3 things we get wrong about exercise that are hurting our mental health

It’s the end of another day and exercise is the last thing on your mind.

You are exhausted from all the things your boss wants you to have complete by the end of the week. It’s late in the evening, and you still need to make dinner and get started on that one assignment your boss wants early tomorrow morning.

Not so fast!

As you’re ruminating on the day and setting up your desk to work late into the night, there’s one thing missing.

Exercise.

John J. Ratey argues, that the “sedentary character of modern life is a disruption of our nature and poses one of the biggest threats to our survival.” In other words, sitting all day is killing us. It is not how we are meant to be as humans, and aerobic exercise could be our greatest life-saving salve. While living a sedentary life erodes connections in our brains, exercise reestablishes those connections.

It’s so easy to prioritize the things in life that feel urgent: the deadline at work, the kids’ schedules, dinner, partners, friends.

At times, it feels like, “I don’t have enough time for exercise.” And, in a society that prides itself on a 3-hour gym session, how on earth are we supposed to find time for that? It feels like exercise is an all or nothing monster that doesn’t fit into the day anymore.

Well, it doesn’t have to be that way. Here are three ways we trick ourselves out of what could be the greatest youthful salve: exercise.

I need to force myself to exercise everyday because it is good for me.
Voluntary exercise is more effective than forced exercise. Forced exercise doesn’t quite do the trick because well, it is forced. When we go outside to walk around the block because we want to, it has a different effect on our brain.

I need to sign up for Crossfit for it to count as exercise.
Exercise doesn’t have to be an intense run to count as exercise. It also doesn’t mean we have to lift heavy weights, and we can if we want. Walking for ten minutes will do wonders for our mental health, alleviating stress while building executive functions in our brains.

I’ll do it tomorrow.
Exercise typically gets pushed to the bottom of our priorities because it requires planning and work. But all it takes is going for a ten minute walk to make us feel better. We don’t need to change our clothes to do that. A little today is better than waiting until the weekend to go on a long, intense run. Start today.

Over the years, we've redefined exercise. For many people, exercise has become this thing that needs to be intense or it doesn't count as exercise—two hours in the gym, one hour running. That thought in and of itself is keeping us from getting up and out. "I only have 30 minutes before my next meeting...before I have to pick up the kids, before I need to go to bed...that's not enough time to exercise." But what if ten minutes is enough time to shift the state of your mental health? Any form of movement will do wonders for us. Small movement is movement too.