How physical activity affects our overall performance, well-being, and mindfulness.

Boris Kitanov

07.05.2023

Word count: 920

Nowadays everyone is trying to combine their work with daily physical activity for its many
positive post feeling of reduction of stress and anxiety. For instance, in my personal life, I
have been doing calisthenics and going gym almost every day. I first started when I was
twelve years of age and struggling with social anxiety, feeling shy, and depressed at some
point. Although, after I started working out everything changed, I became a happier, more
motivated, and more sociable person. Many people experience the same struggle in their
daily life and only if they could know how simple it is to make it stop and go away, just by
exercising half an hour to an hour a day. In this essay, I will argue how physical activity
affects our overall performance, well-being, and mindfulness and their importance to our
development as human beings and in the pursuit of worthwhile goals.

It was discovered through a meta-analysis of 49 research that exercise is linked to a decreased

incidence of depression. The scientists hypothesised that regular exercise might be a
successful therapy for both treating and preventing depression (Schuch et al., 2018). Thus,
proving that exercising is vital for our mental, physical, and general health. Although, the
problem of why it is so hard in the 21st century, is poor management of time, laziness, and
lack of motivation because I have experienced it myself. The solution is quite simple, though
it took me a while to realise why working out was making me feel in this amazing way, so I
did my research. Every time we participate in any physical activities our brain releases
dopamine, hence we tend to feel better and more motivated with a dramatic decrease in
depression and any mental problems as suggested by (Penedo, 2005). By this example, it can
be seen how important physical activity can be and that it could replace anti-depressants due
to the high release of dopamine which is the chemical we all strive to have more of daily.
Another issue is that we seek this addictive dopamine rush through easier factors such as
phones, movies, video games, excessive shopping, overeating, etc. Thus, all spoil the
dopamine receptors, and we stop seeking it through exercise.

According to Chang et al. (2012), physical activity has a major effect on our cognitive
function, in his experiment with 41 younger adults and 39 older over the span of 12 weeks of
chronic exercise their overall mood and mental health showed significant improvement after
taking a cognitive test. The research suggests that physical activity is necessary even in older
people to keep them stimulated and motivated while decreasing mental issues by doing
physical activity. Furthermore, Parks and Kennedy (2014) undertake a survey with 118
undergraduate students that assess their physical activity and mental health, in this
experiment they are exposed to higher and lower levels of physical activity the ones who
showed higher had lower stress levels and higher psychological wellbeing. Moreover,
showcasing these examples can be seen that younger and older people need high levels of
exercise to keep their mental and physical health at a sufficient level.

There are many physical activities and sports that can be practised daily but some are better
than others (e.g., calisthenics, gymnastics, and martial arts, etc.). I have chosen these
specifically because all of them require the participant to be extremely cautious and focused

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at any moment of the activity which will stimulate the prefrontal cortex responsible for our
cognitive function. For example, Marcia et al. (2020) investigate Taekwondo and how it
affects the cognitive function of young adults. In this research, Marcia et al. (2020) conduct
the experiment in the span of a 12-week training program of 90 minutes per session a week,
during this period a control group did not participate in any physical activity. The results
were outstanding the active group had improvements in inhibitory control, cognitive
flexibility, executive functions, and working memory in comparison to the controlled group
(Marcia et al., 2020). This result suggests that complex physical activities can increase and
improve our mental health and well-being, as well as bettering entirely the brain’s functions.

On the other hand, some people do not enjoy such sports and activities. Therefore, there are
other methods to achieve the same results and desirable feelings. For instance, going for a
walk outdoors can be as brain-enhancing as doing Taekwondo. Gladwell et al. (2013) suggest
that physical activity in a natural environment such as walking or hiking can lead to
improvement in mood, cognitive function, self-esteem, and decreased levels of anxiety and
depression. Furthermore, exercising in nature is healthy and recommended for all ages,
something that should be promoted by policymakers and healthcare providers (Gladwell et
al., 2013). The research showcases bold evidence of all the positive factors of being in nature
for people who do not have the time for specific physical activities this is the ‘’gem’’ that
should be recommended to ease them and keep a healthy mind and body.

In conclusion, our overall mental performance, well-being, and mindfulness can be constantly
kept stable and healthy in all ages and environments. There are many possibilities as
presented in the text above we just must choose the most suitable one for us and our lifestyle
and simply stick to it and be consistent. This is where we begin to feel all of the positive
effects on our mentality in the process of consistency the everyday stimulation of our brain
and mind to one better and more positive mindset.

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References

Gladwell, V.F., D.K. Brown, C. Wood, G.R. Sandercock, and J.L. Barton. 2013. “The Great
Outdoors: How a Green Exercise Environment Can Benefit All.” Extreme Physiology &
Medicine 2 (1):3.
https://www.academia.edu/11006187/The_great_outdoors_how_a_green_exercise_environm
ent_can_benefit_all.

Moore, B., D. Dudley, and S. Woodcock. 2020. “THE EFFECT of MARTIAL ARTS
TRAINING on MENTAL HEALTH OUTCOMES: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW and META-
ANALYSIS.” Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies 24 (4) (July 26).
doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbmt.2020.06.017.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1360859220300966.

Penedo, F.J., and J.R. Dahn. 2005. “Exercise and Well-Being: A Review of Mental and
Physical Health Benefits Associated with Physical Activity.” Current Opinion in Psychiatry
18 (2) (March):189–93. doi:https://doi.org/10.1097/00001504-200503000-00013.
https://www.scholars.northwestern.edu/en/publications/exercise-and-well-being-a-review-of-
mental-and-physical-health-be.

Schuch, F.B., D. Vancampfort, J. Firth, S. Rosenbaum, P.B. Ward, E.S. Silva, M. Hallgren, et
al. 2018. “Physical Activity and Incident Depression: A Meta-Analysis of Prospective Cohort
Studies.” The American Journal of Psychiatry 175 (7):631–48.
doi:https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2018.17111194.