RMC BLOG
Exercise and Mental Health
Exercising for as little as 10 minutes per day can improve our mood and energy levels.
Exercise can improve your mental health through
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Releasing endorphins which make you feel happier
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Improving mood
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Improving social connection and relationships with others
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Improving sleep
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Increasing energy
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Great stress reliever
If you’re struggling with motivation or getting started, here are some tips
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Start with a small goal- maybe a 10 minute walk each day
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Build up at your own pace
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Have you support network- grad a friend or get in touch a supportive RMC instructor and they can guide you
The big question- how quickly should we see results?
Heart Rate: changes within a couple of weeks
Your heart is a muscle and as you become fitter, your heart becomes stronger. Your heart will pump more blood per beat than before and this can in turn decrease your resting heart rate.
People who are fitter will also tend to have a heart rate that recovers faster after exercise.
Blood pressure: changes within a couple of weeks
Those with high blood pressure and perform regular aerobic activity will see a 7 and 6 mmHg reduction in their systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
Ensure you discuss your blood pressure and have it taken by your doctor as your next visit. It will be interesting to track over time.
Aerobic fitness: Changes in a month or two
Improvements range from 5-30% with a regular, sustained program.
Discuss with an RMC instructor to discuss some testing that can be undertaken to develop benchmark mark assessments.
Muscle Fitness: Expect to see small changes in the first few weeks
Within three to six months, an individual can see a 25 to 100% improvement in their muscle fitness, as long as a regular resistance program is performed.
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Mental Health- changes in as little as 10 minutes
Even brief walks, at low intensity, can improve our mood and energy levels. We can start to notice the benefit on our mental through 10 minutes of aerobic training.
Ways to Assist Recovery
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Ensure you’re getting enough sleep
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7-9 hours is recommended
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Schedule recovery
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Stretch, mobility, massage, or have a rest day
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Avoid over-training
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A 5-10% increase in exercise load per week is safe. Slowly build up your exercise routine. ​
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Exercise Recommendations
It is recommended that individuals should be doing at least 30 minutes per day or 150 minutes a week of moderate intensity cardiovascular exercise plus two strength sessions per week.
Regular structured exercises is vital to significantly reducing the risk of but also managing chronic health conditions such as diabetes, mental health illnesses, arthritis, cancer, cardiovascular disease, pulmonary/respiratory conditions plus many more.
Tips to achieve this:
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Break it up with smaller bouts to make it more achievable for you. Always remember some exercise is better than none!
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If you’re struggling to get started, just start small and build up at your own pace
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Have a chat to one of our RMC instructors to seek appropriate advice and support.
Social Participation, Creating the Right Environment and Mental Wellbeing
Social Participation:
People without social support are five times more likely to experience a mental illness. Social participation and support are strongly linked to a long life and improved ability to handle stressful life situations.
​Creating the Right Environment:
Research indicates stigma, discrimination, and being ignored are all experiences that have worsened or created a barrier to social connectedness for people experiencing mental illnesses.
We at Run Move Connect are aware of this and work to create an inclusive, nurturing and supportive environment for all members.
Group Activity Benefits:
In a large study, psychological distress can be reduced by 34% from participating in group activity.
Further more:
Exercise improves cognitive function and self esteem and is deemed as potent as medication for moderate cases of anxiety and depression.