Physical Exercise Research Paper

Some hypothesize that moderate levels of exercise will decrease the symptoms of mental health conditions (Blumenthal et al., 2007; Diaz & Motta, 2008; Motta, Kuligowski, & Marino, 2010; Rosenbaum, Nguyen, Lenehan, Tiedemann, van der Ploeg, & Sherrington, 2011) and therefore be used as an alternative or complimentary treatment option for mental health (Libby, Pilver, & Desai, 2012).

Many researches indicated that exercise have impact on mental disorders such as depression. Depression is a common problem that affects many people’s lives directly or indirectly, through their family members or friends. This paper will introduce the definition of exercise and depression, what the influence that exercise have on depression, biological supportive reason, under what circumstance the treatment have the best influence and the negative effects on certain condition.

In the book, Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and The Brain by Dr. John J. Ratey, MD (2008), Ratey discuses how exercise can help treat many mood disorders and how it can help strengthen our brains. This book is divided into ten chapters all with five to ten subsections in them. The chapters include: Welcome to the revolution: A Case Study on Exercise and the brain, Learning, Stress, Anxiety, Depression, Attention Deficit, Addiction, Hormonal Changers, Aging, and the Regimen.

This was a cross-sectional study that took place in the early 70’s, with the connection between physical activity and helping combat depression in the elderly demographic. The value of exercise is widely known for a plethora of reasons, but in regard to depression it has been an invaluable outlet for many; “increased feelings of self-efficacy, self- perceptions of control and mastery, reduced physiologic responses to stress, and beneficial effects on neurotransmitters such as increased serotonin and endorphins” (Kritz-Silverstein, Barrett-Connor, & Corbeau, 2001, p. 596).

For decades, scientists have been studying the positive effect that exercise has on the brain They have found that exercise reduced stress, improved cognitive functioning and kept depression at bay. An article from Harvard Medical School stated that exercise reduced the levels of adrenaline and cortisol and stimulated the production of endorphins, the brains mood elevators. Endorphins can create the feeling of relaxation. Similar findings were also reported by the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. They found that aerobic exercise decreases overall stress, stabilizes mood, and improves sleep.

Mental health is a major concern for the general population, but especially for university students (Reeves et al., 2011; Hunt and Eisenberg, 2010; Biddle and Asare, 2011). It is important to look at what causes mental health issues, such as psychological distress, and what can be done to help eliminate or treat them (Hunt and Eisenberg, 2010; Knowlden, Hackman, and Sharma, 2015; Biddle and Asare, 2011). One possible factor when looking at what could influence psychological distress is physical activity (Knowlden, Hackman, and Sharma, 2015). There have been countless studies on the role that exercise plays in mental (Knowlden, Hackman, and Sharma, 2015; Biddle and Asare, 2011; Mailey et al., 2012). Physical activity has been

Physical activity has also been shown to help with psychological issues, by helping people improve their control over symptoms such as anxiety and depression. It has thought, that by 2020, depression will follow cardiovascular disease as one of the world's leading causes of death and disability (WHO, 2010). Depression is commonly treated by medication or by taking part in therapy sessions. However, studies have reported that more people are now looking at physical activity as a way of dealing with feelings of depression (Weinberg & Gould, 2007). For example, a study by Hassmen, Koivula and Uutela (2000), found that subjects who participated in physical activity at least twice a week, experienced significantly less depression, anger, cynical distrust, and stress compared to those who exercised less or none all together. Therefore, suggesting the use of physical activity as an alternative method to treating common psychological issues than prescription drugs.

There are more than only physical effects when people exercise on a regular basis. “Exercise increases the body’s level of endorphins, chemicals in the brain that reduce pain and induce a sense of well-being”(Johnston). This means that exercise also improves mood, boosts energy levels, and in some cases, help relieve thoughts

This study assessed heart rate, blood pressure, and pulse oximeter readings at rest and during exercise. The heart rate (HR), blood pressure (BP), and oximetery measurements provide better insight into the inner workings of the human body. In using the results of the assessment, one can determine the affects that rest and exercise have on the cardiac system.

Lastly being physically fit relates to ones mental is study's found that regular physical activity to stay fit helps memory and to learn new things. Although this may seem like It doesn’t relate to mental health it does it two way one negative and one positive. So not only physical activity helps your memory but it can also be used in a variety of ways to help with school. A person who is not doing so well in school can either study after exercising or involve studying with his exercise. The negative part of this is that this might explain why some people aren't doing so good in school. Although people think being skinny is being fit it isnt, so when a person is failing or cant remember as much it might be due to the fact that the person rarely

Distinguished ladies and gentlemen of the Alpine School District Board of Education, we have a problem. The students of this day and age have unhealthy postural and backpack usage habits that, if left alone, will lead to chronic pain throughout life and improper alignment of the body, which can cause many other medical issues. It is not right to allow this upcoming generation to suffer, when there are highly feasible (and effective) solutions that we can implement.

The topic that I chose to write about was depression and exercise. I have personal experience with this topic so I have an interest in reading and writing about this topic. This discussion deals with the relationship between exercising and depression. Many people believe that exercising helps with depression and boosts your mood, happiness and overall enjoyment of life. This is important because over 350 million people around the globe suffer from depression, 18 million of those people being in the United States. Many researchers, including some psychologists, believe exercise to be a way to help many psychological problems, including depression. In this paper, I will be talking about depression and exercise, what exercise can do not only

They found that an exercise training programme could be an alternative treatment for MDD. Although antidepressants had a more rapid response than exercise, after 16 weeks of exercise the effectiveness in reducing depression was equal to the anti-depressants. A study also found that a single bout of exercise could result in substantial improvements in mood, which shows that it’s not just duration and frequency. However, it may be that the improvement in mood is only temporary (Dimeo et al., 2001). Lawler and Hopker (2001) stated that effectiveness of exercise on depression couldn’t be determined due to lack of quality research based on clinical populations. They also wrote that the explanations of the results may have been that depressed patients who did regular exercise could have got positive feedback from other people and a sense of self worth, which may act as a diversion from negative thoughts. Physical activity was found to be linked with less coexisting depression, which remains the same after controlling for gender, age, and race. The results of the study showed that physical activity is helpful with medical problems, life stressors and quality of sleep (Harris et al., 2006).

Exercise may be one of the most important influences on your overall health to date. While the only benefits that are mainly focused on are the physical benefits, significant psychological impacts can also be linked to exercise. Although some of these benefits aren’t viewed with much enthusiasm, studies have proven that exercise can actually improve one’s quality of life greatly by increasing not only their physical health but their mental health as well. It is because of this that exercise is a

I know that exercise helps develop strong muscles, reduces the risk of chronic diseases, and increases self-esteem. Exercise releases a certain “feel-good” neurotransmitter, a protein that communicates between brain cells and is responsible for mood, known as serotonin. Last year, in Introduction to Psychology, I did my presentation on MDD, major depression disorder. This psychological disorder is strongly linked with a severe deficiency of these neurotransmitters. The beautiful thing about exercise is that everyone has the ability to do it in a variety of forms; it is not dependant on socioeconomic conditions, nor is it dependent on current physique.