THE EFFECTS OF PHYSICAL FITNESS ON MENTAL HEALTH
WHAT IS PHYSICAL FITNESS?
Physical fitness is "the performance of the heart and lungs, and the muscles of the body"(MIT Medical). Our mind is connected to what happens in our body so our mental alertness and emotional stability are dependent on our fitness. Physical activity benefits your overall health since it leads to your body functioning properly. Having poor fitness levels can make daily tasks more difficult as you may not have the endurance levels needed to easily complete your day-to-day activities.
In American cultural and medical standards, being physically unfit means obesity, labored breathing, mood swings, or chronic illness.
WHAT IS MENTAL HEALTH?
Mental health is a person’s condition with regard to their psychological and emotional well-being. Our ability to handle stress and relate to others is based on our quality of mental health. Increasing serotonin levels is the most common way to increase your mental health. This can be done by bringing thoughts of satisfaction, happiness, and optimism into your life leading to an increase in your mental well-being. In extreme cases, anti-depressants might be used to achieve these increased levels of serotonin.
RESEARCH
BENEFITS
"Physically active children tend to be less obese and are less likely to develop hypertension, diabetes and cardiac disease, and they have better mental well-being as well," said Dr. Geetha Raghuveer, a pediatric cardiologist at Children's Mercy in Kansas City, Missouri, on behalf of The American Heart Association. Learning good habits of physical fitness at a young age has long term benefits for your physical well being and mental health.
“A recent study in The Lancet Psychiatry found 12-year-olds who got 60 solid minutes of exercise each day had an average 10% reduction in depression at age 18.” As you grow up, physical fitness becomes less prevalent because you are no longer required to take part in mandated physical education classes. According to the CDC, only 1 in 4 high school students complete the proper amount of physical activity. Most students who do complete 60 minutes of physical activity only reach that goal about three times a week. The most common type of physical activity is sports practice and only about 50% of high schoolers are involved in sports. Many studies show that as students' participation in sports decreases, their poor mental health increases. This leads many people to encourage students to keep physical activity in their lives.
CONCERNS
Many student athletes push themselves to their athletic limits while also trying to keep up with school and social life. Concentrating on all three of their responsibilities puts stress on a student's mind causing their mental health to suffer. Finding the balance between having too much or too little physical activity can be difficult and it varies from person to person. Balancing the amount of time dedicated to sports teams, with how much time you have to work on yourself and other responsibilities, is something everyone has to do to remain mentally healthy. Many people fall short by putting too much focus on one thing and neglecting school, social life, staying active or self care.
PEERS
According to a survey sent to some of the CTK students, the majority of people work out for health and strength. Through their participation in sports, they stay active allowing them to be healthy and strong and to excel to the best of their abilities. They also tend to feel better and be happier at the end of a workout. This physical activity can lead to an increase in mental health, as long as they don’t physically overwork themselves. Poor physical fitness is not the only reasoning for why someone may have poor mental health, but can be a leading factor.
More about the recommended amount of physical fitness for every age.
FAITH
Within the Catholic Church, we are taught about the importance of staying fit and protecting the body that God gives us. We are taught that we are made in the image and likeness of God so we should do our best to take care of both our body and our mind. St. John Paul II was an advocate for physical activity for people inside and outside the Church. Throughout his entire life, he tried to stay physically fit through activities such as skiing, hiking, and rowing. In 1981 he told Italian athletes, “The Church cannot but encourage everything that serves in harmoniously developing the human body…it is rightly considered the masterpiece of the whole of creation, not only because of its proportion, strength, and beauty but also and especially because God has made it His dwelling place and the instrument of an immortal soul, breathing into it that ‘breath of life by which man is made in His image and likeness.” Our bodies are beautifully and wonderfully made so we should keep them healthy. As time goes on it becomes more difficult to stay as active as we once were but nonetheless our bodies are beautiful creations with strengths and limitations that should be respected and it should be understood that our bodies are a gift from God. No matter the physical or mental challenges God places before us, we should use them to learn and grow in our faith. The changes in abilities at different stages of life give us opportunities to grow in our faith and learn to trust in God’s plan for us. Even when we are capable of less, our joy should be found in God in order for us to be joyful in our daily lives. True happiness comes from God so the easiest way to have a fulfilled life with increased happiness and serotonin is to live a life following God.
SERVICE
Tigers on the Prowl
At my local public school, Davidson K-8 students are encouraged to stay active throughout everyday of their lives. During their time at the school students are required to run or walk two or more laps each day. As you complete more laps different incentives are given for completing a 5K, 10K, half marathon, marathon and double marathon. The students leave the school knowing about the benefits of staying active and have the habits of at least being a little active throughout their day.
Works Cited
American Heart Association News. “Most of the Nation's Teens Aren't Getting Enough Exercise.” Www.heart.org, 9 Apr. 2020, https://www.heart.org/en/news/2020/04/09/most-of-the-nations-teens-arent-getting-enough-exercise#:~:text=Only%20about%201%20in%204,programs%20in%20schools%2C%20experts%20say.
“A Fitting and Fit Patron: Pope St. John Paul II.” Thomas Aquinas College, Thomas Aquinas College Board of Governors, 23 July 2020, https://www.thomasaquinas.edu/news/fitting-and-fit-patron-pope-st-john-paul-ii.
Dattani, Saloni, et al. “Mental Health.” Our World in Data, 20 Aug. 2021, https://ourworldindata.org/mental-health.
“Exercise and Mental Health.” Exercise and Mental Health - Better Health Channel, Department of Health, State Government of Victoria, Australia, 2021, https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/exercise-and-mental-health#why-does-exercise-make-us-feel-better-mentally.
Farooq, Mohammed Abdulaziz, et al. “Timing of the Decline in Physical Activity in Childhood and Adolescence: Gateshead Millennium Cohort Study.” British Journal of Sports Medicine, BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and British Association of Sport and Exercise Medicine, 1 Aug. 2018, https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/52/15/1002.
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