Anxious? Exercise will help

It’s hardly breaking news, but the latest peer-reviewed, large-scale scientific study confirms that exercise really does lower anxiety, especially long-term.

Published in the journal Front Psychiatry in September 2021, the Swedish study followed more than 390,000 men and women for up to 21 years to ask whether participation in cross-country ski racing was associated with lower risk of developing anxiety problems. Comparing them to non-skiers in the general Swedish population, the researchers found the skiers had a “significantly lower risk of developing anxiety.”

While this study focused exclusively on skiing, the researchers said almost any kind of regular aerobic activity helps protect people against excessive worry and feelings of dread.

This isn't the first study to conclude that (although it’s one of the largest). Many other studies offer evidence that exercise lifts mental health as well as physical. In experiments with both people and lab animals, workouts produce more feelings of calm, resilience and happiness, as well as less sad or angry feelings.

A 2017 meta-analysis of 23 prior studies found evidence for the connection between exercise and happiness levels across a wide variety of ages and nations (Journal of Happiness Studies, March 2018). Positive results were seen with as little as 10 minutes of exercise daily. Both aerobic exercise and stretching/balance type exercising were associated with better mental health.

One 2020 study of 119 men and women (young adults to middle age) looked at whether exercise affects otherwise sedentary, but healthy, non-depressed people. After 12 weeks of adding regular exercise, the study subjects were evaluated and compared to a control group who didn’t exercise. The findings, published in the journal Health Psychology: The exercisers reported less feelings of sadness and anger than the control group, and most reported experiencing even less of such thoughts than before they started exercising.

That’s the mind-body connection at work. A May 2013 neurological study published in Neuroscience illustrated the brain connections between exercise and calming anxious rodents. Exercise increases the brain's production of specialized neurons, releasing a natural chemical that calms over-activity in other parts of the brain which gives us that nervous, twitchy feeling you get from anxiety.

There are so many, many more studies like these.

So hit the gym, stretch a while, lift the arms and stomp the feet, or just take a walk (weather permitting, but there’s always the mall). A few minutes or 30, but every day.

You’ll be happy you did.

Sholeh Patrick is a columnist for the Hagadone News Network who definitely feels happier with regular movement. Email sholeh@cdapress.com