Regular Exercise And Mental Health Essay

Equally, It is reported by a National Institute of Mental Health (n.d) panel that regular exercise can have a positive influence on anxiety and depression (Salmon, 2001). Similarly, Berman (2003) in Preventive Medicine magazine give more support to the link between regular exercise, anxiety, depression and personality. What is more, Atlantis and Kirby (2004) indicated that regular exercise can effectively improve mental health and enhance quality of life. These experts all suggest that regular physical activity could help relieving anxiety and depression, it also proves that regular exercise brings positive effect on mental health.

However, although regular exercise could bring a significant number of benefits, in the United States, it may not be seen as frequent activity. According to the report of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2002), 68% of Americans do not participate often in physical exercise. The statistic of this report show that only 25% of adults engage in physical activity at the recommended levels every day. 29% of adults have a sedentary lifestyle (exercise less than 30 minutes per day). In order to encourage and maintain the citizens exercise regularly, the United States local governments have applied different policies, mainly intervention.

In the class, teachers could indicate the harm of sedentary lifestyles and physical inactivity, promote the benefits of regular exercise and thus develop the right attitudes for decision making among students (ibid). These behavioral instructions actually help students become knowledgeable about exercise, offer supportive attitudes for physical activity, and probably reduce their time in television viewing and video game playing. Teaching in the classroom can develop the students’ applicable behavioral management skills and thus change the their health-related