Exercise and Mental Health
After seeing Alexandra Mae Jones article ( https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/physical-activity-should-be-considered-as-front-line-treatment-for-depression-scientific-review-1.6309158 ) on CTV News on Sunday, I was curious to read a little bit more into the study that was conducted at the University of South Australia ( https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/early/2023/03/02/bjsports-2022-106195) . Dr. Ben Signh and his team set out to see what side effects physical activity will have on mental health.
Here are the key points from the study:
*The studies done were on people mostly suffering with mild-to-moderate symptoms.
The purpose of this study was to find the effects of physical activity on symptoms of depression, anxiety and psychological distress in adult populations. Meta-analyses of randomised controlled trials were designed to increase physical activity in an adult population that have been assessed with depression, anxiety or psychological distress. There were over 1,000 trails conducted which included over 128,000 people taking part. Those people were “healthy” adults, people with mental health disorders and people with various chronic diseases.
They found that physical activity had positive effects on every part of the population that took part in the trials, with greater results on those who have HIV, kidney disease, on pregnant and postpartum woman and “healthy” individuals.
Signh and his team concluded that physical activity is highly beneficial for improving symptoms of depression, anxiety and distress across a wide range of adult populations. Once again this included the general population, people with diagnosed mental health disorders and people with chronic disease.
Signh states, “Physical activity should be a mainstay approach in the management of depression, anxiety and psychological distress.”
So there you have it. I’m sure most people are not surprised with the results. We all know that physical activity is good for our bodies and our minds. The outcome of this study is self-explanatory- a wide range of our population will have positive mental health side effects from exercise.
Over the years, I have worked (trained) with many people who have or suffered from depression. I know firsthand how much of a positive impact exercise can have on their lives. The majority of them were dedicated, worked hard and showed up for their scheduled workouts. What was unfortunate was that it was very hard for a lot of depressed people to find the motivation to exercise on their own.
As Dr. Signh says, “Physical activity is known to improve mental health. Yet despite the evidence, it has not been widely adopted as a first-choice treatment.” This is not a new idea, but what if doctors were able to prescribe exercise with a trainer or a group class and have the costs covered? Not only would doctors/government be helping their patients with their mental health, but they would also be preventing heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, dementia, and many types of cancer.
Unfortunately, many people who would benefit the most from exercise cannot afford to pay for personal trainers or group classes. This means that they may not have access to the resources they need to improve their physical and mental health. If the costs of exercise were covered, it could make a significant difference in the lives of these individuals.
Overall, the idea of prescribing exercise with a trainer or group class, and having the costs covered could be a powerful tool in improving the physical and mental health of individuals, especially those who need it the most. By providing access to exercise resources, doctors and governments could help prevent chronic health conditions while also improving mental health outcomes, and pave the way for a healthy, happier society.
FAQ
We certainly do! You can either purchase programs or book personal training sessions and be given your workout at the end of the session.
We have free parking, showers, sweat/shower towels, wifi and toiletries.
If you need to reschedule a session, no worries at all! Just give us a 24 hour heads up and you will not be charged for your workout.
Ideally, you should have some form of fuel in your system before you workout. Eating an easily digested carbohydrate an hour or so before you come to the studio ensures that you’ll have enough energy in the tank to get through your workout. Fruit is always a great option if you are concerned about getting an upset stomach. But once again everyone is different so experiment with what works best for you.
Most likely you will start to feel better before you really see the results. We always remind clients to celebrate everything along their fitness journey- whether it is lifting a heavier weight, recruiting the proper muscle groups or dropping/gaining inches. The more consistent you stay to your workout and nutrition plan the quicker you will see physical results.
There is no magic pill or diet. At the end of the day it is a very simple equation and that is calories in vs. calories out. If you would like to lose weight you need to eat fewer calories than you are burning. If you are looking to put on weight you want to eat more calories than you are burning.
We definitely believe we are the best gym in Edmonton. With our owner having 15 years of experience in the fitness industry, being named one of the Top 10 Trainers in Canada by Muscle Insider and having owned training studios for over 12 years there is confidence in our team. Every trainer is fully certified and extremely knowledgeable with tons of experience from all types of clientele. Don’t believe us? Come try out a free one-on-one personal training session and find out for yourself.
All of our trainers are fully certified and have the knowledge to help you reach your goals. We are so confident that you will love our team that our first training is always free. We will literally put our money with our mouth to prove to you that we are what you are looking for.
You’ve come to the right place. Zone 105 is a private personal training studio and our only goal is for you to crush yours.
That is a loaded question but weight loss comes down to a simple equation – calories in vs. calories out. If you eat less calories than you burn you should lose weight. Unfortunately sometimes the scale can be stubborn but your body composition will change. That is why we always recommend that you take measurements to also track your progress.
We are a private personal training studio located centrally in Edmonton. All of our clients in the gym can only work out when they are with their trainer so you will never have to deal with a busy, public gym.