Mental Health Benefits of Physical

ActivityTaylor Hachey & Alie Ross

November 13, 2013

Outline3 Questions

What is depression?

Defining ‘exercise’ and ‘physical activity’

Activity!

Benefits of physical activity

Why do nurses promote physical activity?

To start…1. What do you do to improve your physical

health?

…2. What do you do to improve your

emotional/mental/social health?

…3. … Are they the same?

Symptoms of Depressiondepressed mood for most of the day

decreased interest in daily activities

significant weight loss OR increase or decrease in appetite

inability to sleep OR sleeping too much

low energy

feeling worthless or guilty

being overly excitable or feeling “in a fog”

decreased ability to concentrate

thoughts of death

*must be present every day for 2 weeks

How do we define depression?

categoriesmildmoderatesevere

affects 121 million people globally

greatest reduction in overall health of all chronic diseases

What is ‘exercise’ anyway?

recommended amount: 60-90 minutes per day

o moderate vs. vigorouso weight-bearing activities

Examples of Physical Activities

Interactive Activity

Benefits of Physical Activityimproved mood

better sleep (quality and amount)

improved body image

improved self-esteem

maintain thinking, learning, and judgment skills

social support network

Why is promoting physical activity important?

promotion of mental health

broad impact

prevents illness

financial savings

Referenceshttp://www.research.utoronto.ca/can-exercise-be

at-depression/

http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/everyone/health/

http://www.csep.ca/CMFiles/Guidelines/CSEP_PAGuidelines_youth_en.pdf