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Can Exercise Reduce Anxiety? New Study Gives Us An Answer

AHA Publisher — Fri, 11 Feb 2022 08:00:54 +0000

Ethan Boldt via Dr. Axe – Did you know that anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S.? Over 40 million adults age 18 and older are affected; this equates to 18 percent of the population. In fact, one of every three teenagers reported suffering some sort of anxiety disorder in the past year. Even if you’re fortunately to not suffer from anxiety, you probably know a loved one who does and perhaps have seen how damaging it can be. After all, it increases one’s risk for other psychiatric disorders like depression — half of those diagnosed with depression are also diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. As a result, not only is traditional treatment such as cognitive behavioral therapy considered, certain natural ways to reduce anxiety are also under examination. One such natural way to deal with anxiety? Exercise. If fact, some research demonstrates that just a single bout of exercise can help ease anxiety when it arises. But if it was only so simple. Let’s dive in. The Anxiety-Exercise Conundrum Among the damage that anxiety can inflict, it can impact how active a person is. A 2015 study showed that anxiety sufferers were, on average, more sedentary and less inclined to participate in challenging forms of physical activity. Study authors concluded that rather than focusing mostly on high-intensity exercises for alleviating anxiety, it might be more productive to simply increase light physical activity while decreasing the number of sedentary bouts. In an article for Psychology Today, Alice Boyes, PhD, details why anxious people may avoid exercising: The sensations of exertion — raised heart rate, sweating, breathing heard — are similar to anxiety. Worry about getting injured or experiencing pain. Exercise can spike social anxiety, such as concern about how you look during exercise or even having to interact with people you normally wouldn’t. New Study In a recent Frontier In Psychiatry large-scale study of nearly 200,000 active adults, it showedthat being physically active cuts the risk of developing clinical anxiety in half. The study was based in Sweden and focused on cross-country skiers, but researchers declared that nearly any kind of aerobic activity probably protects the individual from excessive anxiety. In the 21-year study, skiers had a significantly lower risk of developing anxiety compared to non-skiers. Interestingly, among women, more demanding physical performance — such as faster finishing times, higher exercise doses, etc. — was linked with an increased risk of anxiety compared to slower skiing women. Nonetheless, the anxiety risk was still less compared to the control group. For men, there was no statistical difference in anxiety levels between fast vs. slow skiiers. To the authors, it was clear: “Our results support the recommendations of engaging in physical activity to decrease the risk of anxiety in both men and women.” Meanwhile, they admitted that the “physical performance level” for women and how it impacts anxiety risk requires further examination. Benefits of Exercise for Anxiety Regular physical activity helps to improve sleep quality, reduce inflammation, boost confidence, improve energy levels and ease stress and tension. People with anxiety can benefit from exercises like yoga and tai chi because they promote relaxation and involve deep breathing techniques that help to reduce stress and muscle tension. A 2012 review published in Alternative Medicine Review found that of the 35 trials that addressed the effects of yoga on anxiety and stress, 25 of them noted a significant decrease in stress and anxiety symptoms as a result of practicing yoga. Did you know that yoga changes your brain by impacting your GABA levels and suppressing neural activity? Besides yoga and tai chi, you can practice other exercises that help to calm the body. For example, running, walking or hiking outdoors, lifting weights and even dancing can help to combat stress. In fact, exercising outside during the winter where you’re exposed to sunlight is thought to be one effective strategy for helping ward off seasonal affective disorder, a type of mood disorder/depression that tends to affect people during the dark winter months. It may be another reason why the cross-country skiers in that above study fared so well. Sunlight and exercise both have a positive impact on your mood for several reasons, including because they help release more “feel good” chemicals, including serotonin and endorphins. Additionally, a 2019 study indicated that exercising helped divert the participant from whatever he or she was anxious about. Anecdotally, this may seem logical to many of us who feel great relief from whatever we were anxious about before our workout, but it necessitates further study. In a Journal of Neuroscience animal study, it seemed to resolve the contradictory findings that running can decrease anxiety while activating the frontal regions of the brain responsible for executive function. How so? “By increasing GABAergic inhibition in the hippocampus in response to stress, running may serve to calm excitatory circuitry that might otherwise produce an overly anxious state.” Best Types of Exercise for Anxiety What is the best type of exercise for anxiety? The general consensus is that any type of exercise will do well to lower anxiety levels, but of course, it depends on the individual. As the studies above demonstrate, tai chi and yoga rate very well … and now, so does cross-country skiing. Here are some helpful tips for choosing the right kind of exercise for you: What exercise do you enjoy and can commit to? Do that! Exercising with others may increase or decrease your anxiety. Go with whatever fits you. For some, working out with a friend or group can improve commitment level and provides social support. When possible, exercise outdoors. Researchers have found that just being outdoors in nature can improve your overall feelings of wellbeing and reduce anxiety. Make exercise a good habit by often doing it a similar time of day, so both your body and brain is not only ready for it but even looks forward to it. Often, morning time can work well for anxious individuals. To read the original article click here.

