W
E’ RE ALL TOO FAMILIAR WITH THE
benefits of physical exercise for
our physical health. But curing
depression, taming anxiety and helping us
cope with bereavement? These are the perhaps
lesser-known advantages for those of us that
choose the weight bench over the counsellor’s
chaise lounge. Charlotte Willis invites us into
her world of fitness-therapy.
I’m midway through a brutal squat sequence
at the start of my hamstring and glute workout.
Ten reps for a total of 10 sets with a little
over my body weight in kgs resting across
an Olympic bar, positioned just below my
shoulders on the upper area of my back. I’m
fatigued. I’m breathless. Oh, and did I mention,
I’ve just finished an 8-hour shift at work? But
here I stand, in a weights room, pushing out my
personal best. Welcome to my therapy suite, the
doctor will see you now.
Beyond Physical Health
For myself and many others who share the same
mentality, the feeling of getting hot and heavy
in a room full of people and heavy objects is
the ultimate way to, urm, relax and unwind. In
fact, the most relaxing part of my day is totally
exhausting myself at the gym.
I wholly endorse those all-important
physical benefits to increased activity and
movement. You’ll improve the health of your
body and cardiovascular system, boost your
energy levels and support your body’s skeletal
system. With regular visits, you’ll feel fitter, and
if you’re eating the right foods your body will
reflect and reward your efforts with those all-
important physical definitions (aka gains) we
all strive to achieve (gigantic glutes anyone..?
Just me then). But the reason why many
people become hooked on exercise is due to
the varied non-physical advantages that a gym
membership brings.
Sweat the Small Stuff. Literally.
I first turned to exercise when I became
increasingly stressed during my first year at
university. The freedom of being but a short
walk away from a well-equipped gym paired
with pressure, stress and anxiety resulted in a
6-day-a-week relationship with the gym. And
it’s been love at first lift ever since.
I’m not alone. Anxiety UK, alongside
the Mental Health Foundation, launched a
campaign in 2013 aimed at encouraging us
to incorporate regular physical exercise into
our daily routines in order to safeguard our
minds. The Lets Get Physical campaign explains
how ‘Physical exercise can be very effective
in relieving stress and research has shown
that physically fit individuals have a reduced
stress response.’
When we exercise, we produce smaller
amounts of the stress hormones cortisol and
adrenaline. This is an adaptive response to
our exercise and helps us to push ourselves
through mental barriers, and it is believed that
these smaller bursts at controlled intervals act
to prime our bodies for future stress. Working
out before going off to work is the optimum
opportunity to set your mental health up for
a busy schedule. Even as little as 30 minutes
of moderate exercise is enough to engage your
brain, aiding mental clarity and helping ease
you into your day.