By: Katie Harrison

It is well known that physical exercise is extremely important for any person of any age, as keeping yourself in shape and healthy will always be beneficial. It is also known that physical exercise is just as good for your mind as it is for your body. And now, there is evidence that exercise lessens the effects of bullying on teens.

Bullying, whether physical, social or cyber bullying, can be very painful for teens. A team from the University of Vermont decided to investigate if exercise might help alleviate some of the emotional effects. The report on their findings was published this month in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.

The research team analyzed responses from over 13,500 teens who participated in the 2013 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey. They found:

Students who reported exercising 4 to 5 days a week had lower adjusted odds of sadness, suicidal ideation, or suicide attempts than students who exercised 0 to 1 day a week (p = .0001). After stratifying by bullying, similar but attenuated associations were observed. Overall, exercise for 4 or more days per week was associated with an approximate 23% reduction in suicidal ideation and attempt in bullied students.