Exercise and movement have been huge parts of my life for as long as I can remember.
From days spent running amuck, climbing trees, and just generally being on my feet as a
child, to playing national league basketball with Fr. Mathews, DCU Vincent’s Ballincollig
as a teen and adult. And now, although not currently involved in organised sport, still
running, still moving, still depending on exercise to remain balanced. Sport is
undoubtedly foundational for modern life, but exercise is a necessity for life across the
board.
Basketball was, and arguably still is , a massive part of my life. However, it’s main role in
my life has little to do with winning or actually playing the game. Basketball, and more
generally movement, has always been first and foremost a mental health endeavour for
me, but we rarely frame it that way.
Through ups and downs, grief, bouts of anxiety, stress, depression – whatever was going
on in life – exercise has always been vital to keep me grounded, to keep me level, and to
keep my head above water.
The reason possibly, that exercise has only in recent times been referenced as a mental
health tool is because we have always held physical and mental health an arm’s length
apart. We’ve never considered that these two branches of health are one in the same,
and actually depend on one another for optimization. But it’s undeniable now that this
is true.
Nearly everything you do to maintain your physical fitness will in turn benefit your
mental health. Going for a run will increase your levels of endorphins and serotonin,
meaning that your mood will increase and your anxiety levels will decrease. Getting
consistently good levels of sleep will ensure your body is churning away effectively, but
it will also make your mind more alert, and will make you less susceptible to low mood.
There are reams and reams of linked benefits. The point being that it will serve you
better to consider both elements of health – mental and physical – in everything that
you do.
That’s why when I go out for a twelve kilometre run these days, although the idea is
daunting, I know the benefits are entirely worthwhile. My cardio fitness will improve.
It’ll help to ensure I maintain an appropriate body weight. But most of all, I know that
my mental health will prosper for having gone on the run. Doing difficult things, such as
running for a long time, or lifting heavy weights, or doing some sort of sprint series
makes us resilient. We grow in resilience for having accomplished difficult tasks. On top
of that, each time we exercise intensely we get rewarded immediately with the ‘feel
goods’. We may be tired, but they day gets that little bit brighter, and the smiles come
that little bit easier.
Exercise isn’t the only factor that will affect your mental health, but it is an important
tool to keep in your non-negotiables. Having tools to lean on in times of mental turmoil
is essential for weathering the storm and making it through to the other side. It’s also
worth keeping in mind that your daily exercise doesn’t have to be this gargantuan
undertaking. Not all of us can run marathons or become Olympic lifters. Just once you’re
moving every day, and challenging yourself to degree that you can is all it takes to reap
the mental and physical benefits of movement.
Our species evolved on our feet. We ran, we hunted, we gathered food. We are designed
for movement, plain and simple. However, our modern lives have us sitting down for
most of the day. We’ve lost sight of our nature. Now we often view exercise as a difficult
and inconvenient undertaking rather than seeing it as our true default mode.
We are meant to exercise and move and enjoy it. So it’s time to rewind the script and get
back to our evolutionary roots.
Be good,
Daragh
A big thanks to Daragh Fleming for this piece.
Be sure to check out his blog Thoughts Too big and his Instagram page for more content
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