“Lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being, while movement and methodical physical exercise save it and preserve it.” – Plato

The fact that exercise provides significant health benefits has been known since the time of Plato, the philosopher who lived more than 2,000 years ago. A timeless truth. Irrespective of your age or fitness level, making time for exercise provides some serious physical, mental and emotional health benefits. You think clearer, feel more confident, express a better version of you in the world.

The impact of small amounts of movement in your day can really add up. Symptoms of chronic anxiety, stress and mild depression can all be helped by regular exercise.

Exercise is one of the most effective ways to stimulate the chemical reactions in your brain that make for a positive mental and emotional state. I call it the biochemical cocktail of brilliance. So let’s have a closer look at some of my top mental health benefits of exercise to consider.

1 Reduce negative effects of stress

For all sorts of reasons, modern life has become increasingly stressful for many people. Exercise is a natural stress-buster, reducing levels of stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, and is a terrific way to reduce feelings of anxiety, nervous tension or negativity. Exercise takes you away from the “fight or flight”, always-on, highly wired state and busyness of your mind towards a more “pause and plan”, chilled-out, relaxed state. It allows you to quieten your inner critic, that voice that replays all sorts of negative scenarios in your mind. It is one of the best ways to destress physically and mentally, clearing away feelings of stress from a tough day at work. A real win-win.

2 Boost happy chemicals

Exercise and movement produce feel-good brain chemicals that toughen you up physically, psychologically and emotionally. They fire up positivity, fine-tune brain circuitry and encourage a more positive self-image, boosting self-esteem, self-confidence and self-worth. Furthermore, they play a major role in buffering the impact of negative stress, anxiety and depression on the brain.

Endorphins are sometimes called a “natural high”, reducing pain, helping you feel more calm, energised and optimistic. Dopamine boosts motivation, attention, learning, reward and satisfaction. As a result, you are more likely to persist with a new habit and to get out in the world and do things, resulting in a greater sense of personal accomplishment.

Serotonin in many ways acts as the brain’s own natural antidepressant, boosting self-confidence with a more positive body image; while oxytocin enhances empathy and connection. Noradrenaline moderates the response of the brain to negative stress, dampening anxiety. Little wonder then that research has shown that exercise can be a highly effective antidepressant, in some cases just as effective as prescribed medication.

3 Alleviate anxiety

Exercise is a great antidote to feelings of anxiety, supporting you in feeling more calm and controlled. I consider it a terrific anti-anxiety vaccine. As you exercise and move, brain circuits are rewired so that the amygdala (the red button for stress in the brain) is prevented from running amok and reacting to perceived fear and danger everywhere it looks. Resilience is enhanced as you realise you have more control over how you feel.

4 Boost brainpower

Unfortunately, as you age, you tend to lose brain cells, which can lead to memory loss, and in some cases even dementia. Exercise can help protect the brain against loss of cells from the hippocampus, an important part of the brain for memory and learning.

By increasing the bloodflow to the brain, new pathways are created between brain cells in a process called neuroplasticity, which helps your brain to learn and retain new information.

This enables exercise to help protect your brain against memory loss, or cognitive decline, as you get older. So exercise can help your IQ and can improve your short-term memory. Exercise can also boost the growth of new brain cells (neurogenesis) and improve overall brain performance. It increases levels of a brain-derived protein known as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Described as “miracle-group” for the brain, it acts like a reset button on stress, protecting the brain while helping to repair and replace brain cells. It is believed to help with learning, higher thinking and decision making.

5 Help control addiction

Dopamine is the brain’s reward chemical released in response to any form of reward, whether pleasurable or painful – including likes on Facebook, alcohol, sugar, drugs or gambling. Dopamine release is one of the key mechanisms in the brain pathways for addiction and dependency on the craving initiating it.

The good news is that exercise can support recovery from addiction by creating an effective form of distraction enabling you to deprioritise cravings. It may also dampen down parts of the brain involved in the addictive process.

Exercise (as long as it’s not within two to three hours of scheduled sleep) can also help to reboot and restore your natural circadian rhythm and body clock, enabling you to hit the hay and sleep more soundly. This strengthens your willpower muscle supporting good lifestyle habits.

6 Feel the flow

Exercise can bring on what’s known by psychologists as the flow state, whereby you are in the zone. The beta waves of the busy “monkey mind” move towards a chilled-out relaxed alpha state – peak experience and peak performance. Quite simply, to think, feel and be closer to your creative best and express a better version of you in the world. This positivity can spill over into every aspect of your life, improving your relationships, your career and your enjoyment of life in general.

7 Green exercise

If you’re like me (and many others), you like to spend time outdoors in nature. And if you’re fortunate enough to work on the land, that connection with the outdoors becomes part and parcel of who you are.

Biophilia is the scientific term for this biological need to connect with nature. The terms comes from Greek meaning “love of life and the living world”. This innate tendency to react positively to nature comes from your DNA, hard-wired into your physiology. It is a key element to psychological, physical, emotional, spiritual and overall vitality.

Spending time in nature is something that enables me to recharge after a stressful day and regain inner balance; to feel more relaxed and rested, clearing the fog from a busy day.

One of my favourite places for “green exercise” is the Mount Congreve Gardens. Just think for a moment how trees and forests unconditionally give you so much, from purifying the air and producing oxygen to providing shelter and a safe space to recharge and reconnect.

There is a wealth of scientific data supporting the health and healing benefits of nature.

If you would like to learn more about forest bathing and experience these health benefits, join me for a talk at Mount Congreve Gardens, Waterford, on Sunday 30 June. Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram @drmarkrowe