View all slides | Contents of this slide

Lecture Notes

We've talked many times throughout this semester about the importance of physical activity for our physical health, but in this chapter we're going to explore the relationship between physical activity and psychological or mental health. And so the three main functions of physical activity in relation to mental health are, first, that physical activity is able to enhance positive mental health outcomes such as self-esteem. So for example, persons who are more active have higher self-esteem. Those people also have more positive body image and better cognitive functioning. Second, physical activity can help protect us against mental health disturbances such as anxiety and depression, and we'll talk about each of those later in this chapter. And finally, physical activity can be used as a treatment for symptoms of anxiety and depression, and often it's used as an adjunct or additional treatment, in addition to maybe cognitive behavioral therapy, or medication as well.