treatment-to-fight-depression
Netz, Y. (2017, May 15). Is the comparison between exercise and pharmacologic treatment of depression in the clinical practice guideline of the American College of Physicians Evidence-based? Frontiers in pharmacology. Retrieved January 26, 2022, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5430071/
Robinson, L. (2021, December 23). The mental health benefits of exercise. HelpGuide.org. Retrieved January 26, 2022, from https://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-living/the-mental-health-benefits-of-exercise.htm
Raglin, J. (2012, November 24). Exercise and Mental Health: Beneficial and Detrimental Effects. Retrieved January 15, 2022.