Do not enhance all exercise mental health – this is the reason why it matters more

This is how, where, and why do you exercise that make the difference.

“From a historical point of view, physical activity research has focused on the period practiced by someone or the number of calories that were burned,” said Patrick Okonor, the co -author of the study and professor in the Department of Actology at the early Mary Francis College of Actology. The “dose” of the exercise was the dominant way that the researchers tried to understand how physical activity could affect mental health, while ignoring whether these minutes had spent exercising with a friend or as part of the game.

While research shows that the physical activity of the entertainment time-such as going to operation, yoga category or cycling for fun-is linked to better results of mental health, these benefits may vary greatly depending on the environment and conditions surrounding the activity, according to researchers.

To analyze these factors, the researchers reviewed three types of studies. These extensive epidemiological studies that studied healthy patterns, and the dominant experiences they control, included, as some groups have received exercise and others did not do, and a smaller but increasing group of investigations into contextual factors.

Exercise and mental health

Multiple studies have found that people who engage in physical activity at the time of regular entertainment tend to report lower levels of depression and anxiety. But it is less clear for other forms of activity, such as cleaning the home or working for the grass care company. The context may be important as much as the density or amount of physical activity.

“For example, if a football player runs on the field and kicks the game that won the game, then his mental health is great,” said Okonor. “In contrast, if you do the exact exercise itself, but you miss the goal and blame people, you are likely to feel completely different. Tales like this show the importance of context even when people do a dose of similar exercises.”

Several random experiences also have shown that the adoption of regular exercise procedures has strengthened mental health, especially for individuals with current mental health disorders. However, these studies were usually based on small, short -term and homogeneous samples, so the results are not generalized to larger and more varied groups.

“The average effects on mental health are small in all random studies that are controlled by exercise, in part because most studies that focused on people who did not suffer from depression or anxiety – you get greater effects in those studies,” Okonor added. “We are communicating with the scientists that larger studies are needed in the long term in the long run to raise a convincing condition, whether the exercise does not really affect mental health.”

Why is the context important

When the evidence is thinner – but most importantly – it is in understanding the contextual factors. The same physical activity can feel differently depending on the activity, as well as where, when and how.

The context can range from the dynamics of peer and the coach’s style to external conditions such as weather or time from today. “If you are outside and rise, and you have to walk to work, this is part of the context,” he added. “Or if you go and take a group exercise category – some of the coaches who really love you, others not. Therefore, this is also part of the context.

“If we are trying to help the mental health of people by exercising, we do not just need to think about the dose and the situation, we also need the question: What is the context?” O’Connor said.

For Oukunor, ready -made meals are clear. It is not just an important movement. This is the meaning, preparation and experience surrounding the activity that determines the effect of exercise on mental health.

Among the authors participating in the study is Eduardo Postamanti of the University of Illinois Chicago; Angelique Brelenthin from Iowa State University; David Brown, who recently retired from diseases and prevention control centers.