Exercise can help with mental health
Exercise
Exercise is basically any activity that burns calories and keeps you active and healthy ("American Heart Association Recommendations", 2016). There are countless ways to exercise, such as hiking, playing team sports, doing yoga, or simply taking a walk around campus.
Incorporating exercise into daily living can do wonders to the body, such as keeping vital organs functioning well, strengthening the bones and muscles, and reducing the risk of heart disease, and may even freshen the mind. It’s like free DIY medicine!
Mental health
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Mental health is defined as “a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community” (Mental health: a state of well-being, 2014).
How exercise helps mental health
Imagine finals week, the feelings of stress and anxiety, and the feeling of waiting for it to be all over soon. Exercise may really help to reduce these negative feelings and keep the mind healthier. According to VanKim and Nelson (2013), vigorous physical activity is correlated with reduced perceived stress and improved mental health. Among their 14, 804 undergraduate student participants, those who were less likely to say that they experienced poor mental health and stress were those who met the recommendations for vigorous physical activity. What's more is that social interactions in group exercise could have improved their state of mental health and perceived stress. So going to a RebelX class with a friend may really help with easing stress from school!
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Steps YOU can take to improve your mental health with exercise
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Always make time to get off the chair and computer: You could surely take half an hour off of 24 hours to do that! A little is better than nothing and a little every day can go a long way to make make your mind and body feel better.
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Use social media to find cool ways to work out and pick your favorite(s): If you don’t know what is your go-to source of daily exercise, you could get ideas about what others do from Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, etc. Check out Youtube for a bunch of workout videos that you could follow daily for free and in the convenience of your own space and at your own pace!
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Campus resources: There's more to the gym on campus. Check out UNLV’s Fitness4Finals and sign up for a variety of engaging classes free-of-charge that help ease stress and keep your mind ready to conquer finals!
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References:
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American Heart Association Recommendations for Physical Activity In Adults. (2016, July, 27). Retrieved from
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Mental health: a state of well-being. (2014, August). Retrieved from
http://www.who.int/features/factfiles/mental_health/en/
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VanKim, N.A., & Nelson, T.F. (2013). Vigorous Physical Activity, Mental Health, Perceived Stress, and Socializing Among College
Students. American Journal of Health Promotion : AJHP, 28(1), 7-15.