Exercise Improves Mental Health

The “Run to the Shrine” is one of many local events AspenPointe sponsors in its efforts to promote a holistic approach to health and wellness. This summer, AspenPointe was also the volunteer sponsor for the USA Pro Cycling Challenge that kick-started in Colorado Springs in August.

“We at AspenPointe know how important it is to exercise every day, at least ten minutes," said AspenPointe Health Services program manager Penny Frank. "It helps your mind and spirit and helps you achieve your best."

A recent report in Time Magazine states, “That physical activity is crucial to good health – both mental and physical – is nothing new. As early as the 1970s and '80s, observational studies showed that Americans who exercised were not only less likely to be depressed than those who did not but also less likely to become depressed in the future.”

The article sites a 1999 Duke University trial where researchers demonstrated that depressed adults who participated in an aerobic-exercise plan improved as much as those treated with Zoloft.

Numerous other trials have since repeated these results, showing that patients who follow aerobic-exercise regimens see improvement in their depression comparable to that of those treated with medication.

“The trials all seem to point in the same direction: exercise boosts mood. It not only relieves depressive symptoms but also appears to prevent them from recurring,” the article said.

AspenPointe continues to move toward helping clients achieve the best outcomes through a whole-person focus. Health care providers understand with greater clarity that emotional, physical and mental well-being are much more intricately connected than previously thought.

“Being physically fit is part of being well and that’s why we encourage our staff and our clients to eat better and exercise,” said AspenPointe President & CEO Morris L. Roth. “We think wellness also encompasses things like emotional balance, financial stability, career satisfaction, spirituality and social connectedness, to name a few.”

So we hope to see you May 19 at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s “Run to the Shrine.” It’s good for your health.

-Adrienne Anderson

Communications Specialist, AspenPointe