When Jennifer Hayes was in college, she rented a friend’s old rusty bike – and ended up redirecting her career. At the time, she was studying cognitive neuroscience, but because she was dissatisfied with her work direction and personal life, she now experiences what she perceives as “quite serious anxiety.” started. Her friend suggested riding her bike as her amnesty. She wasn’t exercising before, she went out on her horseback with her enthusiasm, and she felt “her calm”.
The discovery changed the focus of her research. Currently the director of the NeuroFit Lab at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, she avoids physical and emotional health interactions and exercise avoids depression, anxiety, stress, and other mental health conditions. I am studying how it can be useful in treating. “The impact of movement on the mind is very widespread and fascinating,” Heisz said.
The idea animates her new book – Move the Body, Heal the Mind –. This book details the latest science in exercise and mental health and her own journey from inactive and continuous emotional depression to triathlon training and increased tranquility.
Can you talk about the exercise and anxiety that many people are feeling these days?
“Exercise is very beneficial in reducing anxiety. In fact, at the end of every workout, you can usually get a short rest from anxiety because of the neuropeptide Y that increases with exercise. It is a factor of resilience. It helps to calm the anxious amygdala, which is the part of the brain that recognizes danger and makes us very alert. Over the past few years, pandemics have put the amygdala into a hyper-alert state. There is an almost constant stress response. This chronic stress begins to really scare our hearts and you end up with constant anxiety. Exercise is by upregulating neuropeptide Y. It calms the anxious amygdala, suppresses fear and hyperawakeness, and calms us. “
Is there a particular type of exercise?
“What’s really great is that light to moderate exercise, such as walking, is sufficient. According to my laboratory research, this type of exercise reduces anxiety immediately after training and then continues. About 30 minutes of this kind of exercise three times a week seems to be good. Walking, cycling, swimming, dancing – various activities work. ”
How about more intense training?
“You really need to be aware of intense exercise and anxiety. If you are anxious, you are already under stress. High intensity exercise is also a form of stress. But our body In general, there is only one stress response, so strenuous exercise can add extreme physical stress to the stress your body is already feeling, and everything can be overkill. Immediately before, I was training for triathlon and had a lot of intense training, but when the pandemic started, I was so emotionally stressed that I could finish those trainings. I couldn’t. So I retreated. What I tell people is that long hours of strenuous exercise may not be the right option when you are already stressed. “
What would you recommend to people instead?
“Aim for a comfortable and rewarding exercise, which will increase your heart rate, but you won’t be able to race. For many, that means an active walk around the park or block.”
Jennifer Hayes, director of the NeuroFit Lab at McMaster University, a school in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.Photo: Narisa Ladakh / The New York Times
Is Exercise Equally Helpful for Depression?
“Classically, depression has been blamed for a deficiency of serotonin in the brain treated by antidepressants, but perhaps because serotonin is not a problem for some people with depression. In addition, some people do not work well. Many of us who are currently studying depression think that their problems may be related to stress-related inflammation. Inflammation begins to damage cells in the body, eliciting an immune response and increasing inflammation. Inflammation enters the brain and affects mood. For those people, exercise fights inflammation. It may be the drug they need because it helps. Studies show that when people who do not respond to antidepressants start exercising, their symptoms are usually significantly reduced. “
How much exercise are we talking about?
“One study that looked at the frequency or amount of exercise needed to combat depression compared moderate to intense exercise for 150 minutes a week, which is a standard exercise recommendation for physical health. And one-quarter of that. And both groups benefited the same, so mental health exercise prescriptions seem to be less than physical health exercise prescriptions.
Do you think exercise intensity is important in terms of helping you to fight depression?
“Maybe. We conducted a survey a few years ago on healthy students facing a high-pressure final exam. Some of them went on an exercise bike three times a week for 30 minutes. Some rode moderately, others did shorter, more intense interval cycling. The third group did not exercise at all. Six weeks later, the students who did not exercise were quite serious. They showed symptoms of depression, which appeared surprisingly fast, probably due to their academic stress. However, students with moderate exercise were less stressed and physically than at the beginning of the study. The level of inflammation was also low. But what is really interesting to me is that those who exercise hard showed symptoms of increased stress, both physically and mentally. Therefore, moderate exercise It seems to be the most beneficial to mental health. “
In your book, you speak openly about your anxiety, stress, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. This includes after the birth of the daughter and subsequent divorces. Did the exercise help you deal with it?
“That’s the key. Mental illness can happen to anyone, even those who seem to be doing things well. For me and many others, life transitions such as divorce and childbirth are especially important. It can be difficult. After divorce, something really needed to change my life. And I knew how powerful exercise as a stimulus could change my brain. Someone mentioned triathlon. I was still riding my bike at that time, so I added running and swimming. “
And are you eligible for the World Championships?
“In the end, yes. But it took years. After that, the pandemic delayed the championship, and now I’m sick and need to retrain. But that’s really fun. What I have found is that in these times there is comfort in the movement. In the peaceful moments after training, hope is alive. You feel the world is right again. And that’s really special. “-This article was originally published in The New York Times.
