My Students’ Blog

Physical Activity and Mental Health

By Jose Medina

Physical activity is very important for your mental health. It can improve your mental health by reducing negative moods, depression, anxiety, and improving self-esteem. Lack of exercise can make you more stressed, tired, and anxious. Lack of physical activity can increase the risk of certain cancers. It can increase your risk of bowelQQW, breast, prostate, lung, and uterine cancer. Exercising frequently can relieve a lot of stress, can relax your body and sharpen your memory and thinking skills. 

Physical activity doesn’t necessarily mean “go to the gym”. It can be anything from, going on a jog, walking your dog or watering the plants and doing garden work. In physical activity is good for the mind and body, people who do some sort of physical activity usually have a good sense of well-being and feel more energetic during their day. They sleep better at night and have sharper minds, are more positive and more relaxed. It’s also a good thing and a natural medicine for mental health problems. No matter what age you may be, exercising will help you relieve stress and improve your overall life in a positive way.

No matter what age you may be, exercising will help you relieve stress and improve your overall life in a positive way.

It can make you more confident and more outgoing. Meeting new people and talking to them would be easier. According to physical activity and mental health some other benefits include, a natural energy boost, a sense of achievement, feeling less angry/frustrated, less tension, stress and mental fatigue, more focus and motivation, a healthy appetite and having fun. It’s better if you can get active outdoors, it can make you happier, reduce anxiety, depression and give you a better well-being. You can try yoga, tai chi or aerobic exercise.

According to The mental health benefits of exercise If you want to start being active, start small. Don’t start with running a mile a day or anything of that sort because if you end up falling short, you’ll only end up making yourself think you can do it so set a smaller goal and move on from there. Schedule your activities when you have the most energy. If you feel more energized in the morning, start there and do your activity, even a short 15 minute walk is enough. Do any activity you enjoy like playing catch with a pet, garden, take a walk according to exercise for mental health. If you haven’t exercised before, try a couple of different things until you find something you enjoy. If you wanna feel accomplished, do garden work and it’ll give you patience and a sense of accomplishment. 

Something you can do to feel better is wear something you’re comfortable in and choose a place you find calming. It could be in your own home, park, garden, anywhere that you feel comfortable in. Reward yourself after completing an activity, don’t overdo it and eat a whole bunch of junk food afterwards. Take a nice warm shower, watch your favorite show, make a smoothie or take a nice nap. You can always make exercise more fun by inviting a friend or a loved one to work out with you. It’ll make your exercise more fun and enjoyable. It can also motivate you to stick to a workout routine. If you’re suffering from depression or another mood disorder, having a friend with you can be more important than the exercise itself

I interviewed my friend Miguel Gomez. He’s still a pretty young dude but he is very active and is always doing something that includes running or walking. When asked How much physical activity he does in a week, Miguel answered with “ I run 2-3 miles a day and I try running 7 days a week. Sometimes I’ll walk my dog right after and for about 30 minutes.” When asked how has physical activity improved his mental health, Miguel said “Running makes me feel relaxed, kind of like meditation makes me relieve stress, makes me feel more focused afterwards and it ironically makes me feel more energized after running/exercising.” I asked Miguel how can you encourage other people to be more physically active, and he said, “ It doesn’t matter how you do it or what you do, just as long as you’re doing something. 

In conclusion, having something to do that’s physical is important for your mental and physical health. It relieves stress, less anxiety, less depression and overall a healthier and happier person. You don’t have to spend hours exercising or going to the gym. Exercising with someone is better and is something I’d recommend you do. Do something you enjoy and it’ll make you feel better, healthier and make you get more out of life.