Using Exercise to Manage Low Mood and Depression

What is normal vs what is depression?

We all feel low from time to time. Sometimes caused by stress, tiredness or life challenges. It can leave you feeling unmotivated, low energy, but often only lasts a day or two.

Depression is different, more severe and persistent. Typically present most or all of the time for at least two weeks and comes with additional symptoms. Amongst other symptoms, sleep can become disrupted; energy levels drop and things that used to feel enjoyable may not have the same appeal. These symptoms can cause distress, overwhelm, and significantly impact on day-to-day functioning.

Why does mood become low?

There isn’t a single reason why people experience low mood or depression. It is often a combination of biological, psychological and social factors.

Around 1 in 6 adults experience moderate to severe depressive symptoms (1). Things like brain chemistry and hormones play a role, but so do your beliefs about yourself, your resiliency and environment e.g. stress, relationships and life circumstances.

Women consistently report higher levels of low mood, 1 in 4 women compared to 1 in 7 men (2), which is likely influenced by societal and biological differences. Overtime, these often result in lower self-esteem and make women more susceptible to changes in mood.

How Does Exercise Impact Mood?

Exercise can feel like the last thing you want to do when you feel down. But its impact on the body and mind is significant.

Movement triggers the release of feel-good chemicals such as endorphins and serotonin which are linked to mood. Stress hormones like cortisol begin to reduce at the same time and this shift can help your body relax, and mentally, things can feel a bit more manageable (even if only for the short-term). Resistance training / weightlifting specifically is associated with a significant decrease in depressive symptoms (3).

Psychologically, following through with exercise, especially when you don’t feel like it, creates a sense of achievement. A small win begins to challenge negative thought patterns and can be a small building brick to a more positive outlook over time. This provides some protection against depression and anxiety disorders and can reduce existing symptoms.

If we look at the long-term, exercise supports brain health and improved cognitive function. It increases blood flow and oxygen delivery, encourages neuroplasticity, helping the brain adapt and function more effectively. Exercise has been shown to promote the growth of new brain cells, particularly in the hippocampus, which is a region of the brain that is involved in mood regulation and memory (4). In terms of physical health, exercise helps prevent and manage over 20 chronic conditions which are affecting people at an earlier age, including; dementia, bone loss, type 2 diabetes, colon cancer and various cardiovascular diseases (5).

Low Mood Cycle and Why Behaviour Change Comes First

Low mood often maintains itself through a cycle. This is commonly explained using the Cognitive Behavioural Therapy model.

When mood drops, thoughts tend to become more negative, “What’s the point?”, “I can’t do this.” These thoughts influence how you feel, which in turn affects your behaviour. You might withdraw, become less active, or avoid things you once enjoyed. Physically, this can show up as fatigue, lack of concentration and disturbed sleep.

All of these factors feed back into each other, reinforcing the low mood.

A related concept, Learned Helplessness, helps explain why it can feel so hard to break this cycle. After repeated difficult experiences, it’s easy to start believing that nothing will change. If nothing ever changes, you learn nothing can and you have no agency to act.

One of the most important things to understand is that mood doesn’t always improve before action. More often, it’s the other way around. Waiting to feel motivated can keep you stuck in the cycle.

Barriers to Exercise and Making It Work For You

Exercise is inherently a mindful activity, you have to be present and, in the moment, but it isn’t always easy to maintain. The Mental Health Foundation reports that 45% of adults in the UK are not meeting the exercise guidelines (6). Some of these people face genuine barriers such as limited time, low confidence, financial constraints, injury and medical conditions. When mood is low, these barriers can feel disproportionally difficult.

If this is the case, the approach matters. It needs to be realistic and suitable for the current situation. Instead of looking at reinventing entire routines and being trapped in the ‘all or nothing’ mindset, it is often helpful to look at each day or week ahead and find small pockets of time that could be used differently.

The government guidelines suggest that adults should be aiming for at least 2.5hrs of moderate physical activity per week. When you read that, do you think of going to the gym, running or yoga? Does the idea of these activities elicit a negative response? Some people don’t like the idea of these exercise methods and whilst weight training is recommended within that duration, moderate physical activity can also look like; brisk walking, gardening, hiking, swimming and recreational activities (dancing with the kids in the living room or playing football in the garden). A full hour in the gym 3 times per week may be unobtainable for you, but finding a form of movement that you can do regularly may be a small action that can subtly begin to shift your mood and interrupt the cycle.

Consistency comes more easily when the activity feels manageable. That could be choosing something you enjoy (or don’t mind doing) and over time it becomes easier as it turns into part of your routine. It can also help to add physical movement into your diary like an appointment, especially if you are busy. This approach might not work for some, if it becomes too rigid, but it can be a way to prioritise your wellbeing.

Environment, Habits and Small Changes

Your environment and behaviours play a big role in your mood. Spending a lot of your time inactive (whether that is at home or at work), isolated or indoors can reinforce low mood. Small changes, like walking outside more, or joining a group fitness class, can contribute to feelings of enthusiasm, motivation and energy. These actions can challenge your negative thoughts into ‘I can cope’, ‘life is good’, ‘I am looking forward to tomorrow’.

It’s also worth being mindful of habits like social media use. While it can help with connection, it can also increase comparison, isolation and negatively affect how you feel. This is an area to consider how we spend our time; the average person spends 2.3hrs a day on social media, and most of that will likely not be contributing positively to their wellbeing. We could shift our behaviours to using some of that time for movement. A small, manageable change.

Taking Ownership and Responsibility

Unfortunately, not everything in life is within our control. External events, other people’s behaviour and changes to our circumstances e.g. job loss, inflation - are often outside of it. What you can influence is your own actions and routines. Exercise is something you can choose to engage in, even when it feels hard. Taking those small, realistic steps and recognising those steps matter.

It is important to also take responsibility for ourselves. Often, especially women, assume a shared responsibility as their own and feel guilty when things don’t pan out as planned. Eating well, looking after yourself and exercising is your sole responsibility, no one can do that for you. Ask yourself if it is yours to change and if it’s actually within your power to do it. If the answer to either is no, let it go or pass it to the person whose responsibility it is but don’t beat yourself up about it. Reevaluate any guilt you might feel and accept the things that are out of your control.

Summary

Depression and low mood are complex, and there’s no single solution that works for everyone. But exercise is one of the most reliable and accessible tools available to help shift your energy levels, build a life that feels meaningful to you and improve low mood. Whatever your values are, changing your actions to align with them can improve your overall wellbeing. When your behaviour begins to reflect what’s important to you, it can shift how you think about your life.

References

1.      Office for National Statistics Cost of living and depression in adults, Great Britain 

2.      Mind Mental health facts and statistics

3.      Kandola, A., Ashdown-Franks, G., Hendrikse, J., Sabiston, C.M. and Stubbs, B. (2019) The impact of exercise on depression: how moving makes your brain and body feel better.

4.      Kim, Y.P. and Leem, Y.H. (2016) Exercise-mediated neurogenesis in the hippocampus via BDNF

5.      Public Health England Health matters: getting every adult active every day.

6.      Mental Health Foundation (n.d.) How to improve your mental health using physical activity