Anxiety disorders affect approximately 4.4% of the world’s population. When combined with depression, the number mounts to 38% of all mental illness diagnoses. Experts agree that incorporating prudent meals along with regular physical exercise can greatly mitigate both of these conditions. This article presents data to support this premise, as well as suggestions regarding how to help clients adopt these healthy behaviors to combat anxiety.
Adverse Effects of Anxiety
Anxiety, a complex mental health condition characterized by constant feelings of fear, worry, and general unease, can manifest itself in a multitude of disruptive ways. Living with anxiety and its ensuing attacks interferes not only with daily routines and overall health but can also take a toll on interpersonal relationships and the ability to function effectively at work. The impact of anxiety often renders simple interactions with others overwhelming and daunting, causing the individual to withdraw and isolate from social encounters; this lack of connection/loneliness in turn further fuels the anxious state.
The Interplay of Exercise and Anxiety
As personal trainers, we already suggest regular exercise to all of our clients. Research confirms that participating in just 30 minutes of any aerobic-type exercise, 3-5x/week, can dramatically lessen anxiety symptoms. This most likely relates to the production and release of endorphins, helping to create a sense of calm and an uplifted mood. Similarly, exercise modulates the body’s response to stress, including what professionals refer to as the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. By reducing circulating levels of cortisol (the number one stress hormone in the body), exercise facilitates one’s ability to cope with stressful situations before a full-blown anxiety attack ensues.
A survey encompassing 47 countries and 237,964 respondents revealed that poor participation in physical activity could increase the risk of anxiety disorders by 1.32x. However, insufficient clinical evidence to fully support this position indicates that perhaps other factors beyond physical activity have a significant influence on both depression and anxiety. Current research points to the frequency/intensity of physical activity as potentially affecting psychological stress, citing that inactive individuals tend to struggle more with stress management in comparison to their more physically active counterparts.
The Science of Activity and the Brain
Exercise positively impacts both psychological and physiological regulation by decreasing catecholamine levels under chronic stress. Catecholamines cause general physiological changes that prepare the body for physical activity (commonly referred to as “the fight-or-flight response”). Catecholamines elicit increases in heart rate, blood pressure, circulating glucose levels, and a general reaction of the sympathetic nervous system. Individuals who regularly engage in physical training show lower sympathetic activity and catecholamine levels during movement than untrained individuals, indicating better stress management. In this manner, it appears that exercise improves mood and cognition by regulating neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine, thereby alleviating depression and anxiety.
Pairing Activity with Nutrition
Creating an active lifestyle can significantly reduce stress, as researchers found with university students whose schedules and demands frequently place them under a tremendous amount of stress. However, nutrition often takes a back seat to the many activities in which students engage on campus. 18-22-year-olds often discount or ignore the role of dietary habits in overall wellness; yet studies show a strong link between nutrition and mental health, especially for individuals under pressure.
Compared to their sedentary peers, students who exercised regularly and also reported better nutrition exhibited lower levels of stress and anxiety. Dietary habits partially mediate the link between physical activity and stress. Consumption of more fresh fruits and vegetables can increase mental wellbeing and reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression. In addition, those individuals who practice a nutritious meal plan also tend to demonstrate increased participation/interest in physical activity, suggesting that better dietary habits coupled with exercise can reduce stress levels.
How Chronic Stress Affects Eating Patterns
Chronic stress affects the manner in which the human body makes use of calories and nutrients consumed. It raises the body’s metabolic needs, thereby increasing both the use and the excretion of many important nutrients. In the absence of a sound, nutritious diet, stress may lead to a nutritional deficiency. Stress also creates a domino effect of behaviors that can negatively affect eating habits, leading to other health problems:
- Stress places a greater demand on the body for oxygen, energy, and nutrients. Yet people who experience chronic stress may crave “comfort foods” laden with salt, sugar and fats, and typically high in calories but low in nutrients.
- People feeling stress may lack the time and/or motivation to prepare nutritious, balanced meals.
- Anxiety often causes individuals to skip meals and/or forget to eat.
- Stress can disrupt sleep , which leads to fatigue during the waking and productive daytime hours. In order to cope with this, many end up relying on caffeine or high-calorie/empty nutrition snack foods.
- During acute stress, the hormone adrenaline suppresses the appetite. However, for individuals living with chronic stress and anxiety, elevated levels of cortisol may elicit cravings for foods high in sugar, fat, and calories, which may then lead to weight gain.
- Cortisol favors the accumulation of fat in the belly area, also called central adiposity. This condition tends to align with the development of insulin resistance and an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and certain breast cancers.
