The Psychology of Exercise: A Discussion on the Mental Health Benefits of Physical Activity

You know how essential regular exercise is for a healthy heart and strong body, but do you know that exercise and mental health are also closely linked? Discovering the energy and positive mood that exercise provides can become a powerful motivator to make exercise a habit.   Dr. Beth Lewis, psychologist and Director of the School of Kinesiology in the U of M’s College of Education and Human Development, conducts research on how to motivate people to exercise regularly. And recently, she has been studying the effects of exercise on depression in pregnant and postpartum women. Drawing her research on exercise and mental health, Beth joins Marti & Erin for an informative and motivating conversation about ways to stick to an exercise program, how to help your children make exercise a regular part of their routine and how much exercise we need in order to reap optimal benefits for our physical and mental health.   HOW WILL YOU USE EXERCISE TO IMPROVE YOUR MENTAL HEALTH? How much exercise do you get in a typical week? How about your kids? And how does that measure up to the most recent guidelines, described by Dr. Beth Lewis in this podcast? Think of three small steps you could take to enhance the way exercise is integrated into your family’s daily life.   WANT TO LEARN MORE? ❉ College of Education + Human Development ❉ Exercise Pregnancy Study, Healthy Mom Program ❉ Physical activity guidelines for during pregnancy and postpartum ❉ Healthy moms article by Dr. Beth Lewis ❉ Maintaining Your Mental Health –For Your Sake and Your Children’s by Marti Erickson