You’ve likely heard by now of the positive impact exercise can have on your mental health, the benefits of which have been widely documented in scientific studies and the press over the years.
We know that there is a strong connection between regular exercise and good brain health; a mass of endorphins rushing through your body, an increase of oxygen in your blood and brain and elevated feelings post-workout are some of the positive side-effects of participating in any exercise. But how does strength training help when it comes to lessening the symptoms of depression? One study featured in JAMA Psychiatry explored this theme, focusing on the effect of strength training on depression across 33 experiments and collating their findings where they documented positive outcomes.
Looking at people with differing degrees of depressive symptoms, strength training saw improvements in all, regardless of their mental health status at the beginning of the study or “whether or not the RET intervention resulted in a significant improvement in strength”.
This is also a positive outcome for those who can’t perform other aerobic exercises for whatever reason, giving them the option to exercise with the slow, controlled movements of strength training without having to get on the treadmill and resulting in more inclusive mental health management.
This consistent weekly dose of strength training can help tone your body’s muscles and boost your well-being, but it also plays a part in changing your cognitive function. In this study on Eurapa looking at the structural brain changes in response to resistance exercises it is noted that strength training “ evoked substantial functional brain changes, especially in the frontal lobe, which were accompanied by improvements in executive functions”. The study also highlighted the increased activity in the Hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for memory, which shrinks as we age.
Of course, there are many factors at play in managing any mental health conditions and although exercise of any form isn’t a cure for depression, it is worth noting that even in those that felt like they didn’t want to exercise they felt more positive afterwards, even just because they got the workout done. Whether you are dealing with mental health issues or not, incorporating resistance training into your life can have huge health benefits, in the short and long term, and it is never too late to start.