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Brain Function Boosted by Daily Physical Activity in Middle-Aged, Older Adults

AHA Publisher — Tue, 01 Feb 2022 08:00:53 +0000

University of California San Diego Health via Newswise – A new study by researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine adds to the canon of research associating physical activity with cognitive performance, this time using 90 middle-aged and older subjects who wore accelerometers while physically active and completed mobile cognitive testing from home. “The future of lifestyle interventions really needs to be remote-based,” said Raeanne Moore, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry at UC San Diego School of Medicine and principal investigator of the study. “The pandemic has made this especially clear.” On the days their physical activity increased, the study found, the 50- to 74-year-old participants performed more effectively on an executive function task, and on the days when their physical activity decreased, so too did their cognitive performance. The findings published Jan. 31, 2022 in the journal JMIR mHealth and uHealth. “It was a very linear relationship,” Moore said. “We hypothesized that we would find this, but we couldn’t be sure because we weren’t telling people to increase their physical activity. They just did what they do every day.” First author Zvinka Zlatar, PhD, a clinical psychologist at UC San Diego School of Medicine, added: “Future interventions, in which we ask people to increase their physical activity, will help us determine if daily changes in physical activity lead to daily gains in cognition measured remotely or vice versa.” The correlation between physical activity and cognition remained when adjustments were made for various co-morbidities, such as HIV status, age, sex, education and race/ethnicity. But it held only for persons who function dependently — who rely on others to perform the tasks of daily living, such as managing household activities or paying the bills. “For them, physical activity may have a greater benefit on daily, real-world cognitive performance,” Moore said, a finding consistent with research into Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Though it didn’t fall within the purview of this study, Moore speculated that, because functionally independent adults likely perform more cognitively stimulating and social activities, which are known to have positive impacts on brain health, physical activity may have less of an impact on cognition. Moore and Zlatar said their work has implications for the development of novel digital health interventions to preserve brain health in aging. “We don’t know yet if there’s a cumulative, long-term effect to these small daily fluctuations in cognition,” Zlatar said. “That’s something we plan to study next – to see if performing physical activity at different intensities over time, in unsupervised settings, can produce long-term improvements in brain health and sustained behavior change.” To read the original article click here.

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Research Shows Link Between Exercise and Better Mental Health

AHA Publisher — Tue, 16 Nov 2021 08:00:49 +0000

Kaiser Permanente via News-Medical – Kaiser Permanente research published on November 11 in Preventive Medicine showed people who exercised more during the initial lockdown period of the COVID-19 pandemic experienced less anxiety and depression than those who didn’t exercise. It also showed that people who spent more time outdoors typically experienced lower levels of anxiety and depression than those who stayed inside. More than 20,000 people participated in the survey-based study from 6 regions served by Kaiser Permanente across the United States, which included Hawaii, Colorado, Georgia, and the mid-Atlantic states, as well as Southern and Northern California. “What these study findings tell us is that even during an active pandemic or other public health crisis, people should be encouraged to be physically active to help maintain their physical and mental health. Parks and other nature areas should remain open during public health emergencies to encourage outdoor physical activity.” Deborah Rohm Young, PhD, study’s lead author, director, Division of Behavioral Research for the Kaiser Permanente Southern California Department of Research & Evaluation In March 2020, COVID-19 developed into a worldwide pandemic. With no known treatment, public health officials attempted to reduce its spread by limiting human interactions through stay-at-home policies. Businesses temporarily closed or changed their practices to prevent the spread of the virus, affecting the economy and many people’s jobs. These stressful factors, along with fewer opportunities to socialize with friends and family, increased symptoms of depression and anxiety for many people. Since it is known that physical activity and time spent in nature are associated with improved mental health, researchers at Kaiser Permanente in Southern California sought to determine how exercise and time outdoors was associated with people’s mental health during the height of the pandemic. In April 2020, researchers sent a series of COVID-19 surveys to more than 250,000 participants in the Kaiser Permanente Research Bank -; a collection of lifestyle surveys, electronic health record data, and biospecimens, which Kaiser Permanente members volunteered. People who reported COVID-19 symptoms were not included in this analysis, resulting in 20,012 respondents. They each completed at least 4 surveys between April and July 2020. White women older than 50 accounted for a high proportion of the respondents. Most respondents said they were retired and generally adhered to the “safer-at-home” orders during the period of the survey. The study found that: Reports of anxiety and depression decreased over time Anxiety and depression scores were higher for females and younger people, and lower for Asian and Black people compared with white respondents Participants who reported no physical activity reported the highest depression and anxiety compared to people who had exercised Spending less time outdoors was associated with higher depression and anxiety scores People who had increased their time outdoors the most reported the highest anxiety scores, but the research could not explain the finding “What we learned from these findings is that during future emergencies it will be important to carefully weigh the decisions to close parks and outdoor areas against the negative impact those closures may have on people’s mental health,” said Dr. Young. The study was funded by the Kaiser Permanente Research Bank. To read the original article click here.

