This reflection is the second part in our
series on some changes that have been clinically shown to improve people’s
mental well-being and how they relate to our lives in faith. It should go
without saying that these reflections do not seek to encourage people to
withdraw from existing mental health arrangements, but rather to encourage us
all to consider changes that may well be beneficial. In a similar note, it
needs to be noted that seeking your medical practitioner’s advice is vital
before making sudden or significant lifestyle choices.
That being said, the article by Dr Roger
Walsh notes that just as exercise offers benefits that lower the risk of
certain physical diseases and can be used as part of the treatment for existing
disorders, it also offers both preventative and therapeutic benefits on a
demonstrable level.
In terms of prevention, exercise has been
found to reduce the risk of depression as well as diseases of mental decline
such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. Among older people, the
improvement found in people’s lives after exercise is undertaken includes a
marked improvement in the executive functions of planning and coordination. It
should be warned, however, that while the benefits of exercise for physical
health can be seen at a lower level, the cognitive benefits of exercise are
best seen with exercise activities of over 30 minutes duration and of a higher
intensity (Janetzki recommends a level where it is difficult to hold a
conversation) . For many of us, this is one of the changes best undertaken in
association with appropriate professionals.
Of all the beneficial changes raised in the
article by Walsh, this is one of two where the Christian tradition has
historically shown ambivalence. In recent weeks, we have been reading from
Paul’s letter to the Romans, where the body (“the flesh”) is set against the
world of the spirit. This can be seen, particularly in Romans 8, where we are
chosen to choose between things of the flesh and things of God. It may be for these reasons that the tendency
of Christian tradition has been to deprive the body as part of discipline.
However, there is a second view of our
bodies in scripture that may lead us to choose a more beneficial way of living
both for our bodies and our minds. This is the view of our body as a temple
(e.g. 1 Corinthians 6:19). If we see our body as the residence of God, we are
called to treat this earthly shell of ours with care and respect.
If we see ourselves as participating in
carrying God’s mission into the world, we offer our bodies to God’s service. If
we adopt this view of our bodies, the act of exercise is not an act of
developing vanity or carnality (literally translated from the Latin as
flesh-ness) but rather an act of devotion and preparation to do God’s work in
the world. I must admit that my temple is not in the best of shape, but am doing
my best on the renovations, and hope you can see the physical, mental and
spiritual benefits of doing this too.
