Physical Activity and Emotional Health

Emotional health problems range from normal psychological reactions and distress following stressful life situations to severe mental disorders. About one half of the population will experience a mental disorder during a lifetime, and every human in periods of life will experience mental distress. The health care system can never meet the need for treatment for these major health problems, and it is important to have effective strategies that people can adopt themselves to cope better. Physical activity has been proposed as one such strategy. The purpose of this entry is to evaluate the role of physical activity in the prevention and treatment of mental distress and disorders as well as address compliance with exercise recommendations, what forms of exercise may be most beneficial, and knowledge ...