Exercise & Anxiety

Hopefully, you all found last week’s blog helpful and informative. Today I’m going to discuss a similar topic: the effect of exercise on anxiety. While some of the information is the same, there are a few differences I want to highlight regarding the benefit of exercise when you are struggling with anxiety and/or panic attacks. As discussed last week, exercise has a lot of benefits for mental health reasons, and many of those neurochemicals are also involved with anxiety.

If you haven’t read my blog about anxiety, which I highly recommend, I will review the fight or flight response briefly. The fight or flight response is our body’s natural response to stress. It’s the mechanism that takes over when we are in dangerous situations. Unfortunately, people with anxiety and panic attacks have an overly sensitive fight or flight response. When this response kicks in, our brains pump out adrenaline and cortisol, both unproductive if we have no way of burning them off in a situation of “perceived” danger. This can cause the anxious or restless feeling to linger for an extended period of time. This is where exercise comes in, your body needs to burn off this energy designed to help you fight off danger or flee the situation. When you choose to exercise, you’re assuring your brain that you can control this situation and it soon starts to trust your ability to handle anxiety-provoking situations in the future.

According to Dr. Ratey, in his book Spark, physical activity produces calming chemical changes. Thus, as our muscles begin to work, the body breaks down fat molecules to fuel them, which allows certain fatty acids to enter the bloodstream and be burned off. These fatty acids compete with an essential amino acid called tryptophan which eventually becomes a building block for serotonin. By removing the fatty acids with exercise, our body has additional space to produce tryptophan and then serotonin. Serotonin is our friend, it’s responsible for improved mood, impulse control, and self-esteem. This is the hormone that many antidepressants (SSRI= Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor) target such as Zoloft and Prozac.

A study done in 2008 by Dr. Michael Otto and Dr. Jasper Smits showed that among the 60 individuals identified as having a heightened sensitivity to anxiety experienced “significant improvement” in anxiety sensitivity as compared to a control group after just 2 weeks of exercise. Another study done in 1999 by Dr. Clare Stevinson over the course of 10 weeks, indicated that regular exercise consisting of walking or jogging reduces the severity and frequency of panic attacks.

As stated in last week’s blog, there is mixed information about what exactly is a therapeutic dosage of exercise. According to Psychology Today, a workout program consisting of 20 to 30 minutes of daily exercise can significantly reduce the symptoms of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). The Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) suggests working up to some sort of aerobic activity 3 to 5 times a week for 30 minutes. The federal guidelines suggest at least 2.5 hours of moderate-intensity physical activity (brisk walking) each week, 1.5 hours of vigorous-intensity activity (jogging or swimming laps), or some sort of combination of the two. Find what works for you, get creative, and make it fun, not just a chore. It’s a celebration of what your body is capable of doing.

Since you all know how much I love the book Spark, I will include Dr. Ratey’s case for exercise as a central part of treatment for anxiety. I will just give you the headlines, you’ll have to purchase the book to read more details.

  1. It provides distraction.

  2. It reduces muscle tension.

  3. It builds brain resources.

  4. It teaches a different outcome.

  5. It reroutes your circuits.

  6. It improves resilience.

  7. It sets you free.

If you’d like to read more about the various benefits of exercise check out this blog post 60+ Benefits of Exercise from Lucie Bennett at Fitnazz.com

If you have any questions, have something to add, or want to chat please feel free to do so by emailing me at Colleen@ScatteredPotential.com, subscribe to my blog, or my newsletter by filling out the form below. Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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Exercise & ADHD

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Exercise & Depression