Whether you\u2019re experiencing a simple case of the Monday blues or more persistent symptoms of depression, exercise can help boost your mood.<\/p>\n
Getting regular exercise is important for good physical and mental health. Exercise can help stimulate parts of your brain that aren\u2019t as responsive when you\u2019re feeling down. It also promotes the release of feel-good brain chemicals. It may also help distract you from your worries and improve your confidence.<\/p>\n
The first thing you might think of when it comes to exercise and the brain is what is commonly known as \u201crunner\u2019s high.\u201d This describes the release of endorphins that your brain experiences when you physically exert yourself. Endorphins are a type of neurotransmitter, or chemical messenger. They help relieve pain and stress.<\/p>\n
Endorphins are only one of many neurotransmitters released when you exercise. Physical activity also stimulates the release of dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin. These brain chemicals play an important part in regulating your mood.<\/p>\n
For example, regular exercise can positively impact serotonin levels in your brain. Raising your levels of serotonin boosts your mood and overall sense of well-being. It can also help improve your appetite and sleep cycles, which are often negatively affected by depression.<\/p>\n
Regular exercise also helps balance your body\u2019s level of stress hormones, such as adrenaline. Adrenaline plays a crucial role in your fight-or-flight response, but too much of it can damage your health.<\/p>\n
Exercise can have other mental health benefits too. For example, focusing on your body\u2019s movements during exercise may help distract you from upsetting thoughts. Setting and meeting exercise-related goals may also boost your confidence and sense of control.<\/p>\n
When you exercise with other people, it can provide mood-boosting social benefits. For example, consider walking in the park, taking a yoga class, or joining a recreational sport team with a friend or family member. Exercise classes can also be a good place to meet new people. You can enjoy the physical stimulation of a workout, while getting social stimulation too.<\/p>\n
While any amount of exercise can help relieve the symptoms of depression, regular exercise is best. Some types of exercise may be more beneficial than others.<\/p>\n
Aerobic workouts are most associated with positive results in your brain. Aerobic exercise elevates your heart rate, which improves circulation in your brain. This helps promote healthy brain function and balanced brain chemistry. Aerobic exercise also provides many physical health benefits.<\/p>\n
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention encourage most adults to get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week. You can reach this goal by taking a brisk 30-minute walk around your neighborhood, five days a week. Other examples of aerobic activity include swimming, bicycling, and playing basketball.<\/p>\n
You should also schedule at least two sessions of muscle-strengthening activities per week. Weightlifting, yoga, and Pilates are examples of activities that strengthen your muscles.<\/p>\n
Eating a well-balanced diet is also important for good mental health. For example, complex carbohydrates and protein-rich foods can help improve your mood and concentration. They also provide the energy and nutrients needed to fuel your workouts.<\/p>\n
For a nutritious diet, eat a variety of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, and lean proteins. Don\u2019t eat a lot of foods that are high in refined sugar, saturated fats, or salt. Only drink alcohol in moderation.<\/p>\n
Your brain chemistry is an important factor in maintaining good mental health. In many cases, you can improve your brain chemistry with something as simple as regular exercise. Getting 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity per week is an important part of staying healthy. It can boost your mood and energy, while strengthening your muscles, lungs, and heart.<\/p>\n
If you suspect you have depression, speak to your doctor. They may recommend a variety of lifestyle changes, including changes to your exercise routine. They may also prescribe other treatments, such as medications, therapy, or a combination of both.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Whether you\u2019re experiencing a simple case of the Monday blues or more persistent symptoms of depression, exercise can help boost your mood. Getting regular exercise is important for good physical and mental health. Exercise can help stimulate parts of your brain that aren\u2019t as responsive when you\u2019re feeling down. It also promotes the release of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":13360,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[615,408,461],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/d3toagd7ypryjs.cloudfront.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/happy-place-2.png","acf":{"post_type":"post","post_subtitle":"","header":"","footer":"4 minute read","mobile_content":{"mobile_story_label":"","mobile_post_title":"","mobile_carousel_image":"","mobile_hero_image":"","mobile_content_body":""},"card_title":"Read: Exercise and the brain","post_hero_image":{"ID":13360,"id":13360,"title":"happy-place","filename":"happy-place-2.png","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/d3toagd7ypryjs.cloudfront.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/happy-place-2.png","link":"https:\/\/my.castlighthealth.com\/blog\/depression-exercise\/happy-place-4\/","alt":"","author":"49","description":"","caption":"","name":"happy-place-4","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":7916,"date":"2020-09-25 18:51:20","modified":"2022-04-21 22:00:10","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/my.castlighthealth.com\/blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":820,"height":342,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/d3toagd7ypryjs.cloudfront.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/happy-place-2.png","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":63,"medium":"https:\/\/d3toagd7ypryjs.cloudfront.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/happy-place-2.png","medium-width":300,"medium-height":125,"medium_large":"https:\/\/d3toagd7ypryjs.cloudfront.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/happy-place-2.png","medium_large-width":640,"medium_large-height":267,"large":"https:\/\/d3toagd7ypryjs.cloudfront.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/happy-place-2.png","large-width":640,"large-height":267,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/my.castlighthealth.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/happy-place-2.png","1536x1536-width":820,"1536x1536-height":342,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/my.castlighthealth.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/happy-place-2.png","2048x2048-width":820,"2048x2048-height":342}},"post_cta_status":"false","post_conclusion_status":"false","post_co_branding_status":"false","email_template_ids":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/my.castlighthealth.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7916"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/my.castlighthealth.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/my.castlighthealth.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/my.castlighthealth.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/49"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/my.castlighthealth.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7916"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/my.castlighthealth.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7916\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/my.castlighthealth.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13360"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/my.castlighthealth.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7916"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/my.castlighthealth.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7916"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/my.castlighthealth.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7916"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}