The Influence Of Physical Workout On Mental Health
Several experiments and researches have confirmed that any form of physical workout provides support in managing nervousness and depression. The support received from participating in a group activity are one of the reasons explained for the benefits of exercising in a group.
Armstrong and Oomen have observed that people who engage in any form of workout are 3 times less prone to depression as compares to individuals who do not engage in any physical workout. A study was conducted on Law and Psychology students both groups had a large percentage of female population. Self-reported levels of physical and emotional distress were used to measure stress and wellbeing in this experiment. This group was asked to report the frequency at which they exercised. It was observed that Law students experienced more stress and anxiety as compared to students studying professional degrees like Psychology primarily due to the highly competitive nature of the subject. The sense of belongingness was used to compare wellbeing of the university students. The experiment had 3 limitations as workout and wellbeing are correlational in nature it was difficult to conclude which factor produced what outcome.
The second limitation was that the experiment solely relied on self-reported data. The third limitation was that the type of workout was not captured. The participants were free to define their level of physical activity engaged in. The outcome of this experiment supported the idea that any form of keeping fit supported wellbeing and enabled them to feel better physically and emotionally. This established a strong correlation between exercise and mental wellbeing as a result of feeling better physically.
Mental health in clinical and non-clinical populations have benefitted by physical activities this inference was drawn from over 1000 articles stating psychological effects of sports and physical activity. The exact relationship between exercise and wellbeing is hard to identify however in case of anxiety it is known to create diversion, self-confidence leading to relaxation or less muscle tension and reduced hear rate. We also have noticed positive changes in the case of substance abuse cases as increased physical activities provided support to alcoholics to abstain from alcohol for over 3 months with periodic exercises. No significant changes were observed with physical fitness and the way alcoholics viewed themselves in society. The scope of the experiment was limited in the case of alcoholics and exercise. Exercising excessively may also lead to exercise addiction or cases like anorexia and individuals may use workouts as a way to escape from problems however, if used in limits it can have a positive impact on physical and emotional wellbeing.
Several experiments have also shown increased benefits for older individuals as compared to children with exercise same as the case with individuals who have chronic illnesses seem to have greater benefit from any type of physical activity as compared to individuals with no illness or conditions. The individuals with no illness however report feeling better than usual with constant exercise. Some surveys have also observed that exercise has a greater effect on women in terms of self-visualisation and thereby boosting self confidence in women as compared to men. The benefits of engaging in mild or regular exercise is more visible in children as it has proven to have boosted cognitive functioning.
Exercise is known to have induced a feeling of wellbeing in several articles and experiments and therefore have listed in their article that promoting workout in students subjected to stress may help ease the pressure on them and help in improving the mental health for students. Healthy students have better academic results and though the studies related to exercise and wellbeing has several limitations or negative effects it is known to naturally boost the feeling of happiness in individuals.
