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Key Takeaways
Physical activity, especially group exercise, can play a crucial role as a mood booster and a way to combat social isolation and loneliness. Here are some strategies you can apply in your work with clients:
This blog offers an evidence-based approach to boosting mood and improving mental health status through exercise and community building. Read on for expert insight.
View this course: ACE RRAMP Approach™: Cultivating Behavior Change through Group Fitness
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This time of year can be a disappointment for many people. The holidays are long gone, the energy behind the good intentions is starting to fade and the short days and cold temperatures are getting a bit difficult. If your clients express concerns about their mental health, you can provide a powerful reminder physical activity can play a crucial role as a mood booster and a way to combat social isolation and loneliness.
To learn more about the role of physical activity, especially group exercise, in elevating mood and improving mental health status, I contacted Katie Heinrich, PhD, whose research focuses on improving lives through addiction recovery, community, exercise, and physical activity.
According to Dr. Heinrich: “What’s important is finding something you enjoy. For some people that might be lifting weights and doing CrossFit. For others, it might be putting on a song they love and dancing around the room or dancing with their kids.”
If something makes a customer feel good, chances are he or she will want to do it again.
“When we talk about exercise,” continues Dr. Heinrich, “then ideally it becomes something that they can repeat and that is structured, so that maybe over time they improve and improve their fitness.”
That said, it is important to note that there are immediate benefits to a single exercise routine, as some clients may be looking for a short-term boost in mood rather than the long-term mental health benefits of continued participation in an exercise program.
“Exercise increases blood flow and stimulates areas of the brain that can feel these effects immediately,” says Dr. Heinrich. Additionally, when something is difficult to achieve, whether it’s a tough workout at the gym or a challenging hike, the feeling of accomplishment can do wonders for a person’s mood, as well as his or her self-efficacy to keep going.
Building a sense of community
There’s no denying the power of that “we’re all in this together” feeling that people get during tough workouts, challenging group fitness classes, and athletic competitions. So is there an additive effect taking place, where the benefits of physical activity are enhanced by the group experience? If so, what causes that effect?
Several things happen in these scenarios, explains Dr. Heinrich out. “You become part of something bigger than yourself, right? So if you’re anxious or depressed or stuck in a negative mental health spiral, make sure you focus outside of yourself. Being part of a community where you support other people gives you a sense of belonging, a sense of purpose that you can contribute to and help other people just as they support you.”
Camaraderie encourages both responsibility and social support. And sometimes those feelings can grow into friendships that extend beyond the gym. Shared experiences, especially shared struggles and the resulting feelings of success as clients overcome these obstacles together, can be a great way to help clients combat social isolation and loneliness.
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What the research reveals about the importance of community
In a study by Dr. Heinrich which evaluated how recording a sense of community (SOC) in group exercises, an intervention influences treatment compliance, an 11-week high-intensity functional training program which incorporates SOC strategies had oneAn exceptionally high compliance rate of 97% among 30 participants.
ACE-supported research evaluating the effectiveness of the ACE RRAMP Approach™ found that using this approach to create a caring and task-intensive climate empowers clients and positively impacts treatment adherence. Participants in a class in which instructors used the ACE RRAMP approach had an adherence rate of nearly 80%, compared to 56% in a control group.
Collectively, this type of research shows that participating in a group exercise experience in a supportive and stimulating environment improves adherence to an exercise program, which can produce important changes in both physical and mental health.
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Final Thoughts: Practice empowerment
A term that often comes up in discussions about how to improve mood and mental health through physical activity and exercise is “empowerment.” When clients feel a sense of ownership and control over what they do, it improves their mood, self-efficacy and motivation.
In a study by exercise powerresearchers defined this term as “both a process and an outcome in which individuals acquire skills and abilities to pflower and control…. Empowerment at the individual level is conceptually related to self-efficacy, autonomy and freedom of choice.”
This is where you, as a health coach or exercise professional, can impact both the short-term mood and long-term mental health of your clients. By creating an empowering environment, you give clients autonomy over the experience and challenge them to step outside their comfort zone and achieve something new. Combine all that with the camaraderie, responsibility, and social support you find in a group environment, and you have a recipe for real success.
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