How to Reduce Anxiety through Physical Activity

September 10, 2023

Am I Getting Enough Exercise?

The CDC (reference 1) openly states that physical activity boosts brain health and can reduce anxiety and depression. The WHO (reference 2) shows that between 25 – 33% of men and women do not get enough physical activity to stay healthy, with this being slightly higher in high income countries.

How Many People Have Anxiety in Australia?

In Australia, about 17% of people are affected by Anxiety and 8% affected with depression type disorders.

Change Your Biochemistry

Forcing a level of internal biochemistry to come into play through healthy dietary intake and physical activity is likely to have a positive impact on mental health.

Cognitive performance also tends to increase with physical exercise according to a study found in reference 4.

By forcing biochemistry inside the body to be better through diet and activity should both decrease negative mental effects, but also increase the ability to think and reason.

Reducing Anxiety

By performing physical activity, you have the ability to decrease anxiety, depression and cognitive decline while also boosting brain function and cognitive performance. Aside from the myriad of health benefits and reduced health risks that stem from physical activity and healthy diet, let’s also consider the up-side to being fit in wealthy countries.

Why It’s Not Needed

One possible reason why high income countries have higher rates of physical inactivity is due to the reduced need to physical perform, for reasons around employment, job opportunities, safety and survival. For that reason, a large segment of the population in wealthy countries don’t get the required physical activity for a healthy body and mind.

Why It’s Actually Still Needed

There is perhaps a perceived lack of need for exercise in wealthy countries, since it is rarely needed as an attribute to get further ahead in life (career, business etc.). The reality is though, that being physical active and fit can inherently increase cognitive function and mental performance, by which wealthy countries often value and utilise to get ahead.