Why movement is medicine for your mind
A squat to the left. A lunge to the right. Consider getting your body moving before turning to medication says physiotherapist Dr. Nicola Ying
Text: Nicola Y
The alarm buzzes. You let out a big old sigh. It’s way more effort than it should be to fumble for your phone, like it almost hurts to make a physical movement.
Sound familiar? The groundhog-day-ness of this whole ‘new normal’ has certainly played havoc with my mood, energy levels and most importantly, my mental health. Not at the beginning though, the beginning was different.
Circuit breaker almost came as a welcome respite from my hectic day to day hustling as a physiotherapist. Looking back, I’m not sure how I fit work, socialising and working out regularly and all of life’s gubbins into my day. Initially, I remained vigilant with my exercise regime. Prior to lockdown I’d be doing Brazilian jiujitsu and Muay Thai 3-4 times a week and trying to squeeze in long walks with my bulldog. After all, as a physiotherapist and fitness and movement advocate, it would be little hypocritical for me to suddenly become sedentary.
Our bodies are designed for movement
But as time went on, my enthusiasm for working out dwindled and the wine called my name. It wasn’t long before I began showing signs of depression. As the kilos piled on — three to four kilos on my 1.5m frame — my home athleisurewear started to feel snug and my energy and confidence plunged. No amount of lululemon could mask the signs of my dinner and drinks from the night before.
Motivation was non-existent and so began the vicious cycle of Netflix, foodpanda and alcohol. Sounds pretty great, right? Only in theory. In reality, our bodies are designed for movement. As cheesy as it sounds, movement is medicine.
We know from trials that our brain thrives on exercise. Our mind lights up like Orchard Rd at Christmas after a twenty-minute walk and endless studies back this up. Statistics also show that moderate intensity exercise improves cognitive function in children. Research into ageing and exercise in an older population supports increased high-level processing, increased signalling in memory, and it’s associated with reducing the risk of developing Alzheimer’s. Also, you get to wear fabulous exercise gear. So why then — especially when we are being encouraged to do so (albeit with restrictions) — are we not getting up and out more?
Help for mental health issues has never been championed so vigorously. We know that depression and anxiety disorders are being diagnosed more frequently than in previous years, with 5.8% of the adult population in Singapore suffering from Major Depressive Disorder at some point in their lifetime. For many, the first line of treatment is antidepressants and/or counselling. I’m not saying that if you feel you are suffering from a mental health issue you should not seek help, or that if you’re prescribed medication by your doctor that you should not take it. I believe in the power of having a conversation to assist with mental health. Therefore, I would ask; why not try something that carries less side effects? (I’d definitely opt for going for a run as opposed to dealing with a potential dry mouth and constipation!).
Regular exercise reduces symptoms of anxiety
A 2018 study took college students and found depression and inflammatory markers declined in the HIIT (high intensity interval training) exercise group after six weeks, and the intensity of exercise played a key role in boosting their mental health. Long term, the benefits of exercise for the purpose of treating depression is poorly understood, however, Cochrane’s review (Cochrane studies are the highest calibre of clinical trials and systematic reviews published — basically gold standard intervention) of the use of exercise for depression supports it fully as an adjunct therapy. Several other studies favour the use of exercise as it is as comparable as therapy and antidepressants, at least in the short term.
Of course, hundreds of trials are carried out each year. Some are of a higher standard than others, but one thing they do not dispute is that exercise improves depressive symptoms in individuals. The ‘how’ and ‘why’ is still up for debate.
Regular exercise is also attributed with a lower sympathetic nervous drive which reduces symptoms of anxiety. In addition to all the ‘happy hormones’ being release, it has countless benefits on our cardiovascular system and musculoskeletal system. (Also, let’s be real, we’re all a little shallow and when we start to think we look good, we feel good).
How to get started? Try a simple bodyweight workout or some Pilates/yoga at home — whatever floats your boat — followed by a 20–30-minute walk around your neighbourhood at moderate intensity. Intensity-wise, you should still be able to talk on the phone without losing your breath but still get your heart rate up. Try this twice a week, and increase according to how your body responds.
Whether you’re exercising for sport, health or to push yourself as part of a ‘new’ you, there’s no harm in improving your cognitive function, memory and mental health while you do so. Just don’t push yourself too hard. Otherwise, you might need to see a physio. 😊
About the author
Dr. Nicola Ying (Physiotherapy) is a AHPC registered physiotherapist at ProHealth Physiofocus. Her areas of specialisation include neurological rehab, shoulder rehabilitation and injury prevention as well as vestibular rehabilitation. Nicola believes in holistic treatment of the individual and tailors her programmes accordingly. She is a strong advocate for movement and fitness for all regardless of limitations. Nicola is also Singapore’s only Wheelchair Rugby Classifier and volunteers with the Singapore Wheelchair Rugby Team.
