The Effects of Physical Exercise on Mental Health in Adults 

 
Paige Breese, ACSM CPT 
 
“All great thoughts are conceived while walking.” 
- Freidrich Nietzche 
 
INTRODUCTION 
We know that physical health is important. It’s hammered into our heads from the 
time we are in primary school: go run around at recess, eat your veggies, say no to 
drugs. But in our current political, economic, and social climate, we are increasingly 
reminded that mental health is also incredibly important to nourish. However, 
because we’ve been conditioned to think about the physical and the mental as two 
different things - the tangible versus the intangible - it’s often difficult to find the 
best way to nurture both our physical and mental states of being. This article will 
stipulate that physical and mental health can be nourished together, as research has 
shown that physical exercise facilitates significant improvement on the mental 
health of adults.  
 
For the purposes of blanket understanding, I will define the following terms: 
 
● Resistance Training​ - a ​ form of e
​ xercise​ that improves m ​ uscular strength 
and ​endurance 
● Aerobic Training​ - ​brisk exercise that promotes the c ​ irculation of oxygen 
through the blood and is associated with an i​ ncreased rate of breathing 
(cardio) 
 
 
Studies have shown that 10 weeks of combined resistance training and aerobic 
training significantly improves physical self-concept, total mood disturbance, 
depression, fatigue, and tension in adults​7​.  
 
Anxiety 
 
For those who experience anxiety, studies have shown that both aerobic and 
resistance training programs were found to be equally as effective as 
cognitive/behavior therapy programs (which I do also advocate for) and more 
effective than “other anxiety-reducing activities”​2​. A study done by Tsutsumi et al 
produced similar findings, stating that after a 12 week resistance training program, 
36 women reported to significantly improved positive mood and reduced anxiety 
when compared to the control group​1​.  
 
 
But why is this?  
What is it about physical exercise that affects our mental state? 
 
In  the  past,  studies  have  shown  that  exercise  causes  hormonal  responses  in 
the  brain,  and  therefore  the  body,  including  neural  growth,  reduced 
inflammation,  and  new  activity  patterns  that  promote  feelings  of  calm  and 
well-being  by  releasing  ​endorphins​,  or  powerful  chemicals  in  your  brain  that 
energize  your  spirits  and  make  you  feel  good​7​.  However,  a  more  recent  study 
by  Deslandes  et  al  concluded  that  the  release  of  endorphins  reported  in  past 
trials  only  occurs  during  high  intensity exercise activity. More often, exercise is 
correlated  to  an  increase  in  cerebral  blood  flow  in  several  areas  of  the  brain​8​. 
This  finding  suggests  that  the  real  benefit  of  exercise  for  the  brain  occurs 
when blood flow is increased ---- 
 
So how does this apply to our lives? 
 
A  review  of  studies  by  the  Mental  Health  Foundation  found  that  exercise 
interventions  increased  feelings  of  activation  (how  energized  a  person  feels) 
and  pleasant  feelings.  The  review  also  found  that  ​higher  exercise  frequency 
and  ​lower  exercise  intensity  were  associated  with  more  pleasant  feelings and 
higher  activation​4​.  Overall,  the  results  indicated  that  low  intensity  aerobic 
exercise  for  30–35  min,  3–5  days  per  week  for  at least 10–12 weeks was optimal 
for  improving  positive  moods.  This  data  is  mixed,  however,  as  many  studies 
have  shown  that  resistance  training  alone  causes  more  significant 
improvement in cognitive abilities​3​.  
 
But I’m just too busy to work out during the week! I can’t do that. 
 
No  fear!  A  recent  study  in  the  United  Kingdom  found  that  people  who 
squeeze  their  exercise  routines  into  one  or  two  sessions  during  the  weekend 
experience  almost  as  many  health  benefits  as  those  who  work  out  more 
often​6​.  So  don’t  let  a  busy  schedule  at  work,  home,  or  school  be  an  excuse  to 
avoid  activity.  Get  moving  whenever  you  can  find  the  time—your  mind  and 
body will thank you! 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
*DISCLAIMER 
This  is  in  no  way  a  comprehensive  document  on  the  effects  of  physical  exercise on mental health. There is 
still  ongoing  research,  much  more  in-depth  than  what  I’ve  covered  here.  Please  continue  doing  your own 
research and I’ll continue doing mine!  
 REFERENCES 
 
1. Tsutsumi T1, Don BM, Zaichkowsky LD, Takenaka K, Oka K, Ohno T. 
Comparison of high and moderate intensity of strength training on mood and 
anxiety in older adults. Percept Mot Skills. 1998 Dec;87(3 Pt 1):1003-11. DOI: 
10.2466/pms.1998.87.3.1003 
2. Zschucke E, Gaudlitz K, Ströhle A. Exercise and physical activity in mental 
disorders: clinical and experimental evidence. ​J Prev Med Public Health​. 
2013;46 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):S12–S21. doi:10.3961/jpmph.2013.46.S.S12 
3. Westcott W. Resistance Training is Medicine: Effects of Strength Training on 
Health. Current Sports Medicine Reports. 1537-890X/1104/209Y216 
4. Herring MP, Jacob ML, Suveg C, O'Connor P. Effects of short-term exercise 
training on signs and symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder. Ment Health 
Phys Act. 2011;4(2):71–77. 
5. Edmunds S, Biggs H, Goldie I, et al. ​Lets Get Physical: the Impact of Physical 
Activity on Wellbeing​. Mental Health Foundation; 2013. 
https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/sites/default/files/lets-get-physical-report.pd
f. Accessed September 6, 2019. 
6. O’Donovan G, Lee I, Hamer M, Stamatakis E. Association of “Weekend Warrior” 
and Other Leisure Time Physical Activity Patterns With Risks for All-Cause, 
Cardiovascular Disease, and Cancer Mortality. J ​ AMA Intern Med. 
2017;177(3):335–342. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2016.8014 
7. Harber, V.J. & Sutton, J.R. Sports Medicine (1984) 1: 154. 
https://doi.org/10.2165/00007256-198401020-00004 
8. Deslandes A, Moraes H, Ferreira C, Veiga H, Silveira H, Mouta R, Pompeu F, A, 
M, S, Coutinho E, S, F, Laks J: Exercise and Mental Health: Many Reasons to 
Move. Neuropsychobiology 2009;59:191-198. doi: 10.1159/000223730