Feeling a little down in the dumps? It turns out that a modest exercise program — even just taking regular walks — can improve your mood significantly.
«There has been some about whether exercise is helpful for mood, but it turns out that it is,» says Dr. Michael C. Miller, member of the Department of Psychiatry at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Editor-in-Chief of the Harvard Mental Health Letter.
«For some people, especially those who are really committed to daily exercise, it’s almost equivalent to taking an antidepressant,» he says. «The problem is that it is a lot easier to take an antidepressant than to pursue a regular exercise regimen.»
For that reason, Dr. Miller recommends people who want to boost their mood by exercising pick a program that is relatively easy and enjoyable for them. The goal is to find something you can imagine doing in the months, or even the years, ahead! For many people, that is regular walks.
«Don’t discourage yourself by trying to do more than you can do,» he says. «It’s not all or nothing. For the average sedentary person, even walking ten minutes a day is helpful. When it comes to mood improvements, anything you do counts. Those who have studied this have learned that it’s not how much you do, but how persistent you are. People begin to see benefits after two months of any kind of sustained activity.»
Simple strategies may include parking a little farther away from your place of work than usual or walking up and down stairs instead of taking the elevator.
Dr. Miller says the mood benefits of modest exercise such as walking are not the same as the «runner’s high» that comes with a release of endorphins following a rigorous workout. «Very few people actually achieve that,» he says. He likens this type of a mood boost to the sense of well-being a person feels after taking a low dose of an opiate pain killer, like codeine or Percocet.
The mood benefits of regular, modest exercise, including walking, are different. The research shows that the brain seems to function better on a variety of levels.
For one thing, regular exercise increases blood and energy flow to the brain, improving mental acuity.
A 1999 study of people over 60 found that walking 45 minutes a day at a 16-minute mile pace increased their thinking skills. Subjects started at 15 minutes of walking and built up their time and speed. The result was that they were found to be mentally sharper after taking up the walking program.
For another, genes in nerve cells that signal the production of proteins called growth factors seem to work more efficiently with exercise.
«The brain’s nerve cells become more robust. They branch out and make connections more easily, particularly those in the parts of the brain that also grow when you take an antidepressant,» Dr. Miller says.
«We don’t know exactly how this happens,» he concedes. «But from the evidence of images of the brain taken before and after exercise, there seems to be improvement in areas of the brain responsible for regulating mood, particularly the hippocampus.»
Even a single exercise session can produce improvements. A study by University of Texas researchers had people with major depressive disorders either rest quietly or walk
