Strengthening the Forces: Give your Brain a Boost!

May 3, 2022 - Defence Stories

As we recognize Mental Health Week (you are now leaving the Government of Canada website), it is important to acknowledge that many Canadians have found the last couple of years quite challenging. As part of their “self-care” efforts, many people have turned to regular exercise to help manage stress and stay in shape. What often goes unrecognized is that regular exercise is also very good for your brain. Research consistently shows that regardless of your age or fitness level, making the time to exercise regularly can provide a lot of important mental health benefits.

The great thing about the “brain” benefits of exercise is they do not take nearly as long to achieve as the physical benefits. It can take weeks or months of dedicated training to develop a more efficient heart or to strengthen your core.  On the other hand, some of the mental health benefits, such as improved mood, can occur almost immediately after exercising. The following is a list of some of the benefits of regular exercise:

• Improved mood
• Reduced fatigue
• Increased energy
• Enhanced learning capacity and some cognitive abilities
• Improved sleep quality
• Reduced stress
• Reduced anxiety
• Reduced depression
• Distraction from worries
• Help to feel more in control
• Improved quality of life
• Improved ability to manage pain

Exercise has also been shown to reduce the risk of diabetes, heart disease, stroke and eight types of cancer including colon and breast cancer. An active lifestyle can also help control your blood pressure, decrease the risk of falls and fractures, and help you maintain a healthy body weight. As a result of these benefits, physically active people tend to live longer with better health even as they age.

These benefits have been shown to occur from walking as little as 30 minutes a day, three times per week. You don’t even have to do all 30 minutes at the same time either; you can break it up into three 10-minute walks. While aiming to achieve the minimal activity recommendations (you are now leaving the Government of Canada website) is a great place to start, the more physically active you become the more mental and physical health benefits you will experience.

As we all continue to navigate our way through the ups and downs of daily living, it is very clear that regular exercise has a lot to offer every member of the Defence Team – mentally and physically. So why not add some regular physical activity to the self-care activities you are already doing? Here (you are now leaving the Government of Canada website) are ways to get started with being physically active – your body and brain will love you for it!

Exercise truly is Medicine.

Dr. Darrell Menard OMM MD, Dip Sport Med

Dr. Menard is the Surgeon General’s specialist advisor in sports medicine and has worked extensively with athletes from multiple sports.  As part of the Strengthening the Forces team he works on injury prevention and promoting active living.

Strengthening the Forces is CAF/DND’s healthy lifestyles promotion program providing expert information, skills and tools for promoting and improving CAF members’ health and well-being.