We’ve long known that exercise lifts our spirits, but it’s only now that experts are beginning to unravel the complex scientific reasons why.
What’s even more exciting is that we’re beginning to understand that workouts can be tailored to specific moods.
Stressed? A single run creates higher levels of the neurotransmitter norepinephrine — part of the fight or flight response — which helps nip that stress in the bud.
Would you like to increase the feeling of training euphoria? make it to music catastrophize? Rebalance yourself with 10-minute power cycling.
A single run creates higher levels of the neurotransmitter norepinephrine — part of the fight or flight response — which helps nip that stress in the bud
A new book promises to reveal exactly how and why exercise is so beneficial for mental health.
The neuroscientist Dr. Mithu Storoni, author of Stress Proof, The Scientific Solution To Protect Your Brain And Body And Be More Resilient Every Day, says the effects are more profound than we think. “Exercise correlates with better mood, lower rates of mental illness, and most importantly, better stress resilience,” she says.
How To Use Your Training For Maximum Happiness…
FEEL BLUE? GET A HIIT FROM LUCKY
Zana Morris, celebrity trainer and nutritionist (zanamorris.com), began her career as a yoga teacher, but says, “The reason I fell in love with short, high-intensity workouts was because I realized that in a 15-minute… session can clear another’s mind faster than I could in an hour’s meditation.’
This was partly because, as she says, “you can’t think and do high-intensity training successfully.”
So when you ruminate, “it breaks that thought pattern – and I think it breaks it more effectively than any other form of exercise.”
She also notes that high-intensity interval training (HIIT) has been shown to be particularly effective at stimulating the “anti-obesity” hormone irisin (“it causes the body’s fat cells to burn energy instead of storing it”), which in turn the synthesis of a protein called BDNF – Brain-derived Neurotrophic Factor. Studies show that BDNF plays a significant role in how we feel.
Eight weeks of regular resistance training will boost your mood the most, says Dr. Storoni, citing a 2020 study published in the Scientific Report
When the BDNF system is compromised, we are more prone to anxiety.
A 2014 study reported that irisin levels increased significantly after just one HIIT session.
So what do we need to do to reap the benefits?
Well, HIIT is all about short bursts of intense activity. Try pedaling furiously on an exercise bike for four minutes, resting 10 seconds for every 20 seconds of activity. If you work at the right intensity, you’ll be exhausted by the seventh or eighth set.
Zana trains clients in 12- to 15-minute weightlifting sessions, but her HIIT could be running sprints or swimming a distance “as fast as you can” and then resting.
SCARED? RUN A “THANK YOU MILE”
We cannot run away from our worries, but we can run to face them. Running can elevate mood and help regulate mood.
One reason for this is runner’s high – a high, reduced sensitivity to pain, and reduced anxiety brought on by continuous aerobic exercise.
This is likely due to endocannabidoids — natural cannabis-like substances produced by the brain — and not endorphins, as previously thought, according to new research published this year in The Neuroscientist.
Strive for a good middle ground between a full coat and a gentle jog. Thirty minutes is the perfect amount of time.
If you find yourself collapsing mid-run, try a “gratitude mile.” In this new trend, runners think grateful thoughts for a mile to shift their reluctant mindset.
Not only does it increase performance—in positive psychology research, gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness.
STRESSED? LIFT DUMBBELLS
Eight weeks of regular resistance training will boost your mood the most, says Dr. Storoni, citing a 2020 study published in the Scientific Report.
Twice a week, participants did a series of resistance exercises (two sets of 8-12) including barbell squats, bench press, deadlifts, dumbbell lunges, and crunches. At the start of the training, the researchers noted “immediate improvements in participants’ anxiety” — and after eight weeks, “large reductions in anxiety symptoms.”
When you submerge your face in cold water, Storoni says, it triggers a life-sustaining physiological response called the “dive reflex” — one of its effects is to instantly slow your heart rate
Sarah Lindsay is the founder of Roar Fitness in Kensington and teaches weight training and bodyweight movement classes. Also a former British speed skating champion and three-time Olympian, she is perfectly placed to validate those assets.
“As an athlete, I have always had high levels of cortisol, the stress hormone. I was always nervous, I always had butterflies because I had to compete.’ As she states, “If you sit down and do nothing, those levels remain.”
