How Long Does Exercise Boost Your Mood?

The mood-enhancing effects of exercise last longer than previously thought.

Yet more evidence demonstrating what those of us who turn to exercise for stress-relief and joy-boosting already know: Exercise makes you feel good and not just during or right after. It can brighten your day long after your favorite run, yoga sequence, or boot camp session is over.

That’s what researchers from the University of Vermont, Burlington, found when they studied the post-exercise mood effects on 48 healthy men and women ages 18 to 25.

All participants rated their mood at the start of the study. Then half randomly assigned subjects rode a stationary bike for 20 minutes at moderate intensity. All participants then rated their mood at one, two, four, eight, 12 and 24 hours later.

The good-mood winners? You guessed it: The exercisers. Their mood was better than the non-exercising group immediately after their workout and for up to 12 hours post workout.

“The findings point yet again to exercise as a cheap, easily accessible tool against blue moods and even depression, lead researcher Dr. Jeremy Sibold said, in a U.S. Department of Health & Human Services release. “I think that’s really important for the general public to know—depression is so widespread.”