The Fitness-Mood Connection

The Fitness-Mood Connection

Sometimes, life seems to take all the effort you have to remain on an even keel. Depending on the source, it’s estimated that anywhere from 9.5 percent to 26.5 percent of people in the US suffer from a diagnosable mood disorder in any given year. It takes all the tools we have available sometimes to keep our heads up when things are not going well. Study after study has found that exercise and physical fitness can give your moods a powerful boost.

An Immediate Mood Boost

Researchers have found that moderate exercise can boost your mood in as little as five minutes. The reasons for the improvement are varied. Concentrating on exercises can distract you from problems. The endorphin boost that exercise brings on is also a powerful mood enhancer.

Improved Self-Esteem

When we exercise regularly, we can feel ourselves become stronger and more capable. The satisfaction you get from a difficult yoga pose or a perfect inversion in an aerial silk can give you a boost that lasts for days. And, chances are good that shedding fat and building muscle will make us look better, too. Together, these can give you a serious boost in self-confidence that can help combat feelings of anxiety and uncertainty.

A Path to Social Connection

Anyone out of college can tell you: it gets much harder to meet people when you are an adult. An exercise class or a team sport can give you a venue where you can meet people who share at least one of your interests. Social connection is a big factor in maladies like depression. Get out around people who you enjoy on a regular basis to keep up your social connections and to help elevate your mood.

Long-term Mood Benefits

The subtle rewiring that exercise provides for your brain doesn’t end when your workout does. In a study on people with depression, people were divided into groups who either took an antidepressant or engaged in a regular exercise routine. At the end of four months, they discovered that the group who exercised had the same sort of improvement as the group who took antidepressants. But, what is even more exciting is what they learned later on. When researchers checked back in a year later, they found that the group who had kept on exercising had the lowest relapse rates for depression. By staying active, they’d keep themselves in remission and on a more even keel.

There’s no one exercise program that’s a perfect fit for everyone and no one approach that will work for all. But, if you are looking for a way to feel happier and to elevate your moves, you could just find what you’re looking for in our studio. Check our calendar to schedule a class today.

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