Exercise is simply described as complex movements that, when done correctly, provide overall health and fitness benefits. If you've explored my website or social media page, you know that exercise is one of the components of my private practice. The term "exercise" can be intimidating and off-putting for many individuals so I'm going to refer to exercise as "movement" for the sake of reducing the stigma. This component is emphasized as a part of my therapeutic practice because movement serves as a natural "medicine" to brain health issues, including trauma. There is a substantial amount of research literature on the comparison between psychiatric medication and the paired treatment of exercise and psychotherapy. The consensus is that when exercise is paired with psychotherapy, individuals are able to treat various brain health issues such as major depressive disorder.
Many people are aware of the physical health benefits of movement since those benefits are discussed across cultures and advertised in our day-to-day. Doctors will also often inquire about activity level as a form of health data. The benefits of movement for brain health is just as substantial, yet minimally discussed.
Before sharing how movment benefits brain health, it's first important to understand how the brain works. Since the brain controls everything, it has to be in constant communication with the entire body. It does this through through the nervous system. Neurotransmitters are the messangers that travel through the nerve cells so the all the different parts of the body can communicate. There are hundreds of different types of neurotransmitters, and a handful of them are frequently discussed and termed as the "feel good" chemicals.
When engaging in movment, the brain releases endorphines which are a group of neurotransmitters that block the receptors for pain and stress. They allow our body to "feel good" by acting as a block to pain.
Also when engaging in movment, another neurotransmitter, norepinephrine, is released which increases heart rated and aids in breaking down fat and increasing blood sugar levels which provides energy, increases attention, and aids in memory storage. Low levels of norepinephrine can be associated with many brain health issues such as depression, anxiety, and ADHD, to name a few.
As the frequency of the release of these chemicals goes up, so does the production of receptors to these neurotransmitters. So, in regards to movment, the more you engage in rigorous intentional movment, the more endorphine's your brain will release and the more it releases, the more receptors it creates, which reinforces movement and provides all of the lasting health benefits.
Just 150 minutes of intentional movment a week can increase the levels of these vital neurotransmitters. The brain health benefits include: increased mood, better energy, quality sleep, improved memory and cognition, increased self esteem, and a decrease in stress. Additionally, these neurotransmitters decrease brain health issues such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, trauma and PTSD, among others.
I like to think of movement as a way of releasing energy. We all have energy inside of us and that energy is created through our intake of food. I'll create a separate post on how food is fuel and I'll explain the conversion of food to energy in that post. For now, the important takeaway is to think of all movement as a way of releasing energy. If we aren't moving our bodies, that energy becomes built up inside. The brain and body are constantly aiming to achieve homeostasis and internal balance. This is created with good communication between all of the bodily processes and a healthy, "all good here", signal from each body part through the neurotransmitters. With so many factors contributing to homeostasis, it's difficult to feel fully balanced all the time.
Our emotions are one of the many factors that relate to energy. Think of emotions such as anxiety or excitement. Imagine that you are excited about something and you're told that you have to stay completely still. That would feel nearly impossible because physiologically speaking, the brain releases one of the 'feel-good' chemicals called "dopamine", and that chemical moves through our bloodstream and communicates with the various neurons which signal our muscles to move. This is why many people may jump up and down or do an exaggerated fist pump when they are excited.
On the opposite side of the emotion spectrum, imagine you are extremely worried about something and again asked to stay completely still. That's also difficult because our brain releases the hormone, "adrenaline", which moves through our bloodstream and activates our muscle fibers to be ready for action- either to fight, flight, or freeze.
In terms of movement, we have energy 'makers' like the emotions mentioned above and energy takers. The emotions that take our energy include emotions such as sadness, defeat, betrayal, etc. When we are experiencing energy 'takers', engaging in large motor movements may be difficult. The key here is doing something small so our brain can begin to release the 'feel-good' chemicals such as serotonin, dopamine, endorphines, and oxytocin (I will dedicate another blog post to the topic of hormones). When we're in a low mood state, turning to unhealthy coping skills is tempting as it's a lot easier to reach for a bag of chips, for example, than it is to move your body. So, in this case, we would want to start small. An example of a small step progression is listed below in case this applies to you.
Starting small may mean focusing on some breath work and stating some affirmations as a quick motivator to do the next step. Then if you're in your bed, you would start by moving your legs, maybe stretching, tapping your collarbones, etc. The goal would be to engage in easy movements while staying in your natural relaxed state. Once the blood is flowing and your muscles and brain are in constant communication (because you're continuously moving), you'll want to swing your legs around and begin doing seated movements. You'll continue this progression until you can get to a place where you can stand, walk and eventually, leave the space where you were feeling low (i.e. go make a healthy snack, go for a walk outside, drive to a support persons home, etc).
