The value of fitness to mental health
May 15, 2020
Health and fitness has finally gained recognition from many in part due to the important role it plays in mental health and wellbeing. This has encouraged many to focus on maintaining a healthy body along with a healthy mind.
Many tend to believe that mental health only lies within the mind, however, fitness is a critical factor in mental health as it allows one to release all the stress from the body. It promotes healthy muscles and bone strength, which can prevent other diseases and ailments as well.
Supriya Vasanthakumaran, a grade eleven student at R.H. King Academy, feels that fitness tends to be ignored due to the lack of effort people put into it. “Many people feel that they do not have enough time in their lives to ‘be fit’. For me, fitness doesn’t mean doing an hour long workout. It could simply be playing a sport, doing yoga or just focussing on healthy eating,” Vasanthakumaran says.
Furthermore, she adds that it is important to give more time to fitness, “I do believe that fitness is important and just taking a little time out of your day to focus on your own fitness is important.’’
Saptarshi Dutta, another grade eleven student at King, works out everyday before school and has her own routine. “I usually mix weight training and cardio for different muscle groups throughout the week. Although, usually it’s whichever body part I am dissatisfied with at the moment. However, that shouldn’t be your motivation and I am trying to change that,” Dutta says.
Moreover, being able to distinguish between a healthy mind and a healthy body is vital.
Dutta talks about how her views on life changed through her fitness journey and how she is a stronger woman emotionally and physically because of it. “Juggling 6 am workouts before school and eating clean is a lot to handle, but it’s something no one can take away from me. It is a way to assert control over myself and my life. I commit to the lifestyle because I never want to feel the way I did before my health journey,” she says.
Although there are varying opinions on mental health, it is evident that fitness plays a very crucial role in it, whether it be due to its physical or mental aspect. Being able to distinguish between the two is very important as it allows one to focus on each aspect separately.
Fitness is an important part of mental health as it covers all essential factors for overall wellbeing. It is important to be aware of how to train one’s brain and emotional health to maintain its healthy shape for years to come.