This is a huge case of, "Yes, but . . . ."

Yes, exercise absolutely can and does help mental health. It helps me a great deal. That said, exercise requires some level of time, energy, and focus. The key is to find a form of exercise that you enjoy or at least do not mind. If going to the gym is exclusively a chore, you will more likely fail. If exercising brings some ~~Internet~~ inherent reward, you will more likely succeed.

I love lifting weights, but I did not have the mental energy to put together a program or figure out how to work around big physical issues after cancer. I paid a trainer to help, and that eliminated enough of the focus needed that going to the gym became fun. Now I am transferring to running my own program because I have learned enough that it is not as big of a mental load. Along the way my energy has also increased.

Contrast this with running. I hate running. It hurts my joints. It hurts my lungs. Getting outside and running should be easier than a trip to the gym, but it is actually much harder for me because there is no inherent reward. It just sucks, and it continues to suck as I get better at it.

So yeah, exercise is great for mental health, even if it is not a cure all. This only holds true once you find something you enjoy. If you think you enjoy nothing, you are most likely wrong. Keep looking. Keep trying. Maybe you like walking. Maybe you like a specific martial art. Maybe you like biking, but only on a stationary bike in your living room while binging your favorite shows.

Find something that you enjoy doing that fits well enough into your life. That way on the days you don't want to start, you will anyway because you know it will be enjoyable once you are doing it.

It's hard to decide any causation for me personally, but my fitness tends to at least correlate positively with my mental health.

ETA: Mostly try to find something you enjoy, not something that feels like a chore. Also, diet and fit culture are like poison so I would advice to find true compassionate professionals to help you out in your search.

Yes in my case BUT I had to find the right exercise for me as well as the best time of day to do it.

I now do it everyday and have done so for 17+ years. Sometimes I pepper some different stuff here and there, but nothing crazy. Also, food. The correct meals for me have made all the difference in the world in how I feel. This also includes some extra minerals that my body needs.

Yes, there is a reason so many people say go for a walk. It’s not cure all, you still need to work on your mental health. This is how I’ve come to explain it. when your body is unhealthy it has to work harder, a mentally ill person is already working harder. If you get your body healthy you will have more capacity for your mental health. Though like others have pointed out, do something you enjoy. I started with walking and moved to running but the walking alone was good. I had no idea I would enjoy it but once I started it became habit.

Excereize is the only thing that ever helped me. I need to feel like I can run through a building sometimes and if I don't I fall back into my vices. I will say that one difference is I am a very fit individual and when I put my mind and body to it I am able to do some things that are considered very very difficult. I've competed in jiu-jitsu at a reletively high level and won first place in more than one competition where I had to fight 4+ people in a row. And I've rock climbed some very difficult climbs that many people spend their lives trying to do. For anyone interested I've flashed some outdoor 5.13s

So I think the difference is that I'm genetically gifted and when I am actually working out and devoting myself to fitness it pays off in huge ways. That keeps me going, idk what I'd do if I worked out and then just felt like a loser. I feel like a fucking demon when I'm working out. I feel like a fucking loser when I'm sitting around.

Yes, definitely. For me, it is kind of a meditation - while I work out, I can't really think a lot, and after working out I'm exhausted. It is just a reset for thoughts.

I can imagine how exercise would do anything but depress me further. I despise working out. I remember being told I'd love it after a few weeks, but after a year I still despised it. Put me in a gym and you'll see me at my most miserable

Kind of, but it's not a miracle cure or escape. I tried exercising while depressed and I tried exercising after I learned how to manage depression. It never cured my depression but it is part of managing it. It's part of a healthy life style, which is part of taking care of myself, which is part of not feeling like I hate myself and my life.

I keep going to the gym because I enjoy it and it's an excellent way for me to vent emotions, no matter what my mood is.

YESSSSSS there is no other realistic answer; I am willing to die on this not-even-a-hill