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Article written by Scott Lear, Professor of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, The Conversation

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Article highlights:

• Mental health problems affect 1 in 5 people every year.
• Exercise can prevent and treat mental illness.
• Greatest benefits occurred in those people who exercise 45 minutes or more, 3 or more days per week.
• Even shorter sessions (as little as 10 minutes) can make a difference.
• Doesn’t matter what type of activity you do – even active household chores.
• A meta-analysis revealed as little as four weeks of exercise reduced symptoms of depression in people with major depressive disorder.
• Higher intensity exercise appears to be more effective than low intensity, but exercise is beneficial at all intensity levels.
• Exercise results in the release of endorphins (feel good hormones) and endocannabinoids (reduces pain and improves mood).
• Exercising in nature can further improve mental well-being.
• People who spent at least two hours in nature over the course of a week reported higher well-being compared to those who had no contact with nature.