A Little Exercise, Big Mental Health Boost

(WebMD)  Better mental health may be one of the benefits of exercise and physical activity, and it may take as little as 20 minutes per week to get that benefit.

That news comes from a study of more than 19,000 men and women in Scotland who completed surveys about their mental health and physical activity.

The surveys, taken between 1995 and 2003, covered a wide range of activities, including sports, walking, heavy-duty housework, and gardening. Participants noted how often, and how vigorously, they did those things.

A total of 3,200 participants had a high level of psychological distress.

People who got as little as 20 minutes per week of any physical activity were less likely than inactive people to report psychological distress. Taking part in sports and getting daily physical activity showed the strongest link to less psychological distress.

Being active can help manage stress, note the researchers, who included Mark Hamer, PhD, of University College London's department of epidemiology and public health.

"Although as little as 20 minutes of physical activity might provide some benefit, those individuals that were physically active every day had the lowest risks of mental and physical ill health," Hamer tells WebMD in an email. "Therefore, I'd recommend to stick to current guidelines that suggest at least 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity five times per week."

The study, published in the advance online edition of the British Journal of Sports Medicine, doesn't show which came first: active lives or less psychological distress. "The state of depression can make people less active," Hamer says.

Still, the findings held regardless of age, sex, social class, BMI (body mass index), long-standing illness, smoking , and other factors.




By Miranda Hitti
Reviewed by Louise Chang
©2005-2008 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved

[erasmus6]

"Years past, even before my time, when most American workers were physically very active, there didn''''t seem to be the epidemic of depression and other mental disfunction we see today." Posted by LloydBest1

Of course back then people didn''t talk about it and probably didn''t know what it was.

There are so many more things that contribute to it today, I think. The world is changing at a much faster rate. There is so much c-r-a-p going on in the world today. There are more and more people getting extreme allergies and people that get sick from breathing the toxic fumes coming off carpets, vinyl, plastics etc. These things don''t bother some people but others can get very sick. When people are constantly having to deal with these things, it can''t not effect your state of mind. And if you already suffer from depression, this could make things a lot worse.

[shawnhussey]

I exercise every day to maintain my health.A person doesn''t have to run marathons to stay healthy.Moderate exercise is all it takes.

[shawnhussey]

This study makes a good deal of sense to me.I almost always feel better after I exercise.I think walking and bicycling are two of the best exercises.If most Americans exercised on a regular basis, our country would have much lower rates of heart disease,obsity, and diabetes.I believe in exercise with all my heart.

[lloydbest1]

The article can''t mean 20 minutes a week. That has to be "20 minutes per day". We can not possibly be that sedentary.
I have often wondered if the percieved (or real) increase in depression isn''t tied to inactivity in some way. Years past, even before my time, when most American workers were physically very active, there didn''t seem to be the epidemic of depression and other mental disfunction we see today.
Speaking personally I have done very well with my periodic depressive states by getting off my duff and exercising. And for me that IS all it takes.
But, as one previous poster put it, some of us do need a little extra help.

[displeased]

20 minutes a week? And they say people who get less than that are inactive? That''s funny stuff...

[erasmus6]

"...Tom Cruise got attacked for saying exercise and nutrition can do wonders for a persons mental and emotion state?" Posted by aheadofcrowd

No one is questioning the fact that exercise and nutrition can do wonders for a persons mental and emotional state. The reason he was being attacked was because he was saying that that is all it will take to make a difference in a person that is severely depressed and that there was no need for pills. For starters everyone is different and I doubt if he is qualified to make that kind of statement. A person that is severely depressed like Brooke Shields and many others who consider hurting themsleves among other things, I doubt and so do millions of doctors, that exercise and nutrition will be enough.

[aheadofcrowd]

I''m a avid health-nut and know this subject very, very well. I was wondering if anyone else might have noticed that Tom Cruise got attacked for saying exercise and nutrition can do wonders for a persons mental and emotion state? Of course you did, because their still attacking him for saying exactly what the media is saying. Can you get more hypocritical than that? When is the apology to Mr. Cruise and his family coming BTW? My guess is never.