But when you exercise, it’s a virtuous circle — not only does exercise help relieve stress, but the stress helps you perform. “When you’re stressed and you go to the gym, it makes you forget what you’re worrying about because you have to focus on what you’re doing. You use that stress to achieve something.”
Performance is part of what lifts mood, she says, and with strength training, progress is “very measurable.” “You’re lifting from 5kg to 20kg – you know you’re getting stronger.”
WORRY WART? TRY BREATH CONTROL
“All exercises can improve your mood,” says Sarah Drai, a yoga and meditation teacher at Triyoga in London. “But yoga has additional benefits, including increased levels of a brain chemical called GABA — gamma-aminobutyric acid. This neurotransmitter is associated with better mood and less anxiety.’
Sarah cites a Boston University School of Medicine study in which researchers found a link between yoga and elevated GABA, with levels remaining elevated four days after a 90-minute session. Not only that, Drai says, when you practice yoga, you learn to control your breath so it’s slower and deeper, which has been shown to increase your parasympathetic nervous system activity and reduce anxiety. Also, she says, there are common inversions in yoga — such as downward-facing dog — which means the head is under the heart. These movements have been used by people for centuries to induce calm.
In Stress Proof, Dr. Storoni why: Around our chest, heart and neck, sensors detect fluctuations in blood pressure.
Do a downward-facing dog, and the change in pressure can signal that your blood pressure appears high—causing an increase in parasympathetic activity to lower it, thus calming you down.
NEED TO SLOW DOWN? TAKE A 15C DIP
When you submerge your face in cold water, Storoni says, it triggers a life-sustaining physiological response called the “dive reflex” — one of its effects is to instantly slow your heart rate. (Though immersing yourself in cold water can increase your risk of heart attacks, she notes, so don’t jump in!)
Blood is diverted to the brain and heart while flow to nonessential muscles is restricted. What does that mean? Effectively there is a sense of calm.
How cold does the water have to be? Mike Tipton, a professor of human and applied physiology and co-author of a study on the subject, puts it at 15°C or below. Cool but not icy.
If you’re swimming in a natural setting, even better, says Dr. Storoni. “Blue spaces, water and the sea have been shown to be important contributors to good mental well-being.
CHALLENGING TIMES? TO GO FOR A WALK
Walking increases blood flow to the brain, which helps strengthen connections in the brain, says Dr. Jennifer Wild, Consultant Clinical Psychologist at Oxford University and author of Be Extraordinary.
When we walk, not only does our memory improve and thoughts become clearer, but “we feel more optimistic and better able to deal with stress,” she says. Because our brain releases feel-good chemicals, “we also become better problem solvers.”
Walking on a green space is more uplifting than a gray space. As the authors of a 2022 study noted, “Green exercise has particularly beneficial effects on emotional well-being that go beyond the benefits of physical activity.”
Former Olympian Sarah Lindsay goes for a walk every morning – and finds her spirits lifted. “It’s going outside, in the fresh air. It means being active and moving your body. It’s time for yourself, a chance to have your own thoughts — a form of meditation,” she says. “I feel massive benefits.”
OVEREMOTIONAL? USE MUSIC TO HELP
When we hear music, we pick up its rhythm and predict the timing of the next beat, says Dr. Storoni. Our brains love to make accurate predictions and we get a little boost of euphoria. “Every time you get it right, you feel rewarded,” she says.
Moving to music adds even more thrills. Experts call it “sensory-motor coupling” — but we can also call it “getting into the groove,” says Dr. Storoni. “Synchronizing our movements with a rhythm is a pleasure.”
Due to the biomechanics of our joints, our body has a preferred frequency of movement. Walking feels best at around 120 BPM, she says. And when we hear music at a tempo that matches our preferred frequency, we get itchy to move to it.
A pace of 125 to 140 BPM is optimal for a boost in motivation to run, says Dr. Storoni. (As a guide, Billy Joel’s We Didn’t Start the Fire is 145 BPM, while Uptown Girl is 129 BPM.)
The synchronicity confuses your brain in a good way, she says, as it starts believing your footsteps are creating the rhythm of the music.
“When you run this way, it doesn’t just feel good because you’re anchoring yourself on the perfect frequency. . . but you also feel like you have control over the world around you because you’re making the beat.”