“Excercise is definitely the best antidepressant one can get”
Bosveld spoke to Magdaleen Botes, Health and Wellness instructor in Mokopane on World Move for Health Day
MOKOPANE – Thursday was World Move for Health Day and the ideal time to start to shake and move for mind, body and soul.
Botes explains that the sense of enjoyment gained from exercise is derived from dopamine secreted by a hormone in the human brain.
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“Dopamine also known as the feel-good-hormone is the best medication for any mood swings, anxiety or mental illness. I have clients who are completely off their anti-depressant medication after they started to exercise. I can see the change in their mood and personality, the change is like day from night. ‘
Prof Wayne Derman, Director of the Institute of Sport and Exercise Medicine (ISEM) at Stellenbosch University’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences said: “Physical exercise benefits the body and brain. We are well aware of the benefits of exercise to your physical health it helps to control your weight, lowers your risk of heart disease and type two diabetes, and even protects against some types of cancer.
“Now scientific evidence is also emerging of the benefits of exercise to your mental health.
World Move for Health Day is celebrated today and this annual global initiative was initiated by the World Health Organisation to promote physical activity as essential for health and well-being.
“Research shows that just two-and-a-half hours of moderate-intensity exercise including walking a week lowers your risk of dying early from many of the leading causes of death.
“It is now coming to light that physical activity also has a major protective effect on the brain and nervous tissues and reduces your risk of developing neurological conditions.”
According to Derman doctors have long known that exercise aids sleep, reduces anxiety and can even improve your mood and memory.
New research shows that it also offers some protection against dementia and that it can be beneficial in the treatment of depression.
redaksie.bosvelder@nmgroup.co.za
