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Physical Activity - Mental Health
Devin Limerick
June 29th, 2025
Good morning! One more Sunday closer to football and couldn’t be more excited! With that said, there’s been some moves with the John Carroll boys in the NFL and in college football. Make sure to follow them this season, they’re doing great things:
New England Patriots - Riley Larkin
Carolina Panthers - Keyshawn Colmon
New Mexico Lobos - Mac Austin
Today I’ll be talking about a few topics including Physical Activity on Mental Health, what it takes to become a physical therapist, and what destroys performance in competition.
Physical Activity on Mental Health
A recent review by Mahindru et al. highlights the powerful connection between physical activity and mental well-being. Regular exercise, whether it’s walking, strength training, or yoga; has been shown to significantly reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress. Physiologically, movement helps regulate the body’s stress response system (the HPA axis) and boosts the release of mood-enhancing chemicals like serotonin and endorphins. These changes don’t just improve mood—they also enhance sleep, body image, and overall quality of life.
The review also points out how exercise supports mental health in more clinical populations such as helping reduce substance cravings. Yoga in particular shows strong promise for improving self-esteem and emotional regulation. While more research is needed in specific populations, consistent, enjoyable movement is one of the most accessible and effective tools we have to support mental health.
God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God. - Matthew 5:8
PT question of the Week
How does one become a Physical Therapist?
To become a physical therapist, you have to complete a doctoral-level education, but you don’t need to major in anything specific during undergrad. You just need to meet the prerequisites required by the physical therapy schools you're applying to, things like anatomy, physiology, physics, biology, psychology, and statistics.
If I could do it all over again, I wouldn’t major in exercise science or kinesiology like most people do. I’d major in business or psychology, something that builds a different skill set, while still knocking out the prereqs on the side. As long as you check off the courses each school wants, your major doesn’t matter.
After undergrad, you have to get into a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program, which usually lasts 3 years. It's intense: full-time classes, clinical rotations, and lab work. Once you graduate, you’re not a “medical doctor,” but you are a doctor of movement—just like an optometrist is a doctor of the eyes or a podiatrist is a doctor of the foot and ankle. PTs specialize in how the body moves, heals, and performs.
To officially practice, you have to pass the national board exam (NPTE) and then get licensed in your state.
I asked Chatty G - “If you were the devil, how would you destroy an athletes performance in competition?” - this is what he said
1. Undermine Their Self-Belief
Plant constant doubt in their head: “You’re not ready. Everyone else is better.”
Amplify past failures and dismiss past successes: “You only succeeded because you got lucky.”
Whisper comparisons: “They’re faster. Stronger. You don’t belong here.”
Effect: Their confidence erodes. They second-guess decisions mid-competition. They hesitate.
2. Fixate Their Focus on Outcomes, Not Process
Make them obsessed with winning, rankings, scholarships, or contracts.
Make them fear failure so much they never take real risks.
Encourage a fragile identity: “If I lose, I’m a loser.”
Effect: They tighten up under pressure. Flow state becomes impossible. Training feels like judgment.
3. Destroy Their Routine and Recovery
Tempt them to skip sleep or training with distractions (late-night scrolling, poor diet, partying).
Blur the line between rest and laziness: “You deserve a break—you worked hard once this week.”
Add tiny self-sabotaging choices: junk food, inconsistent effort, skipping cooldowns or rehab.
Effect: They start showing up at 60%. Recovery slows. Injuries creep in. Discipline breaks down.
4. Cripple Their Identity and Motivation
Twist their love for the sport into a burden: “You have to do this to prove your worth.”
Tie their value to performance: “If you lose, no one cares about you.”
Make them forget why they started.
Effect: They feel hollow and burnt out. No joy, just pressure. They train because they “have to,” not because they want to.
5. Heighten External Pressure
Make them play to avoid embarrassment, not to win.
Let them fear coaches, parents, or scouts watching.
Feed their mind during warmups with this: “You can't screw up today or you'll ruin everything.”
Effect: Anxiety overrides their body. They overthink basic movements. They panic in clutch moments.
6. Magnify Every Mistake
After one missed rep or dropped pass: “Here we go again. Same old you.”
Turn minor setbacks into identity crises.
Make them remember mistakes for days and victories for seconds.
Effect: They spiral. One mistake becomes a meltdown. Resilience disappears.
7. Isolate Them
Convince them they’re alone in their struggle.
Make them hide weakness and never ask for help.
Foster fake confidence and internal silence.
Effect: They carry mental battles alone. No feedback loop. No support. No community.
8. Distract Their Mind with Ego or Insecurity
Ego: “You’ve made it—you don’t need to push anymore.”
Insecurity: “You’re not doing enough. You’ll never be enough.”
Make them chase validation over mastery.
Effect: Their mind is never fully in the present moment. They’re elsewhere—boasting or worrying.
Have them scroll through highlight reels of other athletes before practice or games.
Have them post for validation and check for likes instead of watching film.
Let likes & views dictate their self-worth.
Effect: Focus fractured. Reality distorted. Motivation hijacked by image.
Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. -Ephesians 4:2