How do you feel after a workout? Even when you’re purple faced and desperate for a lie-down, you feel pretty pleased with yourself after giving it a go, right? Once the initial breathlessness subsides after a workout, it’s common to feel like you have more energy, and those troublesome problems might not seem quite so big as before. While they might seem intangible these benefits are as real as – and arguably more important than – the results you see around your waistline. Exercise stimulates positive endorphins, clears your head and lifts your mood. A prescription of exercise can help you have a healthy mind.

Healthy body = healthy mind

We’re starting to realize just how vital exercise is for our wellbeing, both mental and physical. Doctors have reported 12% of cases of depression could be prevented with an hour of exercise each week. Up your workouts to three a week and you could reduce your risk of depression by 30%.

Can exercise help you handle stress?

Sure thing. A team of neurologists at Stanford Medical School, U.S., studied brain scans and found regular exercisers have more grey matter in the prefrontal cortex, which governs stress-management.

But when we feel down, everything can feel overwhelming. Time to crawl into a hole? In fact, the more stressed out you feel, the more you need to look after yourself – and a workout can be the happiest medicine. Research has shown that exercise is clinically proven to stimulate serotonin, your natural feel-good neurotransmitter.

Does exercise help anxiety?

Exercise is a natural and effective anti-anxiety treatment. It relieves tension and stress, boosts physical and mental energy, and enhances well-being through the release of endorphins. Anything that gets you moving can help, but you’ll get a bigger benefit if you pay attention instead of zoning out.

Find your mood-boosting workout

If the thought of hauling yourself out of bed to jump around feels as impossible as climbing Everest, start slow. You can always stop if you’re not feeling it, but all it takes is a few minutes of low-intensity exercise – even just walking – to trigger the release of pain-relieving endorphins. Every stretch releases tension and every movement makes oxygen flow a little faster. Look out for your tipping point, because the more aware you are of the moment your mood warms up, the better it feels.

Which workout will make you happy?

1. To calm your mind: try yoga and pilates. Exercise that works with your breath are particularly good for improving mindfulness, which can also calm a spinning head and improve your mood.
2. To release tension: try boxing or HIIT. Doing an intense exercise will completely absorb your attention – it’s impossible to think of anything but what your body is doing.

Ultimately, the key is to find a workout you enjoy, because then you’ll want to keep doing it. After exercise, take a moment to notice how your mood has lifted. The bright, calm satisfaction you get after your workout will keep you coming back for more. You’ll get hooked on the feel-good benefits of exercise, not just the physical results.

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*MOVATI’s trainers and/or consultants are not health care providers, and do not provide any medical diagnosis, treatment or advice, and any trainer and/or consultant tips are not intended to replace the advice of a health care professional.