Mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety aren't easy to treat.
Medications help many but have a high failure rate and may bring nasty side effects. Talk therapy is time-consuming and expensive. And neither approach is suited to preventing the disorders from developing in the first place. But many people overlook another option that, when it works, can be one of the most effective, least disruptive and cheapest ways of managing mental health disorders: exercise. It's hardly news that exercise is good for physical health, and has long been extolled as beneficial for mental health, as well. But researchers are now making progress in understanding how exercise works its meant magic. Exercise, they are learning, has profound effects on the brain's subtle benefits such as focus, a sense of accomplishment and sometimes stimulation - all of which are therapeutivre in their own right.

And while more is generally better, even modest levels of physical activity, such as a daily walk, can pay big dividends for meantal health. "It is a very potent intervention to be physical active" says Anders Hovland, a clinical psychologist at the University of Bergen in Norway. But that knowledge has barely begun to percolate into practice, say Joseph Firth, a meant health researcher at the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom. Just ask a hundred people receiving mental care how many are getting exercise prescriptions as part of that care. Exercise offers several advantages. For one thing, antidepressant medications generally take several weeks to show their full effect.

Exercise can improve mood almost immediately, making it a valuable supplement to front-line treatments such as drugs or therapy. In addition, exercise has few of the negative side effects common with drugs.

There's now emerging evidence that exercise also seems to help in treating or avoiding anxiety disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder and possibly other serious psychotic conditions, as well. Exercise stimulates the release of endocannabinoids, molecules important in modifying connections between brain cells. This may provide another way of enhancing the learning that underlies successful treatment for depression, PTSD and other mental disorders. Physical activity also moderates the body's response to stress and reduces inflammation, plausibly helping people with metal illness. It's well known that exercise can improve physical health. It has mental health benefits as well, it is an important addition to treatment.