Does Exercise Really Improve Your Mental Health? These 9 Benefits Prove It

Remember when everyone was going on way more walks than usual during the pandemic to feel a little bit less like trash? As it turns out, there’s a lot of merit to the practice—and not solely because walking workouts are legitimately amazing for your body. It’s also because exercise improves your mental health. 

Skeptical? Just look at the research, which over the years has found that people who move their bodies on the regular are less likely to develop depression or anxiety, have fewer bad mental health days, and tend to have higher levels of happiness. But how does exercise improve mental health, and what kinds of workouts are “best” for emotional wellbeing? We spoke with three experts and dug through research to get the scoop.

How Does Exercise Improve Mental Health?

There’s a lot we know about how exercise and physical activity can benefit your mental health, says Eric A. Zillmer, PsyD, the Carl R. Pacifico Professor of Neuropsychology and former director of athletics at Drexel University in Philadelphia. Working out improves mood; reduces stress, anxiety, and depression; helps you sleep better; and so much more. But science doesn’t yet fully understand what’s going on in your body while you exercise to confer such powerful benefits, he says. 

Zillmer ascribes to the opponent process theory of exercise—the idea that your brain tries to overcome the potential stress and discomfort of working out by responding to help you feel really good. “As it turns out, the more you stress [your body], the more of an equal, opposite effect you get,” he says. (Think: the runner’s high after clocking in a ton of miles.) Over time, he says, your body requires less effort to produce those euphoric post-workout feelings. (How exactly that process works, however, is still unclear.)

Working out also triggers the release of other hormones in the brain that are associated with improved mood, including serotonin and dopamine, says Cynthia Magaña, a licensed therapist and trauma-informed yoga instructor based in Los Angeles. The act of exercise also encourages our brain to solve problems, learn from repetition, and create new neural pathways, she adds, promoting neuroplasticity (the ability for the brain to adapt) and potentially supporting mental health.

Basically, exercise does really cool stuff to your body and brain chemistry that makes you feel good and more resilient to stress. And that makes for a pretty well-balanced life!

The Mental Health Benefits of Exercise

There are so many different ways that exercise—whether it’s strength training, cardio, or mindful workouts like yoga—can support your mental and emotional wellbeing. Here are some of the top benefits of exercise on mental health, according to our experts (and lots and lots of research):  

1. Exercise Busts Stress

Ever exercised after a crazy day at work and felt a wee bit better? That’s the stress-busting power of fitness at play. 

“Exercise helps us regulate our bodies and handle stressors to maintain emotional balance,” Magaña says. Again, research is ongoing to understand the “why,” but recent evidence indicates that physically active people tend to have lower levels of stress activity in their brains. Clearly, movement helps our brains deal with stress one way or the other. 

2. It Boosts Emotional Resilience

Emotional resilience is essentially your ability to cope with difficult or stressful situations. (Or as Zillmer puts it: “You come out stronger and not weaker.”) It’s an extremely beneficial skill to develop—and exercise may help us get there. 

A 2014 study published in Frontiers in Physiology found that people who regularly exercise were potentially more resistant to stress (as in, their positive mood wasn’t as affected by stressful events) than people who were sedentary. And a newer study looking at how people in the UK dealt with stress during COVID-19 lockdowns found that higher exercise intensity levels were correlated with higher self-reported resilience scores. 

3. It Helps Fight and Prevent Depression

Fending off depression is one of the biggest benefits of exercise, Zillmer says, noting that “the research is pretty powerful on that.” He cites a 2022 review published in JAMA Psychiatry, which found that people who did the recommended amount of exercise per week (150 minutes of moderate-intensity movement) had a 25 percent lower risk of depression compared to non-active people. Even doing half the recommended amount of exercise resulted in an 18 percent reduction in depression risk. (Which, wow.) 

While physical activities like running and walking are often linked with reduced depression risk, many other kinds of workouts, such as strength training and yoga, may also help ease symptoms. 

4. Exercise Can Calm Anxiety

Feeling anxious? Squeezing in a quick sweat sesh can help. A 2024 study found that physical activity significantly reduced anxiety levels among college students in China. (And the more participants exercised, the lower their anxiety levels.) Research also suggests that many different kinds of workouts can help people manage their anxiety symptoms, including yoga, swimming, and general aerobic exercise, to name a few.

“When you experience anxiety, a lot of it has to do with the constant worry or thoughts that feel like race cars going through your head,” explains Carla Avalos, a licensed therapist and 16-time marathoner based in Los Angeles. But exercise, she posits, forces you to be more present and grounded in your body, helping you find safety and calm.

5. Working Out Can Improve Your Mood 

Even if you’re not dealing with depression or anxiety, research suggests that just a little bit of exercise can help lift your spirits. 

A 2018 study from Health Promotion Perspectives found that adults who went on a brisk walk for just 10 minutes helped people feel less “stuck” or fatigued compared to people who were inactive for the same amount of time. Other research has found that the mood-boosting perks of exercise can linger up to a full day post-workout. 