Below is a movement level chart as a guide to assess where you are currently in regard to movement goals and how each level relates to brain health.
This simple graph shows the progression of movement frequency based on different categorical levels.
Non-functional: This level consists of individuals who are not completing the necessary tasks and movements to function. The daily tasks that are necessary to function and involve moving include: showering and brushing teeth, using the toilet, getting out of bed, eating, going to work, etc.
If someone is at a non-functional level of movement this may be for a variety of reasons. One, individuals at this level may have physical or brain-related impairments that disable their mobility. For example, if someone has experienced paralysis or a severe medical injury, they may not be able to move. In these examples, there are alternative ways to stimulate muscles and brain-to-body connections such as Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES). For any physical impairment, it's important to speak with a doctor or physical therapist about what movements or movement alternatives are safe. Other individuals who may fit in this category are those who are suffering from brain health issues. One example of this could be major depressive disorder. In this case, the brain is not producing enough chemicals that it needs to in order to motivate a person to move. If someone is experiencing this debilitating level of a brain health issue, then seeking professional help or relying on support people is crucial for survival since we cannot maintain a non-functional level for a long period of time without having severe consequences.
Necessary Only: This level consists of individuals who are functioning in their day-to-day. They are maintaining proper hygiene, eating, drinking water, and going to school or work. The basic necessary movements indicate that the individual is functioning in their day to day, however, generally speaking, these movements alone are not enough to offer health benefits or treat any brain health issues. There are many reasons people would not engage in movements past the necessary movements. Some reasons may include having a busy work schedule, being a parent, and having brain health issues that affect motivation to engage in anything past the daily requirements. If you find these reasons applicable or have other reasons that limit your ability to incorporate movement, please reference a previous blog post I shared on adding movement into your routine: (https://www.thehealthycoconut.com/post/adding-physical-exercise-into-your-daily-routine)
Sporadic Intentional: These individuals include those who are functioning in their day, accomplishing necessary movements, and occasionally setting move goals. This may include people who are aware that their day-to-day tasks are too sedentary so they strive to walk more or they will join a club for one time a month to play a team sport. Or this may include individuals who hop on and off different regimens. Some days they may achieve or exceed the recommended move goal, and other days, they may be in the necessary only level. There are many reasons individuals coast on this level. There are cognitive, social, and physical reasons individuals stay at this level. Everyone is different and there isn't a magic number for what is healthy, however, just 10 minutes a day or 2 to 3 times a week of intentional movement is a minimal requirement for physical and cognitive health.
Consistent Intentional: This level encompasses those individuals who maintain a consistent movement routine outside of their daily tasks more days than not. These individuals may accomplish a 'move goal' at least three times a week and are more likely to receive good-standing medical reports, experience a pleasant mood more days than not, and maintain brain health.
Advanced: Individuals at this level are engaging in more strenuous intention movements throughout their week. Their form of chosen movement may result in a higher sustained heart rate, an increased level of stress release, and a longer surge of pleasant hormones being released throughout the brain. These individuals may hold long-hour jobs and may prioritize their movement goals over other goals or they may go to bed earlier and wake up earlier so they still have time to achieve their movement goals before their work day.
Elite: This level consists of the individuals who may engage in movement as part of their career. This would include athletes or individuals who have a physically strenuous job that requires them to be physically fit to perform their job duties. For these individuals, they may be required to reach demanding movement goals that result in high physical endurance, brain strength, energy, and dedication.
It's important to remember that everyone is different and what may be a healthy amount of movement for one individual, it may not be enough or it may be unhealthy for another individual if there are other confounding factors such as a medical condition. It's also important to understand that if someone is experiencing a brain health issue that has impacted their ability to function in the past, exercising alone may not produce sustainable brain health benefits. It's important to consider speaking to a brain health provider in addition to the exercise goals in order to fully treat or understand the brain health issues.
Progress is progress. Something as simple as having the awareness of the importance of movement is a step in a healthier direction. If you make a plan to complete movement goals, that is an AMAZING step in the right direction. If you on comfortable walking shoes as part of your work attire so you'll be more prepared to take more steps throughout the day, that's another huge accomplishment. Motivation is often the biggest barrier to reaching any movement goals. I shared a youtube video on this topic that you can check out here:( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_QlVowinTM&t=3s )
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