What if I have mobility issues, or a disability?Įven a change of posture can make a difference. You may also find it harder to challenge yourself when working out solo – and, while any movement is better than none, reaching a new personal best is another route to feeling good. “You might enjoy it in different ways, and get different psychological benefits with social exercise – but you’re still going to feel benefits if you exercise alone,” says Raglin.Īt the same time, having an “accountability buddy” or other social element to exercise has been shown to support a regular regimen. One study found that the antidepressive effects of exercise applied equally to participants doing regular aerobics classes in a group, and to those doing the same workout at home with remote instruction. Just moving for three minutes to your favourite song will make a difference, she says: “That is the easiest win in the world.” I don’t like group exercise! Will a solo workout make me as happy? If you are uncertain about exercising, or have had bad experiences in the past, McGonigal says you can sweeten the pill by combining it with socialising, time spent outdoors and/or music. “That can mean redefining movement away from the types of workout that people are typically drawn to when they are trying to maximise calorie burn, or make their body look a certain way,” she says. Kelly McGonigal, a health psychologist and lecturer at Stanford University who wrote The Joy of Movement, suggests that people seek out an activity that makes them feel good. Photograph: Alistair Berg/Getty Images, posed by models Where do I start?Įven short walks can be mood lifters. I don’t exercise, but I need a mood boost. This not only alleviates anxiety, depression and other psychological disorders, it prevents their onset and regulates natural fluctuations of mood. Most potent is making activity a lifestyle, combining regular exercise and everyday movement. Just take care, if you are used to doing one exercise, in switching to another, he adds: “When you are sore, it’s your body telling you that you’re using those muscles in a different way.” “It’s almost more about personality: both can work equally well,” Raglin says. He sees two types of people: those who find “their exercise”, and are content running the same route every day, and those who prefer to shake it up. “Individual preference really is the key driver in the mood-boosting benefits.” Should I stick to a routine, or switch it up?įor improving fitness, variety is important – but for the psychological effects, the most effective exercise programme is one that you can maintain, says Raglin. ![]() When any movement will bring benefits, Basso says the best activity is one you like to do – whether that’s swimming, team sports or dancing. For people who were especially tense going into the activity, both forms worked equally well a combination of the two was also found to be effective. Raglin and his fellow researchers compared aerobic and anaerobic forms of exercise, and found that the former (such as jogging, running, swimming or other cardio) seemed to be more effective at reducing levels of anxiety. Photograph: Tim Platt/Getty Images, posed by models “Just getting out there and moving your body through time and space really helps,” she says. Julia Basso, an assistant professor in the department of human nutrition, foods and exercise at Virginia Tech, studied the impact of different activities on mood, including high-intensity interval training and moderate to vigorous workouts, and found that even a simple exercise such as walking produced profound effects on mood. “The dosage, the ‘pill’ that you need to produce a psychological benefit is quite small, and very palatable.” ![]() “Walking for five minutes can be a mood lifter,” he says. But if they think: ‘I mainly want to do this to feel better’ – that’s all they need.”ĭoing 15 to 20 minutes of aerobic exercise three times a week is where you will see the “long-term, more profound” benefits, says Raglin – but any “dose” will have an effect. “Thinking: ‘I don’t enjoy that, it’s hard, I’m out of shape, I’m old’ can scare them out of starting. “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. This is especially relevant if you are new to exercising. “It’s not like the longer or harder you exercise, the better you feel.” ![]() “You can see very large psychological benefits with low-intensity exercise,” says Raglin. 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. Photograph: Cavan Images/Getty Images/Cavan Images RF, posed by model One ‘dose’ of exercise can improve your mood for hours.
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