Do you exercise?

Physical exercise is good for your brain and mood.

Aerobic exercise is an effective antidepressant treatment for those with Major Depressive Disorder (Morres et al., 2018). Similarly, individuals with Schizophrenia experienced a reduction in psychiatric symptoms and improvement in daily functioning, co-morbid mental health issues and cognitive functioning when participating in group exercise programs (Firth, Cotter, Elliot, French and Yung., 2015).

Did you know physically active allied health practitioners are more likely to prescribe exercise as an intervention for mental health disorders (Kleemann, Bracht, Stanton & Schuch, 2020)?

Recent research found that including a clinician exercise service within a hospital mental health service was viable and acceptable (Furzer, Wright, Edoo & Maiorana, 2020).

I know I need to practice what I preach! I have made plenty of excuses over the years.

I believe it is about finding something you enjoy and sticking with it. I am also scheduling exercise time into my calendar just like any other appointment I have.

Physical health is important. What do you do to keep fit?

References

Firth, J., Cotter, J., Elliott, R., French, P., & Yung, A. R. (2015). A systematic review and meta-analysis of exercise interventions in schizophrenia patients. Psychol Med, 45(7), 1343-1361.

Furzer, B. J., Wright, K. E., Edoo, A., & Maiorana, A. (2020). Move your mind: embedding accredited exercise physiology services within a hospital-based mental health service. Australasian Psychiatry, 1039856220943030.

Kleemann, E., Bracht, C. G., Stanton, R., & Schuch, F. B. (2020). Exercise prescription for people with mental illness: an evaluation of mental health professionals’ knowledge, beliefs, barriers, and behaviors. Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry, 42(3), 271-277.

Morres, I. D., Hatzigeorgiadis, A., Stathi, A., Comoutos, N., Arpin‐Cribbie, C., Krommidas, C., & Theodorakis, Y. (2019). Aerobic exercise for adult patients with major depressive disorder in mental health services: A systematic review and meta‐analysis. Depression and anxiety, 36(1), 39-53.

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