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A Simple Exercise Goal Protects Against Unhealthy Weight Gain

AHA Publisher — Mon, 03 May 2021 07:14:44 +0000

Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) via Newswise – New research shows that physical activity equivalent to 100 PAI a week can counteract excessive weight gain. PAI stands for Personal Activity Intelligence and tracks how physically active you are throughout the week. You can measure PAI with just about any device that can measure heart rate. The activity metric has been developed by the Cardiac Exercise Research Group (CERG) at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) under the leadership of NTNU Professor Ulrik Wisløff. “Previously, we found that 100 PAI a week can give us a longer and healthier life without cardiovascular disease. Our new study shows that PAI can also help people maintain a healthy body weight,” says researcher Javaid Nauman at NTNU’s Department of Circulation and Imaging and the UAE University College of Medicine and Health Sciences in the United Arab Emirates. Nauman is one of the researchers behind a recent article in The Lancet Regional Health – Europe. The study includes more than 85 000 healthy Norwegians who have been followed for more than 20 years. Personal Activity Intelligence PAI measures all physical activity that causes the heart rate to increase above a certain level. The higher the heart rate, the faster you earn PAI points. The PAI algorithm calculates a weekly score based on your personal profile and variations in heart rate over the period. The PAI score can easily be measured with the free PAI Health app that is available for both iPhone and Android, for example. Less weight gain by maintaining 100 PAI The new study has obtained its data from the HUNT Study – a large-scale, longitudinal population health study in Norway. This study is one of the largest and lengthiest health surveys in the world. Trøndelag county residents number 240 000 in the research centre database, with even more participants since the start in 1984. Of the total participants, 85 000 were weighed and asked about their level of physical activity as many as three times through 2008. On average, participants’ body weight increased by about eight kilos between 1984 and 2008 for both women and men who participated at each follow-up. Important to note is that the weight gain was significantly lower among individuals who were physically active enough to achieve at least 100 weekly PAIs during the period. But there is still hope for those of us who haven’t been as active all our lives. The study shows that even people who weren’t physically active in the 1980s, but who increased their activity levels in the 1990s and in the 2000s, managed to avoid excessive weight gain. Effective Strategy Overweight and obesity are a major health problem that contributes to nearly five million deaths worldwide each year. “We already know that physical activity is an effective strategy to minimize or prevent weight gain in adults. The new study, and previous PAI studies, indicate that PAI can guide people so that they get enough physical activity each week to avoid the health hazards of excessive weight gain,” says researcher Nauman. To read the original article click here.

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Is Sitting Always Bad for Your Mind? A New Study Suggests Maybe Not

