How to exercise to boost your mood — whatever your fitness level

Published date29 June 2022
AuthorElle Hunt
Publication titleIrish Times: Web Edition Articles (Dublin, Ireland)
Depression is the fourth most serious disease worldwide, yet the psychological benefits of exercise have been overlooked, says Jack Raglin, a professor of kinesiology at the Indiana University's school of public health: "The evidence just keeps on coming."

In fact, even if you were to exercise for the sake of your mind alone, it would be well worth doing — and the good news is, a little makes a big difference. Here's how to move yourself happy.

How does movement boost our moods?

It's widely believed that the psychological benefits of exercise come from the release of endorphins, but that is an oversimplification. "The evidence for that is really weak," says Raglin.

Instead, when we exercise, we produce a cocktail of hormones, including endocannabinoids — all of which contribute to making us feel good. Endorphins are produced at a certain intensity of activity, but the mood-boosting effects of exercise are felt at a much lower level.

What kind of psychological benefits are we talking about?

Multiple and pronounced benefits. Not only does exercise increase positive "affect" (or emotion), it decreases negative affect, equating to a one-two hit of good feeling.

A single "dose" of exercise can improve your mood for several hours, says Raglin. But not only are the benefits "immediate and perceivable": with a regular regimen, they can accrue over weeks. "In other words, there is a long-term and continual improvement," he says.

Exercise has also been shown to be effective in treating clinical anxiety and people admitted to hospital with psychological disorders. But there are also large benefits to be had for those who have above-average levels of anxiety but fall below the standard for clinical diagnosis, says Raglin.

How active do I need to be to feel psychological benefits?

If your primary aim is to improve your mood, the bar for what counts as exercise is far lower than it is for weight loss or fitness gains. "You can see very large psychological benefits with low-intensity exercise," says Raglin. "It's not like the longer or harder you exercise, the better you feel."

This is especially relevant if you are new to exercising. "People have been preprogrammed to think about exercise in terms of physical benefits — they think that if they're to get something out of it, they have to get sweaty or tire themselves out," says Raglin. "Thinking: 'I don't enjoy that, it's hard, I'm out of shape, I'm old' can scare them out of starting. But if they think: 'I mainly want to do this...

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