Exercise and Our Mental Health

-Dawn Wolfe

Are you finding yourself battling a case of the late-winter blues? Do you sometimes feel as though, if you're on the receiving end one more text/email/phone call or “Mom, I want...,” that your last nerve will give up and go on strike?

Whether your mental chemistry is feeling awry because of stress, seasonal depression, anxiety-related issues or regular old, garden variety depression, we have great news for you – regular exercise, including indoor cycling, is as good for our minds as it is for our bodies.

If you've ever felt a bit high, or an intense sense of relaxation, after a RydeOn! indoor cycling class or other exercise, you know that the immediate effects of moderate to intense exercise provide us with an immediate lift. That's because exercise triggers endorphins, our brains' “HappyHappy” chemical switch.

But that's not all. According to this synopsis of a longer article on the Harvard Medical School's Harvard Health Publications website, exercise also reduces levels of the stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol. In addition, the Harvard analysis reminds us that working out also helps “...earn a sense of pride and self-confidence...”. Who doesn't need an ego boost from time to time – and what better way to get that boost than an activity that's good for both body and mind?

Exercise like indoor cycling is also a potential remedy if winter makes you feel SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder). According to this piece on the Psych Central website and this article published by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), getting your heart pumping on a regular basis may be almost as effective as light therapy in treating this seasonal crippler.

The NIH piece cites a study done using indoor cycling as the chosen exercise:

“Pinchasov, et al., compared light therapy to aerobic exercise (i.e., two daily sessions on a stationary bicycle separated by five minutes of rest, each involving a 5-minute warm up followed by 10 minutes of basic pedaling and 10 minutes of pedaling at 75-percent maximal heart rate), with both treatments administered for one week during the afternoon, in a small sample of women with SAD. Exercise and light therapy were associated with similar and significant reductions in depression severity … suggesting that normalization of daily energy expenditure may underlie the efficacy of both treatments.”

And when it comes to beating stress, very little is better than burning fat. This Mayo Clinic article says that exercise can become meditative; when we're focused on peddling during a spinning class or on the action while playing a sport like tennis or touch football, it's much easier to put away thoughts of all those “to do” lists and other stressors that are waiting for us when we're done. As an added bonus, becoming meditative – whether through exercise, actual meditation, or both – helps us train our brains and reminds us that we can control the way we react to our lives. This, in return, makes stress less intense. Wash and repeat sufficiently, and you've got an effective toolbox full of stress coping skills.

Please keep in mind that this article is not meant as medical advice. If you're dealing with persistent feelings of anxiety or depression, please see your doctor. These symptoms shouldn't be ignored any more than you'd ignore a fever if you had a cold or the flu. But whatever form/s of treatment you and your medical professional choose to pursue, making exercise part of that plan can only benefit you. But if you're “just” in the grip of some stress or the usual ups and downs of daily life, exercise may just be the only ticket you need to be smiling and relaxed again!

Get your mental (and physical) health on today by signing up for a RydeOn indoor cycling class or two. Your brain and your body will thank you!