Now, I’m not reinventing the wheel here, and I have no doubt that I’m probably about to tell you something you already know. But I’m going to say it anyway.

EXERCISE IS GREAT FOR YOUR MENTAL HEALTH! 

This is something I’d heard all my life, and probably something you’ve heard for the majority of yours too. But until May of last year, I never appreciated just how important exercise was to keeping me happy and healthy.

Last year at the start of May, I went through a really unexpected and awful breakup. Suffice to say, I was heartbroken, and feeling more alone than I ever had before in my life. At the same time I was unemployed, and facing the all-consuming and relentlessly confronting question of what I was going to do with the rest of my life. Throw in my first semester of a Masters degree on top of all that, and you’ve got one big, messy ball of stress and anxiety. (It was me, I was the big, messy ball of stress and anxiety).

This was easily the most tumultuous, uncertain, daunting, and challenging period of my life. Most days, I felt like I didn’t know which way was up. That’s when, at my mum’s behest, I signed up for my first ever F45 class. This was never something that had interested me, or that I’d ever considered before. Frankly, I didn’t really think it was ‘my thing’.

I would love to say that the moment I walked through those doors and did my first burpee that it was a match made in heaven; that my stress, worry, and anxiety evaporated in the space of a loud and sweaty 45 minutes.

But, alas. That is not what happened. I was sore. I was tired. I was still stressed, worried, and anxious.

Later that night, though, I noticed an ever so slight, just perceptible change. The ‘noise’ in my head – the racing thoughts, the self-criticism, the fear of the unknown – was just a little bit quieter, and the metaphorical weight that had been bearing down on my chest without reprieve felt just a little bit lighter. And so began my love affair with fitness.

Over the next few months, I started to workout more and more. I joined my local F45 gym, where I met a group of kind, supportive, and fun people, who I still exercise with twelve months later. I started to look after my physical health, and doing so helped me to establish a strong foundation to work on my mental health. I was sleeping better and eating healthier, and I’d found something to look forward to every day that was I was doing for me – not for a partner, not for a boss, not for a family member. Just for me.

Now, almost a year down the track on my mental health journey, working out has become one of the fundamental pillars of my mental health. There are still plenty of other essential elements to that framework (like therapy, medication, and setting firm boundaries), but exercise has become one of my wellbeing non-negotiables.

What a great post @bellewoods! As someone who struggles to find the motivation to exercise, I found your post really helpful. Hearing of your experience with exercise and the impact it had on your mental health was such an eye opener and made me think about how I manage my own mental health. I also appreciate you sharing such great tips, especially the one about inviting a friend or family member along. Thank you so much for taking the time to share with us today 💜

Some tips from me to you:

1. If you’re nervous to start exercising, go with a friend or family member for support.
2. Do something you enjoy! It might be running, lifting weights, dancing, or taking a walk with a friend.
3. Exercise is not a magical remedy. Don’t expect exercise to solve all of your problems – it’s only one part of the bigger mental health picture.
4. Don’t be afraid to try new things. You might just surprise yourself, like I did.