Elle Woods once said “Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don’t shoot their husbands! They just don’t!” While this is not scientifically accurate in terms of the role endorphins play in movement, most people are familiar with the feeling of accomplishment after a good workout even if it’s just for a couple of minutes walking out of the doors of the gym.
The month of May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Anxiety, depression, and stress are concepts that all of us are familiar with. The rate of Americans suffering from depression has continued to rise, with nearly 20% reporting that they have or are currently being treated for depression in 2025. Almost 50 million people! While the short-term benefits of exercising may give you a good boost of feeling good, regular physical activity long term – even just a 40-minute moderate intensity workout 3 times a week – builds a stronger, more resilient brain. Scientists have shown that regular movement not only improves mood and lowers risk for depression, but can also increase the size of the part of our brain most involved in learning and memory.
New cells! New connections! These changes are especially important for lowering risk of cognitive impairment later in life such as dementia and Alzheimer’s.
Two tips to help build consistency in your workouts:
Keep a workout log! Track your workouts including how much weight you’re using, how many repetitions and sets, you can even add how much effort it took to complete the movement on a 1-10 scale called the Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE). You may find that even if you’re pushing the same weight, your RPE may go down – that’s a win!
If you find yourself without the mental capacity to complete the workout you had planned, instead of skipping completely, challenge yourself to start with just 10 minutes. 10 minutes is better than 0 minutes and you may find you want to keep going once you start!
References:
Erickson KI, et al. Exercise training increases size of hippocampus and improves memory. Proc Natl Acad Sci. 2011 Jan 31;108(7):3017–3022.
Witters, D. (2025, Sep 9). U.S. Depression Rate Remains Historically High. Gallup. https://news.gallup.com/poll/694199/u.s.-depression-rate-remains-historically-high.aspx
