links between mental and physical health

It has been scientifically proven (and by researchers at Duke University) that exercise can be an effective antidepressant.

Other research has shown that exercise can improve the brain functioning of the elderly, and may even protect against dementia.

But how, you might ask, does exercise improve mental health?

One theory of how exercise links to brain operation is the fact that exercise triggers the production of endorphins, similar to the way morphine reacts with the brain. These endorphins may be produced as natural pain-relievers in response to the shock that the body receives during exercise. It is still in question, but figured to be likely, whether these substances improve mood.

So say they do improve mood. Does that mean that when you’ve had a terrible day, where nothing seems to go as planned, that you can just exercise all your worries away? Well actually, studies show that endorphins do not cross the blood-brain barrier easily. What this means is that their ability to relieve pain probably occurs at the level of the spinal cord, leaving some other mechanism responsible for the mental health effects of exercise. This “other mechanism” may be purely psychological, and something of the exercisee (the person enduring the physical activity) to determine.

In a sense it is like hopping a fence. A typical fence hopper will have a strong companion to give him or her a lift before he or she proceeds to hop the fence. The endorphins act as the companion, who provides the little, but essential, boost needed to begin the process of jumping the fence. The rest is left to the fence climber who must conquer the fence him/herself, or in this case, feel the mental effects of a solid exercise.

Recent studies have also found that exercise boosts activity in the brain's hippocampus (hippowhat?), the part of the brain that is associated with memory. It has been shown to help brain cells survive longer, which would explain its useful effects on the elder.

The bottom line is that exercise truly does reap positive benefits both mentally and physically. It is suggested that anyone who is capable of exercise should take part in some sort of regular physical activity because the effects of exercise are life lasting.