It鈥檚 that time of year when gloomy weather and New Year鈥檚 resolutions gone by the wayside leave many of us not feeling our best. Even if we know that exercise will help us feel better, getting up and moving can feel like too much of a challenge, especially for those suffering from anxiety or depression.

Some exercise scientists and psychologists say many of the messages we get about fitness don鈥檛 help.

鈥淭here鈥檚 really strong evidence that exercise can be beneficial to help reduce depression and anxiety symptoms,鈥� said Jennifer Heisz, Canada Research Chair in Brain Health and Aging in the department of kinesiology at McMaster University.

鈥�(But) I think it鈥檚 very off-putting when you look at the exercise guidelines for physical health and you think that you need to achieve those for mental health.鈥�

The World Health Organization recommends that adults between 18 and 64 should do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity per week, plus muscle-strengthening activities at least twice a week.

ParticipACTION, an organization promoting physical activity, said it takes much less than that to gain mental-health benefits, but many people don鈥檛 know that. It commissioned an online survey of 1,526 adult Canadians conducted by Leger, which found that 36 per cent of respondents thought they needed to exercise for more than half an hour to 鈥渇eel the mental boost.鈥�

Not true, said Leigh Vanderloo, an exercise scientist with ParticipACTION.

Taking 10 to 15 minutes a day to move your body 鈥渋s going to have some pretty promising effects from a mental-health impact,鈥� Vanderloo said.

鈥淭here鈥檚 no such thing as bad movement,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hink of all the opportunities you have in your day already that you could be moving more.鈥�

That could mean taking a quick walk around the office between meetings, parking a bit further away when you鈥檙e picking up the kids from school, running upstairs, raking leaves, housecleaning, gardening or dancing, Vanderloo said.

鈥淓very step counts,鈥� said Heisz.

For people with clinical depression or anxiety, 鈥渆xercise can be a great add-on therapy to take in addition to medication,鈥� she said. But those conditions can also make it hard to get off the couch.

鈥淭rying to get motivated to exercise is really difficult, especially if you think it鈥檚 this big one-hour or tough workout that you have to do to get the benefits, when in fact it鈥檚 not,鈥� Heisz said.

Dr. Zarina Giannone, a Vancouver psychologist specializing in sports, performance and exercise, agrees that one of the barriers is having the energy and 鈥渋nner resources鈥� needed to get active.

鈥淲ith folks like that, it鈥檚 just so important to really, first of all, start very small and very slow,鈥� she said.

鈥淚鈥檝e encouraged people to just do really small things 鈥� things that already (are) built into the world, like going for walks, doing some of that exercise within the home, using body weight, like things like that,鈥� she said.

If people want to try going to the gym but are feeling overwhelmed, Giannone suggests they start with 15 minutes twice a week 鈥� and they may just spend that time walking around and becoming familiar with the space.

鈥淎nd then the next week, it鈥檚 maybe building on that. But it鈥檚 gradual, it鈥檚 slow,鈥� she said.

It鈥檚 also important for people to be 鈥渇lexible鈥� if they鈥檙e making fitness goals, said Pier-脡ric Chamberland, chair of the sport and exercise section of the Canadian Psychological Association.

Otherwise, they can fall into the trap of 鈥渁ll or nothing,鈥� he said.

If you were planning to do a 45-minute workout but find yourself short on time, don鈥檛 just dismiss exercise that day, Chamberland recommended.

Instead, take the 15 minutes you do have and do something else like walking, he said.

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way many think about exercise, said Heisz.

鈥淭here was a shift in why people wanted to work out,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o instead of working out for their physical health 鈥� like to be stronger or fitter 鈥� they wanted to work out for their mental health.鈥�

That鈥檚 a healthy change from the focus on weight loss so many people have, Vanderloo said.

鈥淚鈥檇 like to see more of a shift towards, you know, 鈥業 get active for my mental health, for stress management,鈥欌�� she said.

鈥淭hese are all benefits that come with getting active that have nothing to do with weight.鈥�

鈥擭icole Ireland, The Canadian Press