Exercise and Mental Health Exercising regularly is well-known to boost your mood and improve anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions. Movement can also improve your self-confidence, which can keep you feeling motivated.
It can be hard to start something new, but it is never too late to add exercise into your daily or weekly routine. Start with something that feels realistic. Ask yourself: “How confident am I that I can do this on a scale of 1-10?”. If your number is lower than seven, consider choosing a smaller goal to start with.
Exercise looks different for everyone, and it is important to enjoy the way you move. Some ways you can get your heart rate up include walking, jogging, dance classes, organized sports, swimming, hiking, water aerobics, or virtual fitness videos. Remember, being fit does not mean looking a certain way. You can improve your health in the body you have right now.
The FITT Acronym The Canadian Cardiovascular Society recommends adults accumulate 150 mins of moderate to vigorous intensity aerobic activity per week and at least 2 days of strength-based resistance training per week.
Use the FITT acronym to plan your exercise: F: Frequency, try to exercise for at least 5 days a week doing aerobic activities and 2-3 days of strength and range of motion types activities. I: Intensity, try to exercise at moderate intensity. Use the talk test, you should be able to talk at moderate intensity but not sing. T: Time, the goal is 30 mins of continuous exercise at a time and try to achieve 150 minutes a week. You can start with just 10 mins and slowly build up. T: Type, the type of exercise should be fun, feasible, familiar and forever. In other words, do something that you enjoy, that you are familiar with and that you can do for a long time.
