Mental Health

Corbin et al. (2008) define mental health and wellness as the absence of mental illness, such as depression, and the ability to cope with daily challenges in a positive, optimistic, and constructive manner.

Using this definition there are potentially two ways in which exercise can benefit mental health. First, exercise can prevent or reduce the extent of mental illnesses such as depression. Second, exercise can enhance mood and reduce stress levels, thus allowing us to tackle daily challenges in a more positive, optimistic and constructive way.

It has been suggested that one in six adults in Great Britain suffers from a mental health condition, such as depression or anxiety (Cooper and Bebbington, 2006), which makes the effective treatment of these conditions an issue of great importance.

Anti-depression medication is often prescribed to treat depression, but compliance with taking these medications is often poor and they can have negative side effects (Lawlor and Hopker, 2001). Exercise has been suggested as an alternative or additional treatment to medication and other treatments.

Joe has continued to study the beneficial affects of Exercise for mental health studying Mental Health First aid in Australia and Exercise for Mental health at the Open University UK.