While we are all still recovering from the collective COVID Hangover, interesting data on mental health and physical activity has been published by MSU (Montana State University) Extension Specialist, Dr. Michelle Grocke. She published a paper in 2021 that identified physical activity as a protective factor for mental health. This means that regular exercise can create a positive state of wellbeing. Her data, based on surveys from 4,026 people from five states, identified a three-phase process that leads normally active people to become less active and thus experience a decline in mental health status. Phase one was a stimulating event that caused psychological distress and a short-term decline in physical activity. Phase two resulted in increased feelings of distress from the decline in physical activity. Phase three resulted in even less physical activity and worsening mental health status. Many of us can relate to this three-phase spiral into an overall experience of malaise, or rather the COVID Hangover.
How do we recover from this hangover? Physical activity. Exercise. Just get up and move your body around more than you did yesterday. Not only can physical activity improve your mental health, but it is also good medicine for your brain too. Depression impacts 300 million people worldwide, and 17 million Americans. This is a staggering number, and enough evidence now supports the positive impact of exercise on the brain and should be considered a valuable tool for treating mental health. The antidepressant effects of exercise were not limited by age, gender, or health-status. Compared to the time and expense of talk therapy, exercise provides a low-cost treatment that is accessible to anyone, anyplace, at any stage of life. Data shows that increased physical activity and all types of exercise, from dance-based aerobic workouts to pumping-iron, improve the mental health of those who make physical activity a routine in daily life.
The World Health Organization has reported that 31% of the world’s population does not meet minimum levels of physical activity. There is a strong connection between the health of the brain, heart, lungs, kidneys, and skeletal muscles. When challenged through regular physical activity, these organs work synergistically to heal one another and improve overall quality of life. JAMA Internal Medicine states, “There is no medication treatment that can influence as many organ systems in a positive was as can physical activity.” In 2012, health experts declared “sitting is the new smoking” due to the rate of premature deaths worldwide attributed to inactivity. Research published in 2017, demonstrated that older adults who reported regular physical activity were 28% less likely to be diagnosed with dementia. It was also reported that people with higher muscle mass were 43% less likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, regardless of gender. The connection between brain health and the muscles is not accidental. When the skeletal muscles exert themselves, they produce proteins that travel, via the bloodstream, to influence the brain in positive, or neuroprotective ways.
For decades, researchers have been studying how exercise impacts muscle and cardiovascular health. Now the focus is expanding to include how exercise connects muscle activity to brain health. What does science say about how exercise influences the muscles and brain?
While exercising, we experience the feelings of increased blood flow. Our heart rate increases, our breathing gets faster, and our skin becomes flushed. Some of us may even break out into a sweat. Similar changes are occurring in our brain. With the increase in blood flow, the metabolism of our brain increases and becomes more efficient. It is this increase in blood flow that the brain receives a special delivery from the muscles. Hidden in our DNA are genes that provide the instructions for our cells to make powerful compounds that human scientists cannot recreate. When challenged with movement our muscles make a special protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). This protein is a growth factor. The job of growth factors is to coordinate growth when we are young. As we age, these same proteins coordinate repair and maintenance. Multiple organs in the body produce this protein in response to exercise, especially skeletal muscles. This protein has been shown to play a key role in healing and rebuilding the brain on the tissue level. To activate our genes and unlock this powerful protein, this fountain of youth, we must move and challenge our bodies.
In 2021, MSU researchers were involved in a study that determined that fewer than 25% of adults over 55 meet federal muscle strength guidelines. This statistic is even worse for women over the age of 65 who live in rural areas. What can we do about this Teton County? Find ways to make more physical activity a part of your daily routine. Begin by deciding for yourself why better health is important to you. Then use that reason to build small daily routines that get your body moving more in a day. Just like all medicines, exercise comes with side effects too. Starting too intense too fast can result in injuries. For this reason, it is important to incorporate more physical activity gradually and persistently into your daily life. Taking advantage of your local fitness programs can provide the guidance necessary to prevent injury and get the most of your workout.
Through MSU Extension, a free community fitness class will be offered from Monday, June 5th for twelve weeks until Thursday, August 31st. This class is open to people of all ages but will be primarily designed for older adults. Based on interest, additional classes can be created to more specifically address the needs of different groups. Visit the MSU Teton County website (www.montana.edu/extension/teton/index.html) to learn more about the Stretch into Health class, email Shelby (shelby.jonesdozier@montana.edu) or give the office a call at 406-466-2491.
All the statistics and facts described are backed up by scientific research and were obtained from peer-reviewed scientific journals, detailed citations can be found below.
Gordon, B. R. et al. "Efficacy of Resistance Exercise Training with Depressive Symptoms-Reply." JAMA Psychiatry, vol. 75, no. 10, 2018, p. 1092, doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2018.1749.
---. "Association of Efficacy of Resistance Exercise Training with Depressive Symptoms: Meta-Analysis and Meta-Regression Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials." JAMA Psychiatry, vol. 75, no. 6, 2018, pp. 566-76, doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2018.0572.
Grocke-Dewey, M. et al. "Examining the Relationship between Physical Activity and Mental Health During the Covid-19 Pandemic across Five U.S. States." Prev Med Rep, vol. 24, 2021, p. 101537, doi:10.1016/j.pmedr.2021.101537.
Li, J. and H. Qiu. "Exercise Is Medicine." Front Aging Neurosci, vol. 15, 2023, p. 1129221, doi:10.3389/fnagi.2023.1129221.
Thompson, W. R. et al. "Exercise Is Medicine." Am J Lifestyle Med, vol. 14, no. 5, 2020, pp. 511-23, doi:10.1177/1559827620912192.
---. "Exercise Is Medicine." Am J Lifestyle Med, vol. 14, no. 5, 2020, pp. 511-23, doi:10.1177/1559827620912192.
Yoon, D. H. et al. "Effect of Elastic Band-Based High-Speed Power Training on Cognitive Function, Physical Performance and Muscle Strength in Older Women with Mild Cognitive Impairment." Geriatr Gerontol Int, vol. 17, no. 5, 2017, pp. 765-72, doi:10.1111/ggi.12784.
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