How to Develop a Healthy Exercise Habit to Boost Your Mental Health
If your exercise routine has been less than consistent over the past few years, you’re likely not alone. Most people have dreaded exercise routines where they engage in dieting and extreme fitness activities that were never sustainable, so they often quit.
This creates an unhealthy cycle of low self-worth, making most believe they would never follow through with anything.
It was during the pandemic that most research studies have reported a clear link between low physical fitness and the risk of experiencing symptoms of depression, anxiety, or both. The lockdowns took a toll on everyone, and due to inconsistent fitness routines, there was a rise statistically in mental health-related concerns.
Head In The Game
Lauren Kelsheimer addressed a key point in her article, 4 Ways to Find a Healthy Relationship with Exercise, that a change in one’s mentality toward exercise boosts not only your fitness routine but your approach and motivation too. Change your mindset on exercise being a chore or punishment, instead, a release that sets a positive tone on how you navigate movement.
Developing a positive relationship with exercise may take time, but it will be worth it in the long run. Take it a step further by moving out of your comfort zone. Try something new and broaden your perspective on ways your exercise habits help you improve physically and mentally.
On Your Own Terms
It’s easier to convince yourself to do something for five minutes rather than 30, especially if you’ve been off your fitness grind for a while — and that is completely okay.
Setting concrete, more manageable goals will help you with a realistic expectation of what you can achieve for now. Once you’ve built a momentum of seeing what you are capable of accomplishing, it will build on from there. Go micro then go big!
Margot Harris shares about her journey in NAMI that goes, “two years later, my mental health has improved — thanks to a lucky combination of effective medication, regular therapy, a career change, and, notably, a newfound healthy relationship with exercise. But new habits did not emerge overnight. They came with gradual changes made on my own terms.”
Have Fun Doing It
Why do something you don’t enjoy? It just does not make sense at all.
If you’ve lost your joy for movement as an adult, recall an experience from your childhood and some of your favorite ways to move back then when life was easy and simple. That’s quite an effective way to find what sparks joy.
It’s a crucial factor to participate in an activity you enjoy to build healthier exercise habits and make them stick. Otherwise, they won’t be sustainable in the long run and would just create unhealthy cycles once again. As expressed by Big Fit Girl trainer, Louise Greene, “there may be some trial and error, but take note of how you feel after each activity and do more of what makes you happy and excited to do it again.”
Commit to Feeling Better
Some people simply exercise because it makes them feel good. Why does exercise make us feel better, mentally?
According to Better Health, exercise can boost your mood, concentration, and alertness. It can even help give you a positive outlook on life.
Healthy exercise habits can benefit your mental health by improving your sense of control, coping ability, and self-esteem. People who exercise regularly often report how good achieving a goal makes them feel and is the perfect outlet for their frustrations.
Getting started on a healthy habit is often the hardest part, but once you commit, you’re halfway there. Getting your head in the game, starting and setting your own terms, having fun doing your fitness routine, and committing to feeling better help develop healthier exercise habits that come naturally.
Start today and remember, we’re rooting for you.