6. It Can Be an Important Social Outlet

“One of the ingredients of happiness is socialization,” Zillmer says. Research shows that social relationships—your friendships and family ties included—are critical for your health, including mood and mental health. Working out with others can be an important way for people to forge and maintain those social ties.

“By engaging in group cycling classes, group runs, or group softball activities, you’re not only learning how to de-stress,” Avalos says. “You’re also making those vital connections that you need for your overall wellbeing.” Take this as a sign to bring your friend along for a neighborhood walk or invite them to join you for a Peloton class from afar.

7. Exercise Can Help You Sleep—Which Leads to Better Mental Health

Exercise promotes better sleep, Avalos says (and who isn’t looking for better shut-eye?). And research has shown that your sleep quality—aka how well-rested you feel from sleep—plays a big role in your mood. 

Not getting enough sleep, on the other hand, can make it harder for you to deal with stress, manage your emotions, or solve problems.

8. It May Help You Process Difficult Emotions

As a licensed therapist and trauma-informed yoga instructor, Magaña says that exercise (particularly yoga) can help people process difficult emotions or experiences. 

While research on this aspect of the mind-body connection is still emerging, one small study, for example, suggests that female trauma survivors who engage with yoga find that certain poses bring up powerful emotions for them (like anger or fear); with continued practice, the intensity of those feelings often faded or was reframed.  

Many people find that working out can help them deal with challenging emotions, Avalos says. “Sometimes we’re not ready to ‘feel’ the feelings,” she says. But she finds that getting physical (and focusing in the present moment on the task at hand) can force you to confront your feelings, or give you space to mentally deal with a problem. “The exercise really helps you just work through it.”

It’s important to note, though, that exercise is by no means a replacement for mental health treatments like therapy. Receiving professional support and guidance from a licensed mental health provider is a great way to work through challenging emotions. (More on that later.) 

9. Crushing Fitness Goals Can Help with Your Self-Esteem

Avalos, who has been running marathons for over 15 years, says she gets a huge sense of pride from running. “The races can be really hard, because you’re out there pushing your body to the limits,” she says. But making it across the finish line helps her recognize exactly how hard she trained, and how committed she was, to achieving that goal. “It really does give me that boost of confidence, and it’s obviously good for my mental health to keep going and doing more,” she says. 

But you don’t have to be a marathoner to experience an exercise-induced confidence boost. Research finds that regular physical activity in general is associated with higher self-esteem.

Are Some Forms of Exercise More Beneficial for Exercise Than Others?

In general, the best type of exercise for mental health is the one that you actually enjoy and want to do. But there are specific modalities that are well-documented for their various mood-boosting perks, Avalos says. “Most of the research has shown that cardiovascular exercises—like jogging and cycling—show a higher rate of more benefits for mental health.” Same goes for yoga, she adds. 

“I think walking is underrated,” Zillmer adds. Not only is it a good workout that is very accessible for most people, but he feels that it’s a mindful kind of movement that allows you to “process the world at 4 miles per hour.” 

How Much Exercise Do You Need to Experience Mental Health Benefits?

Everyone’s body is different. But Avalos says that usually, all you need is about 10–15 minutes of exercise for you to start feeling better mentally. “What’s even more beneficial is if you commit to actually doing something for 30 minutes,” she says, whenever that’s possible. Over time, she says, you’ll see a “drastic” change in your mood, stress levels, and ability to manage your emotions. 

You don’t need to work out super hard to see the mental health benefits of exercise, either. “You don’t have to become a marathon runner,” Zillmer says (unless you want to, of course!). “Any amount of activity is worth gold,” he adds.

How to Make Exercise a Part of Your Mental Health Routine

Of course, knowing exercise is good for you is one thing…actually doing it is another. To help get over that hurdle, Zillmer emphasizes the importance of picking a workout that you actually enjoy. 

“If crunches are not your thing, you’re just punishing yourself,” he says as an example. “All the research on motivation suggests that you have to have a passion for what you’re doing, otherwise it’s going to be hard.”

Magaña agrees. “You can choose what exercise you feel called to do,” they say. “Get curious about what excites you for exercising, and lean into that curiosity and excitement.” Try a bunch of different things to see what really motivates you. (Lucky for you, the Peloton App has tons of different options, including various strength, yoga, cardio, cycling, and running classes, among others, so you can literally explore your options.)

Avalos also recommends starting small with attainable goals. “Start off with [exercising] once a week, and then if it feels good, increase it to twice or three times a week,” she says.

Once again, it’s crucial to remember that although there are many mental health benefits of exercise, physical activity is not a replacement for mental health treatments such as therapy or medication for those who need it. Both the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and the US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) provide helpful resources on how to find a mental health professional.

The Takeaway

No matter what kind of exercise you enjoy, odds are it’s doing wonders for your mental and emotional wellbeing. Regular physical activity can reduce the risk of depression and anxiety, improve your mood, and make you more resilient to stress, among many other mental health benefits of exercise. So the next time you’re feeling down, know that just a short burst of movement can help lift your spirits.