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12 October 2020 | Story Arina Engelbrecht | Photo Supplied
Arina Engelbrecht
Arina Engelbrecht from Organisational Development and Employee Well-being believes physical activity has a number of benefits for one’s health, including stress relief.

Being physically active plays a big role in preventing the development of mental-health problems and in improving the quality of life of people experiencing mental-health problems.

Treatment for depression

Physical activity can be an alternative treatment for depression. It can be used as a stand-alone treatment or in combination with medication and/or psychological therapy. It promotes all kinds of changes in the brain, including neural growth, reduced inflammation, and new activity patterns are formed that promote feelings of calm and well-being. It releases endorphins – powerful chemicals in the brain that energise your spirit and make you feel good.  

Physical activity can be very effective in relieving stress. Research in adults has found that physically active individuals tend to have lower stress levels compared to individuals who are less active.  It also leads to improved sleep. When a person sleeps better and feels more rested, overall quality of life improves. They cope better with daily life stressors.

Reduce Alzheimer's risk

Regular physical activity can reduce your risk of developing Alzheimer's disease by up to 50%. It can also slow down further deterioration in those who have already started to develop cognitive problems.  It stimulates the brain’s ability to maintain old connections as well as to make new ones.

A study asked people to rate their mood immediately after periods of physical activity (e.g. going for a walk/run, cycling, doing housework) and periods of inactivity (e.g. reading a book or watching television). Researchers found that participants felt more content, more awake, and calmer after being physically active compared to after periods of inactivity.

In conclusion, people who are physically active feel a sense of well-being, feel more energetic throughout the day, sleep better at night, have sharper memories, and feel more relaxed and positive about themselves and their lives.

“Being physically active not only changes your body, it changes your mind,
attitude, and your mood.” – Arina Engelbrecht

News Archive

Arts and Social Justice festival brings arts and academia together
2013-08-14

14 August 2013

Programme (pdf)

The Institute for Reconciliation and Social Justice is hosting the 2nd Annual Arts and Social Justice Week from 19–31 August 2013. Due to its popularity last year, the run of the festival has been extended to two weeks.

The festival celebrates freedom of expression through drama, dance, music, poetry, film, and arts exhibitions. This year the aim is to create an environment where creativity and academia join hands.

Highlights of the programme include an open-air film screening of the documentary 'Dear Mandela' on Friday 30 August. This film follows the journey of three young people from their shacks to the highest court in the land as they invoke Nelson Mandela's example and become leaders in a growing social movement. By turns inspiring, devastating and funny, the film offers a new perspective on the role that young people can play in political change and is a fascinating portrait of South Africa coming of age.

On Wednesday 21 August Prof Ntongela Desmond Masilela speaks on 'The contribution of Woman to Intellectual Thought about Modernity within the Context of the New African Movement'.

The documentary 'Injury Time' explores the question of who really benefited from the post-1994 democratic dispensation in the sporting arena. This screening takes place on Monday 26 August. Producer, Mark Fredericks tells a damning tale of betrayal and deceit, as an entire past of non-racial sport was written out of history.

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