Movement matters: How physical activity supports college students’ mental health
By Sara Silverman
May 18, 2025
Photo Credit: Unsplash
Movement and mental health go hand in hand, yet many college students overlook physical activity as a powerful tool for emotional well-being.
“We're one system, and we can't say, we're going to take care of our body but not our mental health, or we're going to take care of our mental health but not our body,” said Mary Kate Crawford, the associate director for programs at the University Recreation & Wellness.
Crawford is a member of the Mental Health Coalition at UMD, which is made up of students and staff who have a shared goal of strengthening the mental health of the University of Maryland community. She is on the steering committee which sets the direction of the coalition’s work.
“I think sometimes, particularly for college students, there is a tendency to neglect certain aspects of their wellness,” Crawford said. “Our job at RecWell is to inspire the campus community to move more.”
The research behind the movement
Sarah Wilson, the wellness strategy coordinator at the University Health Center, is on the steering committee with Crawford. She mentioned how mental health advocates and professionals at the University of Maryland have been learning about the impact of movement for quite some time.
“There are some promising studies that suggest regular movement can be a helpful and extremely effective part of somebody's mental health treatment plan,” Wilson said.
Some of these research studies indicate that regular physical activity and exercise have a 1.5 times greater impact than talk therapy and prescription drugs, according to a study by the University of South Australia. This movement can even boost the effects of talk therapy.
15 years ago, the most pressing mental health concern was depression, according to Wilson. In fact, a common statistic from a 2012 survey conducted on UMD’s campus called the National College Health Assessment social marketing campaign said “This year one in three Terps will feel too depressed to function.”
Although depression is still prevalent, one of the most pressing concerns among students in the last couple of years has shifted to anxiety, according to Wilson.
“We're seeing more and more students report that they are experiencing loneliness in any given month, and we're seeing that it is connected to belonging on a college campus,” Wilson said.
Crawford said that utilizing the recreation centers at UMD provides students with more than just a workout. It gives students a community.
“We know that students on our campus struggle with a sense of belonging, particularly in this post-COVID world,” Crawford said. “There's a lot of research out there that supports that students who come to recreation centers…are significantly more likely to say they feel connected to the university they're enrolled at.”
Nelson Barboza is a senior mechanical engineering student from Maracaibo, Venezuela. When he participates in physical activity to help his mental health, he feels the results instantly.
“There's a lot of pressure, always, because I'm an international student especially,” Barboza said. “It can be as simple as playing a game of ping pong to going to the gym or running… you feel accomplished, you feel relieved, you feel good.”
The mind-body connection on campus
The Recreation and Wellness facilities at UMD offer many opportunities for students to move daily. From group fitness classes and intramural sports to swimming and cycling, the school provides students with accessible spaces to move their bodies.
“My main form of taking a break or just clearing my head is movement and physical fitness. It helps me more than anything,” said James Marinello, a junior management major. “I try to go to the gym every day, and on days that I can't, I at least try to get outside.”
Avital Drezzin, a senior psychology and dance major, teaches yoga three times a week through RecWell. She said she loves teaching these classes and connecting with those around her through yoga.
“It’s about learning, finding your own balance with something that makes you feel good, and sticking to that,” Drezzin said. “I need to be moving every day.”
These resources go further than just exercise. Crawford discussed a partnership between the University Health Center, Behavioral Health Services and the Counseling Center that enables them to refer their patients for free personal training at a RecWell facility.
“The idea here is to break down some of those barriers for the students who are in the most need of that particular service with a personal trainer who can really guide them and set a strong foundation for incorporating movement into their life,” Crawford said.
Resources are ready. Why aren’t students?
In recent years, talking about mental health has become more accepted and common. However, students are still not closing the gap and actively doing something about it.
The Division of Student Affairs sends frequent emails including a section about prioritizing one’s mental health by utilizing what RecWell and other campus partners have to offer. There are also advertisements all over campus that describe what the facilities on campus provide in terms of movement.
But why do students still stray away from all of these opportunities to boost their mental health?
“I would say only about 65% of students utilize a RecWell facility or program in any given year,” Crawford said. “That means there are 35% of students who do not and that's a pretty significant percentage.”
Sue Reynolds, a UMD professor of public health who teaches Releasing Stress and Tension, encourages students in her class to utilize the university’s resources.
“Our bodies were meant to move,” Reynolds says. “We look at those benefits, and sometimes I ask the question, if it's so beneficial…why is that we’re not doing it more?”
Although society has gotten more comfortable with talking about mental health, there is a stigma associated with getting help, Marinello said.
“I think a lot of kids have a hard time getting started with doing those things and have trouble acknowledging that they're in a bad place and that they can do certain things to help make it better,” he said.
UMD created many programs to encourage students to move their bodies. But, through multiple surveys and assessments that the mental health task force performed, they found that students feel overwhelmed by the amount of resources that the university offers and often don’t even know where to begin.
Therefore, in the summer of 2024, the mental health task force created mentalhealth.umd.edu, dedicated to placing all of the mental health resources at UMD in a centralized location that would be easier for students to find and digest.
Showing up for yourself
Through research and students’ experiences, it is clear that moving your body has a real impact. But, movement is not everything.
“I don't want to report that just because you come to the gym every day, there will be an absence of mental health concerns in your life,” Crawford said. “But, the hope is that…when we do experience bouts of depression or anxiety…we have those systems and supports ready to go in our lives so that we can access them.”
