Move the body, shift the mood

Posted on Wednesday 24th Jun 09

Dr Jeremy Sibold, study lead researcher and assistant professor of rehabilitation and movement science at the University of Vermont, Burlington, said that although previous studies had illustrated the positive mental effects of exercise, they had restricted their observations to short timeframes; 'This is one of the few studies that actually looked at a much longer window, 24 hours. The question I was interested in was, 'How long does that feel-good effect, that improvement, last?'

For the study, 48 healthy men and women aged between 18 and 25 years were assigned to either a group that exercised or a control group that did not. At commencement of the study a survey was used to gauge each participant's mood. The exercise group proceeded to undertake a moderately intense twenty-minute indoor cycle workout. The mood survey was then employed again after one, two, four, eight, 12 and 24 hours.

The researchers found positive results in the exercise group; 'Moderate intensity aerobic exercise improves mood immediately and those improvements can last up to 12 hours. This goes a long way to show that even moderate aerobic exercise has the potential to mitigate the daily stress that results in your mood being disturbed' Sibold said.

It is believed that the mood-enhancing effects of physical activity may be due in part to a rise in levels of mood-boosting neurotransmitters in the brain, such as endorphins.

Sibold highlighted the importance of health professionals encouraging, and prescribing, physical activity for people suffering from low moods and depression; 'I think that's really important for the general public to know - depression is so widespread' he said

Source: American College of Sports Medicine