Exercise offers a lot of mental health benefits

Depression is considered a mental health crisis in this country. People often look to money, jobs, or love to make them happy. But those factors aren’t always controllable. For many, it’s easier to blame outside sources for being depressed than it is to take the responsibility themselves.

How can this be done? A new study shows you can take control of your moods and overall mental health by getting up off the couch and moving. If you’re healthy enough to move around, you can indeed increase your mood with exercise.

According to the study, people are looking in the wrong places for happiness. Researchers for the study followed the results of two different participant groups, one that exercised regularly, and one did not. Researchers found that the group that exercised had an astounding 43% fewer days of feeling depressed than those that did not exercise. That’s a lot of people!

Working out helps the body and mind

All the participants in the exercise group noticed some improvement. However, there were some activities that helped participants feel better than others, The activities that showed the most improvement were team sports, aerobics, cycling, and gym activities.

The duration of the exercise also impacted how participants felt. To have an effect, exercise needed to be at least 45 minutes long and to occur between three and five times per week. Researchers found that exercise routines can be tailored for each person to match their needs.

The best part of these findings is that exercise helps physically. If you aren’t at the point where you feel physically fit enough to exercise in front of others, you can do it at home by yourself. If you’re looking to connect with people, going to the gym or joining a sports team is even better. Just about everybody can benefit from working out. Now we have no more excuses!