Moderate exercise improves mood

"Moderate intensity aerobic exercise improves mood immediately and those improvements can last up to 12 hours," concluded study lead researcher Dr. Jeremy Sibold, assistant professor of rehabilitation and movement science at the University of Vermont, Burlington.

The findings were presented this week at the annual meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine in Seattle.

Sibold and co-author Kathy Berg randomly assigned 48 healthy men and women to a control group that did not exercise, or to a group that did exercise. The participants ranged from 18 to 25 years old. At the start of the study, all participants completed a standard survey of mood. The exercisers then rode on a stationary bike for 20 minutes at moderate intensity.

All participants then repeated the mood survey at one, two, four, eight, 12 and 24 hours later.

The mood of the exercisers was better than that of the sedentary group immediately after the workout and for up to 12 hours later, Sibold found.

Men and women seemed to benefit equally, and the fitness level of the participant didn't seem to matter, the researchers noted.

The findings point yet again to exercise as a cheap, easily accessible tool against blue moods and even depression, Sibold said. "I think that's really important for the general public to know -- depression is so widespread."

The "dose" of exercise needed to lift mood is not a lot, Sibold said. "We aren't talking about a Lance Armstrong workout." A few minutes a day could pay off, he said.

Bonnie - as we say in our Improve Your Mood Action Plan, this is one of the easiest, cheapest methods to improve mood.