Understanding Exercise

Sports Psychology – Exercise and Mental Health

In this course, Dr Anthony Miller (Staffordshire University) explores the relationship between exercise and mental health. In the first lecture, we think about what exercise is and what mental health benefits it can bring. In the second lecture, we think about some key research findings in the field of exercise and mental health. In the third lecture, we think about the irrational beliefs and negative relationships that can exist in the mind of someone with an exercise addiction. Next, we think about techniques that can be implemented to improve people’s relationship with exercise. In the fifth and final lecture, we think about how these concepts can be summarised.

Understanding Exercise

In this lecture, we think about what exercise is and what its benefits can be, focusing in particular on: (i) the importance of exercise psychology, based around the potential health and economic damage brought about by general inactivity in the population; (ii) understanding exercise as structured, repetitive movements, rather than simply being active; (iii) the adaptive nature of humans to be more active than the typical population are today; (iv) the role that serotonin and dopamine play in the positive mental health benefits of exercise; (v) some of the health conditions that regular exercise can help prevent.