What you will be reading about:
Introduction
How can strength training be helpful for mental health?
Strength training as trauma therapy
How to do it?
Introduction
It seems common knowledge that running, walking and spending time in nature benefit mental and physical health. I wrote previously about my journey into running. (link here)
It makes sense to think about nature’s benefits, so the gym seems the opposite. Indoors, when some gyms don’t even have natural light, the air inside can sometimes feel quite stale. How can the gym and strength training be helpful for mental health?
This summary is based on my experience and reflections on the benefits of different kinds of therapy and mental health approaches. I may not cite studies, but I hope what I say makes sense.
How can strength training be helpful for mental health?
I wasn’t always into strength training. I heard so much about the benefits for physical, muscle, and bone health that I got the message that it was worth doing. But, to be honest, I dreaded it or did it automatically, not understanding how some people get the motivation to stick with it. It was done for its health benefits, not joy or mental health. For that, I run in nature, especially on the hills.
But then I realised that something had shifted. If I didn’t do strength training for 2-3 days, I started to miss it. In the same way, as I felt the need to run, my body missed the weights.
I thought about the effect on the mind and body, and here are a few of my thoughts.
The most obvious one is "active mindfulness"
Most people think about practising mindfulness by focusing on their breath in solitude when they allocate some time to the practice.
In short, mindfulness is the ability to be fully present, having your mind on what you are doing. To be mindful, we don’t need to go to a retreat or a therapy session. Of course, these can help to learn the practice, but they are not the only way. Several apps can be used to guide you along, such as Headspace or Calm.
If you think mindfulness is about practising being in the present moment, you can take the practice into day-to-day activities. An example of an “active mindfulness” exercise is to keep your focus on drinking tea or coffee. Our minds go to thousands of thoughts, but the practice is to keep bringing it back to that tea or coffee. Try to notice all its properties: temperature, smell, and taste. You’ll see that you start to notice flavours or smells that were not obvious before. It’s normal for the mind to wander, but the more we practice, the better we get at staying in the present.
What does this have to do with working out?
If you’re relatively new to strength training or are changing your routines from time to time, you need to focus on how you move your body. For example, if you do a squat with barbells or dumbbells, you need to find the correct position of those weights to be comfortable and avoid injury. It would help if you focused on your body posture and kept your back straight and core engaged. Then there is the movement, ensuring that your heels don’t go too far ahead and that you squat low enough while keeping your balance. As you can see, there are plenty of opportunities to keep your mind in the present and the fact that there is a weight that adds challenge to the whole movement, in a way, forces you to be present, to make the most of it and avoid injuries. Of course, someone who has done this for a very long time can quickly leave their mind wandering to other things and be less mindful, but it can be made new and challenging again by increasing weights or varying training programmes.
I find that strength training “forces” me to be present. There is so much to focus on, plus I count how many reps and record the weight, reps and sets. When I run, I usually listen to podcasts unless I plan to run silent and focus on breathing, running form or nature. While swimming, although I don’t listen to anything, my mind flies to many different places. I practice mindfulness by trying to focus on a straight line at the bottom of the pool. But with strength training, my mind is just there with no effort. And it’s a great way to break from whatever is going on in your life.
Next is the underlying message you give yourself
I see strength training as a way of taking care of my body and mind, get strong and revert some of the muscle and bone density loss that comes with ageing. It’s self care on many levels.
If it starts from a place of self acceptance and looking after yourself, is a great reinforcer to your brain. You tell yourself that you and your health are important and you take care of it. In this way it acts as a confidence booster, a declaration to yourself that you are someone deserving the effort. Of course, everyone close to you benefit as well, as you are healthier and happier as a result.
I am aware that for many people it doesn’t come from a place of self love but from punishment for the calories eaten or an obsessive desire to look a certain way. If that is the internal dialogue, it’s likely to reinforce that message. My proposal is to start focusing on the wider benefits, one step at the time. It’s not easy to change thoughts like this, but maybe shifting towards what the body can do and appreciating that can be a first step.
The release of neurochemicals
Like any exercise, strength training leads to a release of endorphins, which reduce the perception of pain and increase sensations of pleasure. Endocannabinoids also seemed to be involved, which can lead to a feeling of “calm euphoria”.
Dopamine secretion is another positive reinforcer, allowing you to feel pleasure, satisfaction and increased motivation.
There is also research about exercise increasing neuroplasticity and brain function, which are very important for improving our brain health and could be a way of delaying Alzheimer’s disease. (reference here)
Strength training as trauma therapy
How can lifting weight help victims of trauma (such as early life abuse)?
Trauma is the result of what happened to you, how the trauma manifests in the present moment, rather than the narrative of the events.
For example, victims of physical and sexual abuse learn to be constantly on the lookout for danger, in a heightened state of anxiety. Their body is tense, in many cases you can see people presenting as physically (and emotionally) closed off, with the body crunched, as if taking space or being free in their body was still dangerous. Certain triggers can further increase the state of alert, leading to fight/flight or freeze responses.
The body (and mind) needs to re-learn a state of freedom and safety. It’s not easy to do and it takes time, sometimes decades. It requires a combination of safe space, ideally a safe companion (family, partner, friend, therapist…), some form of making sense of what happened and be-friending the body and its reactions. Strength training can be very useful with this part.
What can strength training do to your body from a trauma healing perspective?
If it starts from a place of self-acceptance (or at least the possibility of it), working out is a strong reinforcer that you are looking after yourself and your body.
With strength training, especially with increasing weights, there are visible body changes quite quickly in a matter of weeks. You will start to feel and see some muscles getting stronger. This is very empowering, as it’s a message to your mind that you are in charge of your body and claim your body as entirely yours.
This can be very powerful for abuse victims, who may have used dissociation or feeling numb to cope with trauma. Strength training gives you a deep inner sense of your body and muscles. When you start or change training routines, the physical sensations, even pain, can be significant. This part would need to be treated carefully, as for some people, the muscle soreness can feel like awakening the body, but for some, it can be triggering. It can be addressed by gradually increasing the physical challenge and, ideally, exploring in therapy the memories that come up.
As there are so many exercises to choose from for each muscle group, the program can be tailored to avoid any movements that can feel unsafe or triggering.
In short, it is about the empowerment that your body is yours; you can mould it through your own effort and strength. It belongs to you and no one else.
How to do it?
I won’t go into the details about training programs, there are so many resources online. I use an app called Fitplan, as it has training plans and you can see short videos for each exercise. You may choose to work with a personal trainer.
My main recommendations are:
- Start from a place of self care and self acceptance
- Focus on what your are doing, how your body feels, and maintain good form
- Start low and go slow, to incorporate changes in daily routine one step at the time
- Be in touch with your body and if some movements don’t feel right, slow down or change with something else. Or rest.
Summary
- Strength training has multi faceted benefits for mental health. There are many benefits for physical health too, but I did not focus on this now.
- The most obvious ways in which it helps our mental health is through being present in the moment, the message we give our mind that we look after ourself and the sense of empowerment coming from visible strength and physical changes.
- I am not claiming that it can be the sole treatment for trauma but it can be one strategy to help reclaim our body.