Varying the workouts you do can help to improve your wellbeing during the global health crisis. Switching up your exercise routine is essential to keeping your mind healthy, a new study has suggested.
Regular physical activity has significant positive benefits on mental health, and researchers from the University of Basel discovered that it's not just how much exercise you do, but what type.
A walk in the morning, going for a run in the evening, or walking to buy groceries could all help to boost wellbeing, rather than just doing one type of exercise which could become monotonous and unenjoyable if done repeatedly.
The researchers acknowledged that during the Covid-19 global pandemic it would be difficult to vary the type of exercise, but they suggested that even a slight switch-up could be hugely beneficial.
The team collected GPS data from more than 1,000 patients who had been diagnosed with mental health conditions – and had agreed to take part in the study – and followed their movement for a week.
They found that the more people moved, and the more varied their movements, the greater their sense of well-being.
"Our results suggest that activity alone is not enough to reduce symptoms of mental disorders, but can at least improve subjective well-being," study leader Professor Andrew Gloster explained.
"Although the data were collected before the pandemic, the results are also relevant in light of the limitations during the coronavirus crisis."
(Cover Media/Reuters)