Exercise and Psychological Well-Being

Are you one of the 16 million Americans who suffer from depression, or one of the approximately 32 million who experience anxiety or stress? (1) It has been “estimated that by the year 2020, depression will surpass cancer as the second largest worldwide cause of disability and death, behind cardiovascular disease."(2) Although people typically deal with these issues through counseling, individuals are now looking at exercise as a way to enhance their psychological well-being. There is ample support for the belief that exercise can improve mood, which is why many clinical psychologists and psychiatrists view exercise as an adjunct to therapy.(2) Not only is exercise beneficial to mental health, it is also more cost effective than therapy, and is associated with numerous other positive health benefits.(3)

Depression

Some of the symptoms of depression include withdrawal, inactivity, and feelings of hopelessness and loss of control. Because exercise can alleviate these symptoms, exercise can be a useful intervention tool for depression.(4) In support of the effects of exercise on depression, “a recent Gallup poll identified exercise as a close second behind religion as an alternative means of relieving depression.”(1)

Researchers have even examined exercise as a treatment for depression. Individuals who had been diagnosed as depressed were put into three groups: time-limited psychotherapy (10 weeks), time-unlimited psychotherapy, and a running-treatment group. Under the guidance of a running therapist, runners would stretch, walk, and run for 30-45 minutes, and discuss issues while exercising, with little emphasis on the depression itself. Results indicated that six of the eight patients in the running-treatment group were essentially well at the end of three weeks; another had recovered by the end of the 16th week; and only one neither improved nor deteriorated. This should not be taken to mean that depressed individuals should drop out of traditional forms of treatment, just that running is a useful adjunct to traditional treatment.(4)

Anxiety

Anxiety is defined as a state of worry, apprehension, or tension. It occurs many times without real or obvious danger. Research has shown that many people feel calm after a hard workout. They have forgotten their worries, and use exercise as an outlet for their nervous energy.(2) Thus, like depression, exercise seems to alleviate the symptoms of anxiety.

In one study, subjects were placed in one of three groups: jogging, stress-inoculation training, and waiting list. The participants’ self-report statements indicated that both the jogging and stress-inoculation groups had lower levels of anxiety than the waiting-list group immediately following the intervention. Furthermore, this finding held true when researchers followed up one month and 15 months later. It is important to note that the joggers only continued to experience lower levels of anxiety if they continued to exercise (which was about 40% of the original group).(4)

With anxiety, the reasons for improvement are unclear. It is thought that, in certain situations, the exercise environment plays a role in relieving anxiety, although it might be that subjects are distracted by exercise enough to divert their attention from what would normally be anxiety-producing stressors. What is clear and important for the purpose of this article is that exercise does alleviate symptoms of anxiety.

Stress

Stress includes some or all of the following symptoms: muscle tension, headache, stomach upset, racing heart, high blood pressure, sweating, flushing, dry mouth, and behaviors ranging from aggression to hyperactivity to withdrawal.(2) Stress can occur during a crisis of high impact or during the smaller everyday hassles of life. Studies have confirmed that exercise reduces and lessens the number of symptoms of stress by providing a short term distraction and increasing feelings of control, which might buffer the impact of stressful events.

In order to study stress reactivity, researchers compared the ability of exercisers and non-exercisers to recover after being subjected to a stressor, such as a timed, frustrating mental activity. In order to determine the magnitude of their psychological and physiological response to stress, and the amount of time it takes to return to baseline levels, these activities were given either to people who were in shape, or to people following intense exercise. It is believed that exercise may contribute to a “hardy” personality type, which is a person who can transform or buffer stressful events into less stressful forms by altering their perception of those events and placing less value on them. In that exercise contributes to a person’s hardiness, it is believed that exercise can lead to a reduction of stress-related illness by buffering reactions to stressful life events.(3)

Conclusion

From the above discussion, “it is clear that there are many benefits on psychological functioning that result from exercise.”(4) However, it is important to note that, although there is a relationship between exercise and psychological well-being, exercise should not be thought of as the sole cause for the improvements in psychological well-being.

So how do we tie all of this together? One of the best approaches for people dealing with depression, anxiety, or stress is to use exercise as an adjunct to any other forms of treatment that might be necessary. And in order for exercise to work in alleviating symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress, it has been suggested that the workout environment include fun, consistency, an avoidance of competitive situations, and activities that are personally satisfying and enjoyable.(1)


References
(1) Weinberg RS, Gould D. Foundations of Sport & Exercise Psychology. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics Publishers, Inc. 2003.
(2) Buckworth J, Dishman, RK. Exercise Psychology. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics Publishers, Inc. 2002.
(3) Landers DM, Dishman RK. Physical Activity and Mental Health. In Singer RN, Hausenblas HA, Janelle CM (Eds.). Handbook of Sport Psychology. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2001. p. 740-766.
(4) Anonymous. EXERCISE: Psychological Benefits of Exercise. The Online Journal of Sport Psychology. Psyched. 2002. Retrieved October 10, 2003 from http://www.psychedonline.org/articles/Vol2Iss2/PsychExerciseBenefits.htm

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Weight Loss & Weight Fluctuation

The Scale Tells the Whole Story Over Time

On any given day, the scale can lie and your true progress won’t be accurately reflected by your weight. This is because body weight can fluctuate on a daily basis due to the amount of fluid we retain. Foods high in sodium, menstrual cycles, certain medications and bowel movements can increase fluid retention and skew your weight. However, over time the scale tells the whole story. If your weight creeps up after two or three weeks, you’ve been eating more calories than you’re burning.
The opposite is also true – if your weight decreases after two to three weeks, you’ve been eating fewer calories than you’re burning. A steady weight indicates the calories you’re burning and consuming are equal.

