Be Kind to your Mind
Exercise can have a profound effect on our mental well-being. Whether we struggle with our mental health on a daily basis or not it is important to be aware of our mental well-being. Even the most calm and positive people can go through periods of feeling down or under the weather.
According to the Healthy Ireland Survey carried out in 2016, 20% of the population currently or have previously suffered from a mental health problem. A further 36% of people reported having a friend with a mental health problem.
Even if you don’t suffer from a mental health problem, your mental well-being may still benefit from some TLC. There are many ways to manage or improve our mental well-being – one of them being EXERCISE!!
A study published in 2012 found that between 2.5 and 7.5 hours of physical activity per week was the optimal amount of exercise to have a positive impact on mental health. This benefit, however, did not increase when exercise surpassed the 7.5 hours.
These guidelines fit in nicely with those produced by the World Health Organisation – recommending 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per week for adults eg. Brisk walking, swimming.
This recommended time for exercise ensures we are left with enough down time to enjoy family, friends and other hobbies. This time can also be vitally important to our mental well-being.
The most important tip we can give is to choose exercise that you will ENJOY!
Kim, YS, et al. 2012. Relationship between physical activity and general mental health. Preventive Medicine, [Online]. 55 (5), 458-463. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22981733 [Accessed 24 May 2017].