Please note: The following is not meant to be professional advice to guide your mental health or treatment. These are my thoughts on some topics I’m passionate about and interested in and are based on my experiences. While I refer to some research, I didn’t provide a list of references because this is meant to be fairly informal. However, if you are interested in these topics and would like to know where I got my information from, I can certainly share some of my sources with you.

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Physical activity is both something I greatly enjoy and something that can be the bane of my existence all in one fell swoop. I love how I feel after I engage in physical activity and, sometimes, I love how I feel during. One of the best feelings in the world for me is having used my body and pushed through difficulty to explore the world and see amazing things, for example, the view from the peak of Ha Ling in Canmore after hiking up the back side of it. I also love feeling strong and powerful when I lift weights and that I can feel my body changing to serve me better and be more resilient in the world. While doing cardio-based activities are rarely my favourite (unless it involves me chasing some sort of ball, such as a basketball), I also love the energy that I feel coursing through my body when I'm done and the satisfaction knowing that I've done something good for my heart. 

On the other hand, on days when I've worked late the night before, it seems impossible to drag myself out of bed (especially in the cold dark winter mornings) an hour earlier than I would have to if I would just forego my workout. On those same days, when I convince myself at 5:00 am that I will just work out after work instead, it also seems impossible to muster up the energy after a long day of work to make my way to the basement for a workout, especially considering my to-do list for the evening that still looms over me. No matter how good I know it feels, it seems that there are some days that are always a struggle to make myself follow through. And this is not even considering the completely defeating nature of injuries, especially ones that are persistent despite having put hours and hours and tons of money into seeing various health professionals.

Despite all of this though, physical activity and what it can do for our bodies, minds, and spirits will likely always be a passion for me. I've been drawn to sport since I was a teenager and loved the time I spent in my early twenties passing on my love for sport while I coached junior high students in various sports as a teacher. It's either genetic, the environment, or both because my parents, my uncle, my cousin, my brothers, and on and on all dedicate time each week to working out. In addition, we all love learning more about fitness and sometimes debate about the different strategies we've learned about at family dinners. With such an interest in physical activity, I couldn't help making the topic of any paper I could in my masters program about how physical activity impacts mental health and wellbeing. I was fascinated to learn that, in some studies, exercise has been found to be as effective as anti-depressants in treating depression. I was also fascinated to learn that there are also studies that have found that exercise has a positive effect on individuals struggling with other mental illnesses such as anxiety, schizophrenia, panic disorders, and OCD. After graduating from my masters and pursing additional training, particularly in trauma, I was excited to learn well-known expert in the world of trauma, Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, also believes that physical activity can be important for becoming re-connected with our bodies following trauma and working through traumatic experiences, especially for children. Since coming close to the end of my doctoral program, I have chosen to conduct a study on walk and talk therapy for my final doctoral project (the PsD equivalent of a dissertation). There is also much dialogue about how exercise can be a factor in preventing mental illness as well (it's definitely a factor in preventing physical illness and the research on that is staggering, so I won't even go there in this post).

That being said, there are still many things we don't know. For example, while we know that people with mental illness, especially depression, are more likely to be highly sedentary (i.e., spend a lot of time sitting), what we don't know is what came first - the sitting or the depression? It's a bit of a chicken or the egg problem. Was already having a highly sedentary lifestyle one of the factors that contributed to the start of or an increase in depressive symptoms or did depressive symptoms cause an individual to become highly sedentary? Further, if exercise might be an effective treatment for (at least some people's) depression, how do we make exercise accessible enough and support the person enough that exercise is feasible? Anyone who has struggled with depression knows how much more difficult it is to start new activities, especially those that require a lot of energy, when you're feeling depressed. And as I've already explored, we're all familiar with the but-I-could-just-sleep-an-hour-longer-instead internal battle when it comes to exercise, so imagine how much harder that internal battle is when you add the voice of depression to the mix! I envision exercise classes that are tailored to those with depression and therapy that might incorporate some activity, but there's a lot of research to be done and heads to be put together to come up with some creative and effective solutions.

Another thing about physical activity that I recognize and struggle with is that it's definitely a privilege. It's a privilege to have the time in the day and energy remaining to engage in physical activity. Some people say "everyone has the same 24 hours in a day" but that's not true. People have varying responsibilities and priorities. If a person works two jobs to get by, they're not that likely to have time to workout, especially if they have a family or other responsibilities to attend to. Not every parent has someone to mind their young children when they go to workout. Not everyone can afford the gym or rec centre membership, the equipment, or having a home large enough to have the space. "But the outdoors are free!" some exclaim, and, while that's somewhat true, depending on where someone lives, the neighbourhood they live in might not be safe enough for them to go for a run or use the playground for exercise in. They might not have the means or time to get themselves to a place that is safe either. Depending on their level of ability, there might not be the facilities that cater to their needs. Then there's the issue of the culture of some gyms catering to a specific demographic (i.e. really muscular men) that can make others uncomfortable not to mention some of the body shaming happening in gyms at times. There are so many factors that can limit one's ability to engage in physical activity and this list is only the beginning. I find this all very frustrating given the enormous positive effects that physical activity can have on pretty much anyone's wellbeing.

Dr. Dean Kreillaars once gave a presentation to the school district I used to work for on the importance of physical literacy (another topic I could go on and on about for hours) and he strongly advocated that recreation should be free. With all kinds of numbers and charts that I don't have, he made a compelling argument for the preventive role that free recreation centres and programs in our society could play in our health care system. Essentially, free recreation centres and program would eventually pay for themselves based on the decrease in spending we'd need for health care. This aligns with my felt sense, and it's something that I hope he and others continue to advocate for. 

Overall, I have many visions for my practice and the world that include high hopes for physical activity. I'd love to see recreation centres being free and programs that help support everyone in having the time and energy for physical activity of some kind, regardless of factors like ability and socioeconomic status. I'd also love to have a practice (that is also somehow accessible and affordable, so here's to hoping I win the lottery soon) that is somewhere away from the city and immersed in nature, so that I can have a space that would allow for enjoyable physical activity, connections with nature, and connections with animals to be central to the therapy process. In the mean time, I offer walk and talk therapy in my practice and you can read more about that here if you're interested!

Interested in further reading/information on the subject? 

The Spark by Dr. John. J. Ratey is excellent and accessible! It also talks more broadly about the impacts of physical activity and sedentary behaviour on us and our society. 

Exercise for Mood and Anxiety: Proven Strategies for Overcoming Depression and Enhancing Well-Being by Michael Otto & Jasper Smits is also a good read if you're interested on the research and topic of exercise as treatment for mental illness. 

Look up Dr. Dean Kreillaars on Youtube or Google - he has some pretty cool videos, podcasts, videos, and generally great information - he works with Cirque de Soleil and is a very passionate and interesting guy!

Feeling a little extra nerdy? 

 

On the walk and talk therapy page, I have a summary of the current literature on physical activity, mental health, and walk and talk therapy if you scroll towards the bottom including references.

I have actually published an article in the Canadian Journal of Counselling and Psychotherapy on the subject of sedentary behaviour and therapy exploring how therapists might better support their clients in attaining positive health behaviours, such as becoming physically active. As of the fall of 2018, it should have become open access and available to everyone. ​https://cjc-rcc.ucalgary.ca/article/view/61149/pdf