Other Ways to Measure Progress

If you’re making progress in at least two of the following areas, you’re on the right track:
• Inches lost
• Body fat percentage
• Clothing size or fit
• Energy levels

Gaining muscle is another way to gauge your progress. For example, if you’ve gained a pound of muscle, this is not the same as gaining a pound of fat. Gaining muscle is beneficial to your metabolism and strength level. By consistently burning more calories than you eat, muscle gain will taper and fat loss will continue. The scale will eventually capture your results and you will lose weight.
Tips for Weighing In
Be sure to weigh yourself at least once a week. Those who have lost weight and kept it off check their weight on a weekly and even daily basis. To minimize fluctuations, follow these tips for weighing in:

• Wear similar clothing each time
• Use the same scale
• Weigh in at the same time of day
• Maintain similar eating and drinking patterns prior to weighing in
• Weigh in mid-week if you only check your weight weekly. Monday weigh-ins tend to be inaccurate because of food choices and eating habits on weekends

Regular weigh-ins allow you to react to small gains so they don’t become large ones. Daily weighing has been shown to prevent weight gain. If you want to know exactly how to adjust your intake or activity level on a daily basis, email your weight to the dotFIT Weight Coach and get instant feedback. Click here to send an email to a coach who will provide more info.

References
1. Wing R and Hill J. Successful weight loss maintenance. Ann Rev Nutr. 2001. 21:232-41.
2. Levitsky DA, Garay J, Nausbaum M, Neighbors L, DellaValle DM. Monitoring weight daily blocks the freshman weight gain: a model for combating the epidemic of obesity. Int J Obes. 2006 Jun;30(6):1003-10.

Quick Workout

Here is a quick workout that wills burn a ton of calories if you are short on time:

Get ups- 15
Pushups- 15
Chin ups-15
Lunges in place- 15 each leg
Prisoner squats-15
Glute Bridge-15
Plank- 45 second hold

Go through this 2-3 times and you will burn a ton of calories in under 15 minutes.

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Today is GREAT!!

I know corny title but you know what, it is. Why? For me I get up and go to work doing what I love, my family is healthy, and I get to work with great people. We keep getting blasted with how bad things are but if people would start their day being grateful for what they have rather than how bad it is everyone’s day would start off better.

Are things tougher for us this year? Yes but we will find a way to reach our goals. You have a choice, you can meet challenges head on or you can crawl up in a corner and wither away. Either way it’s your choice, no one but you.

How is this any different with fitness? It isn’t. I know people that have tons of money but their health is in the crapper. Whose fault is it? Is it the government’s fault that they overate and never exercised? No, it is theirs.

If we don’t have our health we have nothing. If we do not feel good about ourselves physically we have nothing. At the end of the day staying in shape is the best and cheapest investment you have in these difficult times. The good news is there is no executive that is going to run away with your health, maybe your 401K but not your health and wellness.

It is all on you! It’s your choice. I choose to be healthy and grateful no matter what. How about you?

What is Important?

All of the talk the last few months has been about how bad the economy is and while you can not deny that things are certainly less than optimal it makes me wonder if our focus just attracts more of it. I know there are families out there suffering, so by no means am I downplaying the situation.

What you put your attention on most usually comes into fruition good or bad. Let’s take a look at your fitness program. Where does it fit into your life priority wise? Is it a top 3? For most people it is not or we would not have so many health related issues facing our country. This amazes me because you can be the richest person on the planet but if you are unhealthy you would trade all your money to be well and spend quality time with your loved ones.

So why not take control of your health and make it a top 3 priority? You can’t control the weather or the stock market but you can control your health and wellness. Take action and get started on that fitness program. If you know how to do it then do it! If you need help get a trainer or coach. At the end of the day you are responsible for your actions not anybody else. Get on the right program and watch the rest of your day look better because when you feel good and have tons of energy you can conquer anything.

You can make it happen! Take action today!!

Semi-Private training

The best personal training and fitness coaching in Naples, FL just got even better. In an ongoing effort to provide the best service and options we have added 2 new training options:
1. Boot Camp
2. Semi-private training

The Florida Fitness Coaches Boot Camp is a twist on traditional boot camp. It is the same great workout you would normally get but we put in the Strength, cardio, and corrective exercise all in one awesome class format! You can look at it as “Total Development”.

Our semi-private training is our same great Naples personal fitness training but done with 2-3 other people. We have been testing this and so far our clients absolutely love it and it is at half the cost of one on one personal training.

You do not want to miss out on these great workouts. If your looking for the best training in Naples come and check it out and see why we are the only fitness company to guarantee your results!