Today is Mental Health Awareness Day. As such, there’s been a lot of talk about the things we can do to help ourselves and each other. One of the things that comes up time and time again is the topic of exercise and most often, it is running that is mentioned. I began running in May 2016, with the Waverley Harriers running club’s Couch to 5k. It’s fair to say that I hated it. Every week, I’d run with a new runner and I’d beg them to tell me, “when does this become fun?” I’d heard the rumours that running could help me to become more than just a bit fitter, but I couldn’t really see how it could help something like depression. I did develop a theory that perhaps running hurts so much, physically, that it takes your mind off of your emotional pain. But, other than that, I couldn’t see how it would help. Running is physical, emotions are not. As a psychologist, I thought it would be beneficial to see if I could find any studies that explored what running did to my brain – just to see if it was worth continuing. This post looks at four theories or studies that demonstrate the effects running has on our brains and wellbeing.
The Chimp Paradox is a book by sports psychologist and Professor Steve Peters. He suggests that the limbic system, within our brains (the bit responsible for our emotions, behaviours and motivations) is the old part of our brains and should be called the Chimp. And the frontal lobe (the bit that deals with things like problem solving and language) is the more modern part of the brain and should be called the Human. His theory suggests that the chimp cannot be controlled, merely managed. One of the ways we can handle the chimp part of the brain is to exercise. His suggestion is, that once we start running, we move away from the emotions of our brain and are more able to think more logically about a situation.
Moving briefly away from the brain, Parkrun recently partnered with a University to see what effects Parkrun had on people that had mental health issues. It found that volunteering at parkrun made them feel included and therefore, made them feel happier. The study found 3 themes that arose from interviews with these parkrunners. When taing part, they gained a sense of achievenment and of taking part. Runners and marshalls found themselves connecting with others and found the inclusivity of “parkun is for everyone” was also beneficial.
One study found that running was able to create new neurons within the hippocampus. Back to the brain again, the hippocampus is located within the limbic system and is associated with controlling emotions and with the long term memory. A study on rats found that the rats that had run furthest over a 7 week period had more new neurons within their hippocampus, than those that had led a sedentary lifestyle over the same time period. And although, those that had done weightlifting exercises and interval training had some new neurons, it was the long distance runners that had the most. New neurons in the hippocampus would create new ways for your brain to index brand new memories.
A final study, compared two groups’ cognitive function. Both groups carried out cognitive tests, one group then ran and one group carried out relaxation for 15 minutes. The runners did significantly better on the tests that measured mental speed and attentional control, the group also felt like they had more energy, than the relaxing group.
Those 4 studies surprised me with the range of benefits running can offer. There are many more studies showing many other benefits of running (and other forms of exercise too). It’s taken me a year and I’m finally coming to enjoy running. The feeling of completing a distance, that I set out to do, leaves me feeling happy and excited to be able to run. With practice, i’ve gone from alternating between running and walking to just running and that really sets the endorphins free and lets me feel amazing. Joining a running club, has let me feel included. I am definitely the slowest runner in the club, but I have a vast amount of support and encouragement from people across the club. One recent example of this was at Cranleigh parkrun. I’d arrived late and the tailwalker kindly waited for me to catch up. As we ran around the course, some Waverley Harriers were lapping me, but all of them yelled encouragement at me as they ran by. It kept me going and the tail walker was really impressed at how friendly they all were.
Running is definitely hard and I’ve taken a lot longer than the average person to discover how good running can feel. It’s interesting to see how such a physical sport can have such a massive impact on our brains and therefore on our mental health. Not only are the feel good endorphins released, but our brains thrive and build as we run. Whilst all of that is happening in our brains, our muscles are growing and our social lives are expanding too.
For me, running has taught me how to stay focused on my goals and made me more determined to reach them. I thought running was a solo sport, so I was really surprised to find that there was a social side to it. Taking part in parkruns is always a positive experience that makes you feel part of the community. You don’t have to join a running club to run, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised with how inclusive and supportive our club has been. I’ve also spent a lot more time outside, exploring my local area. For me, it finally feels like it was worth sticking with running, even when I hated it, because now I (finally) am beginning to enjoy it and see the benefits.
Train of Thoughts 