“Exercise also forces the body’s sympathetic and central nervous systems to communicate with each other, improving the body’s overall ability to respond to stress.”
Being active can also reduce markers of inflammation in your body, which can be a precursor to inflammatory diseases like type 2 diabetes, asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, and certain cancers when left unchecked. And for a while now, studies have found links between inflammatory diseases and depression.
“There is a lot of evidence that inflammation and inflammatory diseases contribute to mood disorders and poor mental health,” said Rachel Soh, senior physiotherapist in the Department of Physiotherapy at Tan Tock Seng Hospital. It appears that exercise can help reduce inflammation and contribute to “improved mental health outcomes in patients with inflammatory disorders,” she said.
WHAT EXERCISES SHOULD YOU DO?
Soh said there is “no conclusive evidence” for which form of exercise: aerobics (running, biking, swimming); strength training; or exercises that work balance, flexibility, agility and coordination (yoga, dance, tai chi) are the ones that best benefit mental health.
In general, studies that focus on the link between exercise and mental health are largely based on “aerobic exercises that use large muscle groups during prolonged activity,” Soh said. “There are fewer studies on alternative forms of physical training that work on muscle strength, flexibility, agility, balance and coordination.”
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