Why a Healthy Diet and Exercise are Great for Mental Health

By Kerri Hastings, Educational Quality Advisor for PSHE

Mental health affects every aspect of our lives – how we think, feel and act. It impacts how we function, our ability to make decisions, our relationships and how we connect or disconnect to the world. Ultimately, it’s about our quality of life and happiness, is as important as physical health and is the foundation for a healthy, balanced existence.

Diet and exercise play a vital role in the mental health of children and teenagers by supporting healthy brain development, stabilising mood and energy levels, improving sleep and concentration, and reducing stress through the release of endorphins. Establishing these healthy habits early on helps build resilience and lays the foundation for lifelong mental well-being.

Much of this is about established routine, so when the summer holidays come along – trips to unfamiliar places, sensory challenges and changes to daily rituals – keeping healthy routines on track can be a challenge. Meals become snack raids and, though summer can be romanticised as a time for outdoor play, many children and teens prefer gaming, scrolling or watching TV. With the absence of structured sports or PE, physical activity can disappear.

The impact? Low mood, poor sleep, struggles to self-regulate and many a lost temper – for children and parents! But with a little thought and planning, your diet and exercise regime can be maintained, and you can have some fun along the way. Here are a few ideas:

• Maintain structure with regular mealtimes, a consistent bedtime, and scheduled times for exercise.
• Balance treats by pairing them with healthy meals, setting limits, and involving kids in choosing or making healthier treat options. Try healthy versions of treat foods like frozen fruit smoothie lollipops. Your children may enjoy the making and freezing process too!
• Cook together to bond and explore tastes and textures. Keep recipes simple and fun, involve kids fully, and focus on the experience, not just eating. Don’t be disheartened if your child doesn’t eat the finished article – the process and sensory experience of cooking is a good starting point for building the foundations.
• Plan low threat outdoor exercise to get your children out and about. Walking with a purpose is one of my favourites, for example colour walks. Pick a colour, say blue, and during your walk hunt for everything that is blue. Scavenger hunts are another good way to make walking in a peaceful spot engaging (eg find something soft, something older than you, something round) and can be created or downloaded online.
• Geocaching is a good way to engage older children and teenagers. There are also lots of downloadable walks for a small fee that involve searching for clues in a specific town or city.

In addition to the above, if your child enjoys socialising or animals, make walks more engaging by inviting a friend or walking a dog together.

Or when getting outdoors is just too much – try some calm indoor exercises – do them with your child and make it part of your routine, for example a wake and shake or mid-afternoon for an endorphins boost. Yoga is brilliant for flexibility but also helps children and young people learn to focus on their breathing – a super skill for self-regulation. There are lots of free yoga sessions for adults and teens available online but for younger children try Cosmic yoga which have a range of free sessions including fairytale and book themed yoga and even Super Mario and dinosaur themed sessions.

And remember to praise your child’s effort and character, not just the outcome. Building lasting self-esteem means celebrating traits like bravery, kindness, and curiosity – whether they finish a recipe or simply try a few yoga poses. Instead of: “You need to finish – don’t keep giving up,” say: “You’re brave to give that a go, I enjoyed my time with you”, or “Those poses are really tricky, I am impressed you gave them a go.”