While the physical benefits of exercise has been well-documented, less has been talked about on how exercise can benefit our mental health and well-being
This is a feature article written by SportPlus.sg for Kallang Alive Sports Management. For more sports events, programmes and human stories of Singapore Sports Hub, visit the Singapore Sports Hub website here, and subscribe to their e-Newsletter here.
As World Mental Health Day draws close, we explore the impact that exercise has on mental health.
As the pressures of the modern world multiply with each passing day, having good mental health has become a greater priority in our lives.
One often overlooked and underutilised tool for nurturing mental well-being is exercise.
While there are many physical benefits that come with sport participation, the many positive and lasting impacts that exercise brings to the table for mental well-being are often less discussed.
Mental Fortitude
Exercise plays a quintessential role when it comes to inculcating crucial values that can specifically help to develop your mental fortitude.
Similarly, that same tenacity helps you to battle against stress and manage anxiety off the field, which contributes to improved mental well-being.
Through overcoming challenges, setbacks, and failures, active participants in sport usually adopt a frame of resilience in their outlook towards life, which often cascades to other areas including self confidence and perseverance.
“On a neurological level, engaging in physical activities or sports helps us to release hormones particularly dopamine, serotonin, endorphins, and enkephalins, which are critical in helping us with mood regulation, sleep regulation, and mental focus,” explained Daryl Tan, a therapist at Goodity Co.
These also help to induce uplifting feelings of pleasure and satisfaction, which helps you adopt a more positive outlook on life.
Being physically active is an effective stress reliever as it alleviates anxiety and tension, protecting you from being hindered by negative thoughts. Hence, this natural high does wonders when it comes to keeping stress and depression at bay.
After all, nothing beats the sense of accomplishment one derives at the end of a strenuous workout or intense ball game.
Not only that, the rewarding process that exercise offers also carries plenty of psychological benefits, which include higher levels of perceived competence and self-worth.
Tasting success in sports, be it through self-improvement or team victories, also bolsters your self-esteem. This newfound belief is transferable to other aspects of character development as it equips you with the right tools to face your challenges and pursue your goals with added confidence.
Healthy Social Connections
Having healthy social connections also plays a pivotal role in maintaining a positive mental landscape. Exercise inherently encourages social interaction whether it's in the recreational space with friends and acquaintances or in the realms of competitive team sport.
Being part of a team often comes with a strong sense of identity and belonging, playing the role of a second family where each member is valued and accepted.
Teammates often lean on each other during both the triumphs and the setbacks, which gives you the added assurance that you have a network of people who are there to share your journey and offer support.
Besides competing together, post-game meals and bonding sessions with fellow teammates often offer social opportunities where you can get to meet new people or form connections at a deeper level with friends.
Such meaningful social bonds can do wonders especially for those struggling with loneliness or mental health issues.
Singapore’s Sporting Playground
A great place to begin your sporting journey with friends and to meet new people is at the Singapore Sports Hub!
If you are looking to kickstart or build on your sporting journey, there isare a variety of sports and fitness programmes available at the Singapore Sports Hub, catered towards a wide varietyrange of age groups and competency levels.
Boasting a multitude of indoor and outdoor sports facilities accommodating sports ranging from skateboarding to canoeing, you can play and train in the same venues as Singapore’s national athletes.
Singapore Sports Hub also offers many other avenuesways to keep fit, in the form of weekly daily Experience Sports Sessions, where participants can explore a series collection of free fitness programmes geared towards five core aspects - Cardio, Endurance, Flexibility, Strength, and Zen.
PHOTO: SINGAPORE SPORTS HUB
These include FIT Blast - a combination of dance fitness and cardio exercises, as well as a full-body muscular and cardiovascular routine, Tabata Mania, among many others.
Fans of yoga could also consider Hatha Yoga and Vinyasa Flow classes on offer, with both disciplines of yoga known to improve mental health.
Hatha yoga focuses on basic movements and breathing techniques that help to relieve stress and reduce symptoms of disorders like anxiety, depression, and even PTSD; while Vinyasa yoga is known to improve mental stability, linking back to the original meaning of Vinyasa – movement.
These underscore how exercise and sport can serves as a holistic and natural remedy for the pressures of the world, be it through toughening you mentally or providing you with a community on which you can rely which you can rely on.
Come experience for yourself at Singapore Sports Hub’s Experience Sports Sessions, held daily from 7pm – 8pm!
These are just some of the many mental benefits that you can reap from sport, so do harness its power to enhance your mental well-being today.