Mental Health Exercise improves Mental Health Emotion Mood The National Institute of Mental Health Recognizes exercise as a valid treatment for anxiety and depression. Exercise is self-impowering Bring responsibility toward self Positive addiction May replace negative addictions We don't know (Landers) Optimal intensity or duration Optimal mode Dose/response curve Time course (acute) Law of initial values Relative values - ceiling effect Lower initial value - greater potential for improvement Unfit, anxious, depressed - greater improvements Exercises effect on emotion Fit vs unfit - lower anxiety for fit Chronically trained / adaptation - lower anxiety Acute bout of activity - lower anxiety Exercise and Mental Health Theories Hatfield 1991, Dienstbier 1989, McCubbin 1992, Crews 1987, deVries 1968, deVries 1972, Horne 1984 Time out Master environment Body image Dramatic effects in weight training studies Biochemical Norepinephrine, Epinephrine Prolonged stimulation -> ACTH -> Cortisol Dopamine, Serotonin, ß-Endorphine, Enkephalins Thermogenic (Body Temperature) Synchronized Cortical Activity (EEG) Decrease muscle spindle activity Stimulates Serotonin Increase in slow wave sleep (Deep sleep) High intense exercise Passive heating Toughening Exercise conditions us to better cope with stressors psychologically and biochemically Exercise May Improve Mental Functioning Learning & Catecholamines (Dienstbier 1989) Many studies demonstrate that better students have hire levels of Catecholamines (Norepinephrine, Epinephrine) Animal & human studies catecholamines studies (McGaugh 1983) When peripheral catecholamines are depleted through drug manipulations, retention of learning is adversely affected Acute mental benefits of exercise (Tomporowski 1986, McGlynn 1979) Exercise performed before the mental task May improve performance Mixed Findings Facilitation of mental performance Moderate intensity During or immediately following exercise Greater effect for fitter subjects