Many studies have linked exercise to a decrease in depression, anxiety and other troublesome mental conditions. However, the concept of exercise for someone who lacks motivation to do anything whatsoever can still be daunting.
Susan Levy, a professor in the School of Exercise and Nutritional Sciences at San Diego State University, said in an e-mail that “exercise can benefit a woman’s mental and emotional states.”
Here are some ways she said that exercise can improve women’s lives, according to research:
-improved physical self-worth and self-image
-reduced anxiety (particularly about the body)
-greater physical acceptance (despite “flaws”)
Levy said it’s common for everyone to drop fitness routines when there are other distractions.
“A big key to successfully sticking with exercise is to incorporate your exercise into your day-to-day routine, so that it becomes part of your lifestyle, sort of like brushing your teeth,” Levy said, “rather than something you feel you're always trying to squeeze into your schedule somewhere.”
However, some inconsistencies can be fixed by just changing the type of exercise. For example, if you only run while working out, try hiking or biking instead every once in a while.
“Having an 'exercise buddy' can also be helpful, as you become accountable to someone else, and for some exercising with someone increases the fun factor,” Levy said.
For a woman who has not been exercising in a while, gradually exercising is key.
“It would be self-defeating to ask a previously sedentary woman to start vigorously exercising five times a week for an hour at a time,” Levy said. “It's important to experience success when considering goals for increasing physical activity.”
In such a case, doing something fun that requires exercise two to three times a week would be a good start, she said. Other simple ways to get exercise into the schedule are to park farther away in the parking lot, walk or bike instead of driving, and use the stairs instead of being lazy and taking the escalator or elevator.
This may seem like a lot, but Levy said that the American College of Sports Medicine suggests 150 minutes per week of moderate to vigorous intensity exercise. Moderate exercise can be for 30 minutes for around five days a week, but you can also switch that up with three days of vigorous exercise for 20 minutes.
Amanda Visek, an assistant professor in the Department of Exercise Science at the George Washington University Medical Center, said in an e-mail that “exercise is a known treatment for mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety,” which affect women more often than men.
She said exercise can help with “socialization, connectedness, and competence in mastering exercise/physical activity goals.”
“Exercise is also a way for women to develop strength physically and psychologically, improving confidence/self-efficacy and through the development of positive body images,” Visek said.
She agrees with Levy that working out with a friend and changing up an exercise routine can help women stick to exercise.
“A key to success is also through self-reflection of previous exercise barriers,” Visek said. “Once barriers can be identified - plans for overcoming those barriers are essential to a woman's success.”
She said women need to be gradual about self-change and plan ahead to avoid failure.
“I always recommend that women set self-change goals that [are] very specific, measurable, action-oriented (framed as what she will do versus what she will not do), realistic, and time-bound with a reward system in place for achieving her goals,” Visek said.