Does a healthy body really make a healthy mind?

A study published in The Lancet Psychiatry used data from 1.2 million people about their exercise habits and mental health.  

People who exercised from 30 minutes to an hour each day reported the best results, with two less days of poor mental health per month compared to those who did not exercise. 

Adam Chekroud, one of the authors of the study, says: “The exercise plan that was associated with the best mental health would be a team sport or cycling three or four times a week, for 45 minutes.” 

But there was also good news for people not ready to head to the football pitch just yet. “There was the clear effect overall,” Adam says, “that doing any kind of exercise was clearly better than not doing any kind of exercise, even if it’s just household chores or walking.” 

Speaking to BBC Three, Olympic gymnast Nile Wilson spoke of how fitness has helped him through mental health struggles. In 2019, a neck injury left him unable to train, which he says caused his mental health to “spiral”. 

Now, he is an advocate for the life-changing power of fitness. When exercising, he says, “you feel better about yourself. You feel more self esteem, even if you’re in the deepest darkest places. Moving your body releases chemicals in your brain and you feel better and want more from yourself.” 

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Does a healthy body really make a healthy mind? - BBC Three