Kines100 Exercise Health and Nutrition Last Lecture Outline 1 Psychology of Physical Activity Exercise Adherence Lecture 12 Current Lecture 1 Primary Care Physicians and Research 2 Psychological benefits Exercise and depression anxiety cognition pain and self esteem 3 Mechanisms Primary Care Physicians and Research Prescribe exercise in treatment of various conditions 85 prescribe for depression 60 prescribe exercise for anxiety Walking is usually best prescription Research done in 2 diverse groups Athletes verses patients admitted to a psychiatric hospital for mental health Inverse relation ship between physical fitness and psychopathology any sort of abnormal mental behavior i e depression Psychiatric patients Low physical fitness levels i e strength endurance and work capacity Length of hospitalization related to fitness levels the higher the strength or endurance capacity the shorter the hospital stays Athletes High levels of physical fitness Characterized by the iceberg profile Indicator of positive mental health Former athletes 20 years following graduation were more like general population however individuals who stayed somewhat physically active had positive mental health Psychological benefits Chronic a training program Acute only one workout session Exercise and Depression Depression is more than just a sad mood complete loss of interest in daily activities loss of appetite or extreme increase in appetite etc for more than a 2 week period In chronic exercise training exercise works just as well as most medications for cognitive behavioral therapy in moderate or mild patients If case is severe professional help and medication is needed however exercise is still recommended In acute a study was conducted examining mood changes following acute exercise in women before and after pregnancy Results indicate improvement in mood following an exercise session Exercise and anxiety restlessness tension easily startled fatigued etc symptoms last more than a few days Acute one can reduce state anxiety Chronic interventions lasting 3 12 weeks showed a greater reduction in symptoms similar to a 4 12 week medication plan 30 minute sessions are best Exercise and cognition Brain function memory attention learning problem solving decision making Acute learning and memory increased after one bout of exercise cognitive function may be impaired during exercise performed at high intensities Chronic associated with improvement of cognitive function memory Ideal intensity and duration are unknown Effects more prominent in individuals who show signs of early onset cognitive issues Alzheimer s Koltyn examined changes in pain upper body and lower body following an 8 week progressive strength training program results indicated significant decreases in both upper body and lower body pain following strength training Exercise and self esteem Chronic studied in children adolescents and older adults 8 12 weeks aerobic and resistance training lead to improvements in esteem improvements in esteem are often greater in people with lower baseline levels of esteem Sonstroem s model takes time for self esteem changes to happen Physical activity Physical fitness Estimation self esteem Attraction Stems down from estimation and reconnects to physical activity Mechanisms There are a number of mechanisms hypothesized to be responsible for psychological changes associated with exercise Distraction exercise distracts us from the worries of the day Monoamines Neurotransmitters Opioids endorphins Opioid system is activated with exercise