A Healthy Mind In A Healthy Body.. How much does physical fitness have to do with mental health?

[Yratorm, LightMage 0]

I posted something on this topic on another thread, and the thought interested me a great deal.I think a truly healthy body is a wonderful thing to possess - our minds inhabit our bodies, and if the body isn't up to par, it affects the mind as well. The Greeks used to talk of 'a healthy mind in a healthy body' - well, maybe they had something there. Maybe if lifestyles today were a lot healthier there would be less depression, mental health problems, etc.Now I'm not saying this is any sort of cure-all for mental affliction, but I myself was pretty depressed last year when I broke up with my girlfriend, and the depression lasted for months - all I wanted to do was sleep, I hated to even get out of bed.Then I started giving martial arts classes and fitness classes (I'm a qualified instructor), and of course I had to train hard as well - it wouldn't do for the instructor to be behind his students, now would it. And as a result I suddenly found that my mental state improved drastically. It wasn't intentional at all, but as my body grew extremely fit, I found I just couldn't see the world around me in greys, that I could see the sunshine and the trees and all that made it beautiful and appreciate it.And suddenly the things that depressed me weren't important at all any more. Strange isn't it?Just a thought I had. Take care, all.

Edited January 4, 2007 by Yratorm, LightMage (see edit history)

[ellentemplar 0]

Well, I think you may have something here - I think a TRULY healthy body produces a lot of substances that affect the mind and help it 'feel good' - our minds are delicate things, and perhaps they are a lot more affected by various chemical imbalances than we think. I think having outstanding fitness helps keep the brain chemistry 'in balance' and thus helps you feel good about yourself and the world around you.Just my five cents, hehe

[nutsnvolks 0]

Well i have to agree, all to often i see people that have a completly negative aura about everything, having this constant negative attitude will drag down everything about you, things that seem bad probably arnt at all, and things get worse and worse hence how depression starts. It works both ways though. by keeping fit, excersising (sp??) or doing any kind of activity that you enjoy and gets blood flowing will eventually lift your negativities. once they start to lift the whole world will seem to have a differant outlook altogether.This is based on personal experiance whereby i was digging myself into a deeper and deeper hole and geting more and more negative all the time. Eventually something had to give though and i started walking more and doing more of the things i enjoy and now i can look back on that time as past

[rajibbd 0]

Health is wealth it is true. If you are a healthy man it did not guaranty you that you are a happy man. There are others thing i believe. One is discipline. If you are regular on your daily work. Like get up very early in the morning and do what you suppose to do. And other thing I believe is thinking well or thinking positive. Eat well may be the other thing. I do not mean eat expensive food. I said eat good and fresh food. other things may be some other people describe. /Happy Day friends

[techclave 0]

yes... i believe that a sound body will eventually lead to sound mind. it is mostly because that when you have a sound body, you will have a better confidence in you. a better confidence in oneself will lead to a very mature and a sound mind. this is why physical fitness is being concentrated in schools very much.

[thorne 0]

This reminds me of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, where each tier builds off the ones below it. At the top is self-actualization where you become the best version of yourself you can be...you are content and productive. The first level is your physical needs. So if your body is not in good health, you won't be able to experience the benefits of further forms of well-being. To me, this makes sense. If you're starving, you aren't really going to care about a sound mind or spiritual well-being, and won't try to pursue them...food is more important. So being sure your physical self is taken care of certainly has an impact on your mental health.

[Striker9 0]

I posted something on this topic on another thread, and the thought interested me a great deal.
I think a truly healthy body is a wonderful thing to possess - our minds inhabit our bodies, and if the body isn't up to par, it affects the mind as well. The Greeks used to talk of 'a healthy mind in a healthy body' - well, maybe they had something there. Maybe if lifestyles today were a lot healthier there would be less depression, mental health problems, etc.

Now I'm not saying this is any sort of cure-all for mental affliction, but I myself was pretty depressed last year when I broke up with my girlfriend, and the depression lasted for months - all I wanted to do was sleep, I hated to even get out of bed.

Then I started giving martial arts classes and fitness classes (I'm a qualified instructor), and of course I had to train hard as well - it wouldn't do for the instructor to be behind his students, now would it. And as a result I suddenly found that my mental state improved drastically. It wasn't intentional at all, but as my body grew extremely fit, I found I just couldn't see the world around me in greys, that I could see the sunshine and the trees and all that made it beautiful and appreciate it.

And suddenly the things that depressed me weren't important at all any more. Strange isn't it?
Just a thought I had. Take care, all.

Yup I have to agree on that, good thoughts buddy. I can tell you from my own experience. Back when I was in middle school I used to be a chubby guy and it used to annoy me more than you could imagine! I used to be sad most of the time and I used to have a low self esteem. Well I lost some weight over the past years but still I didn't achieve the body type I hope for. But, last summer I joined up a gym close to my place and I started weight lifting. I could see the progress of my body slowly and it contented me. Mostly over the past two months I started working hard on my body and mainly on my abs, and I finally started to see a flat belly! Everytime I work out my abs I can't get enough of it, I never stop until I literally couldn't breathe anymore. Although it exhausts me alot but it still gives me a sort of happiness to see that I'm finally getting "fit". Thankfully now I've got a great muscled body with a very low amount of fats, and everytime I see someone with a 6-pack it excites me and inspires me to work harder and harder until I reach my goal in having a 6-pack for myself!
Also, I'd like to add that whenever I feel mad and furious about something, I directly go to the gym and release my anger into my weight lifting and cardio exercises! And after around 2 hours of exercise I would totally forget all about my anger and become happy and peaceful again. Moreover, having such a fit body boosted my self confidence and self esteem very high. At least now I can go to the beach and take off my shirt without any worries.