When asked what advice she would give to a student who is feeling overwhelmed or mentally exhausted, Drezzin responded with an invitation:
“Come to my yoga class!”
“We're one system, and we can't say, we're going to take care of our body but not our mental health, or we're going to take care of our mental health but not our body,” said Mary Kate Crawford, the associate director for programs at the University Recreation & Wellness.
Crawford is a member of the Mental Health Coalition at UMD, which is made up of students and staff who have a shared goal of strengthening the mental health of the University of Maryland community. She is on the steering committee which sets the direction of the coalition’s work.
“I think sometimes, particularly for college students, there is a tendency to neglect certain aspects of their wellness,” Crawford said. “Our job at RecWell is to inspire the campus community to move more.”
The research behind the movement
Sarah Wilson, the wellness strategy coordinator at the University Health Center, is on the steering committee with Crawford. She mentioned how mental health advocates and professionals at the University of Maryland have been learning about the impact of movement for quite some time.
“There are some promising studies that suggest regular movement can be a helpful and extremely effective part of somebody's mental health treatment plan,” Wilson said.
Some of these research studies indicate that regular physical activity and exercise have a 1.5 times greater impact than talk therapy and prescription drugs, according to a study by the University of South Australia. This movement can even boost the effects of talk therapy.
15 years ago, the most pressing mental health concern was depression, according to Wilson. In fact, a common statistic from a 2012 survey conducted on UMD’s campus called the National College Health Assessment social marketing campaign said “This year one in three Terps will feel too depressed to function.”
Although depression is still prevalent, one of the most pressing concerns among students in the last couple of years has shifted to anxiety, according to Wilson.
“We're seeing more and more students report that they are experiencing loneliness in any given month, and we're seeing that it is connected to belonging on a college campus,” Wilson said.
Crawford said that utilizing the recreation centers at UMD provides students with more than just a workout. It gives students a community.
“We know that students on our campus struggle with a sense of belonging, particularly in this post-COVID world,” Crawford said. “There's a lot of research out there that supports that students who come to recreation centers…are significantly more likely to say they feel connected to the university they're enrolled at.”
Nelson Barboza is a senior mechanical engineering student from Maracaibo, Venezuela. When he participates in physical activity to help his mental health, he feels the results instantly.
“There's a lot of pressure, always, because I'm an international student especially,” Barboza said. “It can be as simple as playing a game of ping pong to going to the gym or running… you feel accomplished, you feel relieved, you feel good.”
The mind-body connection on campus
The Recreation and Wellness facilities at UMD offer many opportunities for students to move daily. From group fitness classes and intramural sports to swimming and cycling, the school provides students with accessible spaces to move their bodies.
“My main form of taking a break or just clearing my head is movement and physical fitness. It helps me more than anything,” said James Marinello, a junior management major. “I try to go to the gym every day, and on days that I can't, I at least try to get outside.”
Avital Drezzin, a senior psychology and dance major, teaches yoga three times a week through RecWell. She said she loves teaching these classes and connecting with those around her through yoga.
“It’s about learning, finding your own balance with something that makes you feel good, and sticking to that,” Drezzin said. “I need to be moving every day.”
These resources go further than just exercise. Crawford discussed a partnership between the University Health Center, Behavioral Health Services and the Counseling Center that enables them to refer their patients for free personal training at a RecWell facility.
“The idea here is to break down some of those barriers for the students who are in the most need of that particular service with a personal trainer who can really guide them and set a strong foundation for incorporating movement into their life,” Crawford said.
Resources are ready. Why aren’t students?
In recent years, talking about mental health has become more accepted and common. However, students are still not closing the gap and actively doing something about it.
The Division of Student Affairs sends frequent emails including a section about prioritizing one’s mental health by utilizing what RecWell and other campus partners have to offer. There are also advertisements all over campus that describe what the facilities on campus provide in terms of movement.
But why do students still stray away from all of these opportunities to boost their mental health?
“I would say only about 65% of students utilize a RecWell facility or program in any given year,” Crawford said. “That means there are 35% of students who do not and that's a pretty significant percentage.”
Sue Reynolds, a UMD professor of public health who teaches Releasing Stress and Tension, encourages students in her class to utilize the university’s resources.
“Our bodies were meant to move,” Reynolds says. “We look at those benefits, and sometimes I ask the question, if it's so beneficial…why is that we’re not doing it more?”
Although society has gotten more comfortable with talking about mental health, there is a stigma associated with getting help, Marinello said.
“I think a lot of kids have a hard time getting started with doing those things and have trouble acknowledging that they're in a bad place and that they can do certain things to help make it better,” he said.
UMD created many programs to encourage students to move their bodies. But, through multiple surveys and assessments that the mental health task force performed, they found that students feel overwhelmed by the amount of resources that the university offers and often don’t even know where to begin.
Therefore, in the summer of 2024, the mental health task force created mentalhealth.umd.edu, dedicated to placing all of the mental health resources at UMD in a centralized location that would be easier for students to find and digest.
Showing up for yourself
Through research and students’ experiences, it is clear that moving your body has a real impact. But, movement is not everything.
“I don't want to report that just because you come to the gym every day, there will be an absence of mental health concerns in your life,” Crawford said. “But, the hope is that…when we do experience bouts of depression or anxiety…we have those systems and supports ready to go in our lives so that we can access them.”
When asked what advice she would give to a student who is feeling overwhelmed or mentally exhausted, Drezzin responded with an invitation:
“Come to my yoga class!”