AHA Publisher — Mon, 19 Oct 2020 07:00:57 +0000

Colorado State University via EurekAlert – It’s generally accepted health advice that adults of all ages should sit less, move more, and engage in regular exercise to feel better and reduce the risk of chronic diseases. However, when it comes to the brain and cognition, a new study of older adults from Colorado State University suggests that some sedentariness isn’t all bad, so long as basic physical activity benchmarks are being met. The research, from Assistant Professor Aga Burzynska in the CSU Department of Human Development and Family Studies, examined the association between sensor-measured physical activity and cognitive performance in a sample of 228 healthy older adults, aged 60 to 80. Published in Psychology and Aging, the results showed that, as expected, adults who engaged in more moderate-to-vigorous activity had better speed, memory, and reasoning abilities. However, the data also revealed that adults who spent more time sedentary performed better on vocabulary and reasoning tasks. The study could be a bit of good news for a population of Americans who spend a significant amount of time sitting for work and for leisure. SENSITIVE MEASUREMENTS The association between increased physical activity and improved cardiovascular and metabolic health is one that’s well documented, according to Burzynska. But the link between different intensities of daily physical activity and cognitive health is less understood, especially in older adults. “We know that as we grow older, even if we do not have any cognitive impairments, people aged 60 and up already show some decreases in speed, executive functioning, and memory. Those decreases are totally within a normal range, but this study was looking to understand how our behaviors and habits may correlate with cognitive outcomes in older age,” Burzynska said. What differentiates this study from others is the way the researchers measured daily physical activity, using scientifically validated sensors that are more accurate than your average, consumer-based activity tracker. Other studies rely on self-reported data to measure physical activity, “and we already know that people like to overestimate their daily movement and underestimate the time they spend sitting,” Burzynska said. “If you ask, ‘How long did you sit today?’ people will perhaps say 2 to 3 hours when the reality is more like 6 to 8 hours,” she added. Further, where other studies might use only one or two measures of cognition and a general definition of physical activity, Burzynska’s study employed a broad assessment that tested 16 cognitive tasks. In addition, they measured and controlled for socioeconomic and health factors, such as employment status, income level, aerobic fitness, blood pressure, and mobility issues. “Our study has pretty high-quality measures that cannot be done ‘quick and dirty’,” Burzynska said. Older adults who participated in the study wore the sensor on their hip for a span of seven days, during which the sensor captured the daily time they spent sitting or in light versus moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. FLUID VS. CRYSTALLIZED COGNITION The cognitive assessment prompted participants to select patterns, fill-in-the-blanks, and identify shapes, among other tasks — the results of which helped researchers gauge if there was a correlation between physical activity and fluid vs. crystallized cognition. So-called “fluid” abilities, such as speed and memory, problem solving, and reasoning skills, tend to decline throughout adulthood; yet, participants in the study who engaged in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity performed better on fluid tasks, suggesting that exercise might stave off some of the typical effects of brain aging. However, most participants in the study did not spend a significant amount of time in physical activity; in fact, data showed that, on average, most participants spent less than 2.7% of their time engaged in moderate-to-vigorous activities. Those older adults who instead sat more hours each day performed better on knowledge-based activities, like vocabulary tests or reading comprehension. These “crystallized” abilities tend to strengthen with age as adults acquire more knowledge and experience. Interestingly, the researchers observed no associations between light physical activities — such as doing laundry, cooking, or other household chores — and cognition. Although replacing sedentariness with light physical activity has been recommended for better metabolic health, there is no evidence of such a relationship at the cognitive level. While the results are purely correlations and have no clear causes, the researchers speculate that when people are sedentary, they’re likely to be engaging in educational, stimulating activities, like reading, playing games or puzzles, or attending plays, which might serve to boost crystallized cognition. “There’s this big push within health and wellness that sitting is always bad for your body, that being a couch potato is not good,” Burzynska said, “and although our earlier studies indicated that the brains of those who spend more time sitting may age faster, it seems that on the cognitive level, sitting time may also be meaningful.” WAYS TO SPEND OUR SITTING TIME However, future studies are needed to determine how exactly the participants spent their time sitting before any definitive conclusions can be made about sedentary activity and cognitive health. Burzynska says the study reinforces the recommendation that regular exercise is good for general health, but for those older adults who might not be able to be physically active, engaging in more cognitively demanding activities may also be an option. “I don’t think I would in any way suggest that we should engage in more sitting, but I think trying to be as physically active as possible and making sure that you get stimulated in your sedentary time — that it’s not just spent staring at the TV — that this combination might be the best way to take care of your brain,” she said. “I hope it sends some positive message for those of us who have had limited opportunities to exercise during the pandemic.” In the quest for long-term brain health, it seems balance is the answer. “When you exercise, enjoy your exercise. Maybe sometimes think, ‘Yeah I’m going to go sit now and enjoy a really good book,” Burzynska added.

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Being Physically Active Can Lower Older Adults’ Risk for Dying

AHA Publisher — Fri, 08 Nov 2019 08:00:26 +0000

American Geriatrics Society via EurekAlert – For older adults, being physically active is an important part of overall good health. In fact, experts say that nine percent of all premature deaths are caused by not getting enough physical activity. Physical activity is known to reduce deaths from heart disease, diabetes, chronic lung disease, and mental illness. A team of researchers looked more carefully at the relationship between death and physical exercise among older adults in Brazil (where the number of older adults grew 40 percent between 2002 and 2012). Their study was published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. They drew on information from the “COMO VAI?” (Consórcio de Mestrado Orientado para a Valorização da Atenção ao Idoso) study. During the study, from January to August 2014, researchers conducted home interviews with 1,451 adults older than 60. Of these, 971 participants were given wrist monitors to measure their physical activity. Researchers also asked participants about their smoking habits and how they would rate their health. Additionally, researchers learned about the chronic health conditions participants said they had, including high blood pressure, diabetes, heart problems, Parkinson’s disease, kidney failure, high cholesterol, depression, stroke, and cancer. The researchers then rated participants’ ability to perform their normal daily activities, including bathing, dressing, getting from bed to chair, going to the bathroom, and feeding. Not surprisingly, the researchers learned that people who had the lowest levels of physical activity had higher rates of death compared to people who had higher levels of activity. The researchers concluded that their main findings suggest that low levels of physical activity are associated with higher risks of death, no matter what a person’s level of health was. Overall, physical activity was important for avoiding early death in older men and women. To read the original article click here.

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