Nutritional Options Can Mitigate or Exacerbate Anxiety
The food choices we make regularly can exert a profound impact on emotions, stress levels, and overall mental stability. Research indicates that certain dietary patterns can either soothe or spark anxiety, stress, and even depression. Therefore, we must strive to understand the effects certain foods have on our bodies and our minds.
Dietitians and healthcare experts have come across a few nutrients that can help ease overt anxiety symptoms. Omega-3 fatty acids, B vitamins, and magnesium have all proven quite powerful at lessening the severity of anxiety. Omega-3 fatty acids, found in salmon and other fatty fish, chia seeds, and walnuts, play a crucial role in brain function. As such, making them part of one’s daily food plan can actually lower levels of anxiety and depression. B vitamins, including B6 and B12, facilitate neurotransmitter synthesis and help regulate mood. Magnesium, found in nuts, seeds, and dark chocolate, has a calming effect on the nervous system. Opting for whole foods, and especially those containing probiotics, can foster better gut health, which scientists have definitively linked to improved, balanced mental health.
While these food sources can help, other nutritional choices can actually worsen anxiety symptoms. Caffeine, simple sugars, and processed foods can lead to mood instability and anxiety spikes. Keeping a food log for a week or two while journaling about anxiety and/or panic attacks may help indicate which foods cause triggers. Some individuals find that plant-based diets, or following a Mediterranean-type food plan, make a big difference in their anxiety symptoms.
Inflammation and Mood Dysregulation
As previously mentioned, highly processed foods high in sugar, salt, and saturated fats can worsen anxiety by promoting inflammation, which, in turn, disrupts the balance of the nervous system. Chronic inflammation, typically triggered by these foods, can actually alter brain chemistry and dysregulate stress-response pathways, rendering one more vulnerable to mood disorders. In addition, ultra-processed foods simultaneously rob the body of the essential nutrients previously referenced for mental stability – magnesium, omega-3 fatty acids, and B vitamins.
For decades, scientists and pediatricians have supported the notion that excess sugar will cause anxiety and wild behavior in children and toddlers. We now know that anxiety does not come on as a result of eating simple sugars. However, consuming large amounts of sugary foods can worsen pre-existing anxiety symptoms and/or actually trigger an anxiety attack.
Promoting a Healthy Emotional Affect
The concept known as a salutogenic framework encompasses how people stay healthy and mentally stable when encountering periods of stress. Healthy eating patterns strongly constitute an important salutogenic behavior for weight control and thwarting the development of many disease states. We can begin to see the clearly emerging picture of how stress and its ensuing anxiety strongly align with unhealthy eating behaviors and poor overall physical care.
Scientists favor the emerging view that less stress coupled with a high positive outlook can align directly with participation in healthy behaviors such as daily physical activity. Health -promoting physical activities might place a stronger emphasis on reducing stress/negative affect as well as enhancing positive affect. For example, rather than touting the advantages of intensive exercise, healthcare professionals working with patients having stress/anxiety issues might choose to promote more moderate physical activity, such as opting to take the stairs instead of an elevator. These simple changes might prove sufficient enough to lessen short‐term stress levels, and can easily fit into one’s daily life.
Making a Sustainable Plan
When dealing with both acute and chronic anxiety or stress, physical activity and healthy eating can serve as key players in one’s daily lifestyle. For those clients unaccustomed to regular exercise, encourage them to see physical activity as an enjoyable part of their regular weekly schedule, which, of course, involves finding a sport or any kind of recreational movement that brings stress relief, fun, and pleasure to their days. Any form of physical activity can help ease stress, not only in the long run but also over the hours immediately following the exercise. When taking the approach of anxiety/stress prevention, personal trainers can discuss the importance of physical activity on “breaking the cycle” of inactivity, stress, anxiety, and a negative mood affect.
Managing anxiety through diet and exercise can serve as a sustainable approach to overall well-being. By prioritizing a balanced, nutrient-dense diet, incorporating regular exercise into daily life, and seeking professional care if necessary, individuals can empower themselves to take positive steps towards their mental and physical health.
References
.waybridgeclinics.com/post/how-diet-and-exercise-influence-anxiety-treatment-in-daily-life#:~:text=Engaging%20in%20regular%20exercise%20can,a%20more%20positive%20self%2Dimage.
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12537415/
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12830306/
nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu/stress-and-health/
pcom.edu/campuses/philadelphia-campus/news-and-events/pcom-news/how-diet-affects-mood-and-anxiety.html
iocdf.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Reduce-Anxiety-Through-Exercise-Sleep-Diet-Mindfulness-and-other-Stress-Relieving-Measures.pdf
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