#3 - Mental Health & Exercise

On Episode 3 of the Musashi R&D Sessions Podcast, Ross and Dhiren discuss the psychological and emotional benefits of physical activity and much more in this week’s topic – Mental Health & Exercise.

For this session we are joined by Luvern Moothan, a Mental Health Clinician from his office in Perth, to dissect the effect exercise on the mind and brain, as well as the body. The guys also elaborate on the science of neurotransmitters, with a focus on serotonin, which plays a significant role in mood and happiness, and dopamine, which influences feelings of pleasure and reward. While most sporting fixtures are on hold, the guys speak about several competitions which continue to run, including the Belarusian Premier League, and review the news of Liverpool seeking to have the Premier League title awarded to them in court. More news surfaces around Jon Jones’ arrest, Lamelo Ball buying the Illawarra Hawks, and Christian Welch calling out to seniors, among other stories.

This episode we finish with a pair of listener questions about progressive overloading, and consuming protein before a workout. R&D are more successful in this week’s attempt to guess the origin of a famous athlete’s quote pitched by Hal the Intern.

Once again, Dhiren applies the philosophy of Miyamoto Musashi to the topic using the quote: "Think lightly of yourself and deeply of the world" Remember to comment and leave a review, and we’ll get in touch to send you a free Musashi T-shirt! For more product information and training tips, visit www.musashi.com

Scientific References:

Neurotransmitters in Depression and Anxiety: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02201/full

Exercise and Tryptophan-Serotonin link: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0153617

Endotoxin and behaviours: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0028330

The role of inflammation and the gut microbiome in depression and anxiety https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jnr.24476

Injecting pro-inflammatory cytokines causes anxiety: https://www.jneurosci.org/content/32/40/13896

Gut bacteria transplant in mice and effect on anxiety/depression: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31124390

Mental Health Support Resources: e-Mental Health Programs

myCompass www.mycompass.org.au myCompass is an interactive self-help service that aims to promote resilience and wellbeing for all Australians.

MoodGYM www.moodgym.anu.edu.au MoodGYM is a free self-help program to teach CBT skills to people vulnerable to depression and anxiety.

THIS WAY UP www.thiswayup.org.au Using CBT principles, THIS WAY UP Clinic offers proven online courses for Depression, GAD, and Anxiety.

MindSpot www.mindspot.org.au MindSpot combines educational and practical exercises with regular contact with a MindSpot therapist, allowing help to be obtained in a discreet, effective way. Apps and other resources:

ReachOut Breathe app https://au.reachout.com/tools-and-apps/reachout-breathe ReachOut Breathe helps you reduce the physical symptoms of stress and anxiety by slowing down your breathing and your heart rate.

Smiling Mind app https://www.smilingmind.com.au Smiling Mind is a meditation app that uses mindfulness to help manage stress, resilience, anxiety, depression and improve general health and wellbeing.

Black Dog Snapshot https://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/getting-help/self-help-tools-apps/snapshot Black Dog Snapshot is an app that allows you to measure and monitor mental health and lifestyle factors that influence wellbeing.