Physical Exercise and Psychological Well-Being

Abstract

This study was contextualised within a public health model of mental health promotion, with psychological well-being conceptualised as the positive component of mental health and physical exercise conceptualised as a subset of physical activities aimed at improving health and well-being. The research investigated the relationship between regular physical exercise over a period of two to six months and psychological well-being in 26 exercisers at health clubs in the Richards Bay area of South Africa. Psychological well-being was measured by a Well-being Profile, composed of well-being components of mood, lifestyle, satisfaction with life, sense of coherence, fortitude, stress management, coping and total well-being score. Regular exercise was defined as meeting the criterion of exercising for an average of 30 minutes a day at least three times a week. The main findings were that regular exercise was associated with significant improvements in total well-being score and especially in the well-being components of mood, sense of coherence, fortitude, stress and coping. These findings are discussed in terms of their significance for the promotion of public health in general and mental health in particular.

Ruh Sağlığı ve Psikiyatri Hemşireliğinde Salutogenez Modeli

“…2001, Nguyen-Michel ve ark. 2006, Edwards 2006. Ayrıca araş-tırma sonuçları, bütünlük duygusu ile psikolojik sağlık arasında doğrudan ilişkinin varlığına işaret etmektedir.…”

Stress Management Techniques

“…We have added the following categories: individual physical exercises and exercises in group. Some of the new studies [10] emphasize, that physically active students have better stress management level than those not active. It has been found that the most popular exercises were aerobics and fitness [10].…”

A Study on Physical Activity and Stress Levels among Undergraduate Medical Students

“…Most of these studies highlight that those who engage in physical activity tend to have fewer stress symptoms compared to those who lead a more sedentary lifestyle. (13,14) Mandatory physical education classes are part of the school curriculum, and it's incorporated in the school time table itself. But when a student comes out of the school and joins a college or university, it is mostly left to his or her wish.…”