Top Tips for Improving Your Mental Health With Exercise

Did you know that our minds and bodies are connected, and moving our bodies through sport is a great way to not only improve our physical health, but also our mental health?

In support of World Mental Health Day, we are sharing our top tips to help you improve your mental health using exercise.

How Can Exercise Impact Your Mental Wellbeing?

From reduced stress and anxiety to improved sleep and boosted moods, there are a number of proven psychological benefits that can be achieved through regular exercise.

Regardless of whether you are running, cycling, or even walking, our body releases endorphins when we are exercising, and it is these feel good hormones that reduce our feelings of stress and anger.

If you are interested in finding out more about the benefits of exercise on your mental health, then be sure to have a read of our other mental health focused articles below:

• How Exercise Impacts Mental Wellbeing
• A Guide to Boosting Your Mental Health With Yoga
• Cycle your Way to Better Mental Health

Top Tips for Improving Mental Health with Exercise

Plan Your Exercise

When it comes to exercising and your mental wellbeing, regular exercise is the key to success. It is easy to lose motivation and fall back into bad habits. However, having a fitness schedule (either a monthly or weekly plan) is a great way to stay motivated and keep your exercise consistent.

Set Fitness Goals

Setting fitness goals is also an essential aspect of your wellness journey. Having goals will give you more accountability for working out and help you push through challenging times.

Workout With Others

Exercise that involves other people, such as being part of a team, a class or group, can also boost our mental health. Not only does working out with others help to motivate you, but it also allows you to socialise, which is another factor that can influence your mental wellbeing. 

If you prefers to workout from the comfort of your own home, then don’t worry, you can still meet people and workout with others whilst doing home workouts. For example, at Echelon, we have a huge community of members who have formed strong relationships through our platforms.

Do What You Love

Exercise should not be a chore. If you are somebody who does not enjoy going to the gym or going for a run, then do not force yourself to do this type of workout. Instead, find exercises that you enjoy and will look forward to. This could be anything from walking, to playing table tennis or taking part in a cycle class. Choosing activities that you like to do will help you to stay motivated and will avoid you dreading your workouts.

If you do not feel comfortable working out in a gym, and prefer exercising in your own home, then there are number of fitness apps, such as the Echelon Fit app, that provide access to a range of classes at any time!

Take Part in Challenges

Taking part in a fitness challenge, especially ones that are for raising awareness, is not only fun and rewarding, but it is also useful at helping you commit to a healthier lifestyle. Some upcoming challenges you could take part include the Mental Health Foundation’s 12,000 Steps a Day in November Challenge or the Echelon Movember Cycle Series! Although a challenge may be out of your comfort zone initially, it is worth pushing through this for the feeling you will get when you have accomplished the challenge.

Working Towards a Healthier Lifestyle with Echelon

Join the Echelon fit community today and start your journey towards leading a healthy lifestyle, both physically and mentally. The Echelon fit app features a wide range of live and on demand fitness classes for all fitness levels, so there is the perfect class for everyone. Whether you’re looking for a relaxing yoga class to destress or you want to get your sweat on with a smart bike cycle class

Whilst there are a number of studies that have found that exercise can improve your mental wellbeing, we would still recommend speaking to your GP if you are struggling with your mental health.