Why does exercise make us feel good? --David Graybill, Wilton,
Conn. Jeannine Stamatakis, instructor at several colleges in the
San Francisco Bay Area, responds: There is no denying the high
you feel after a run in the park or a swim at the beach.
Exercise not only boosts your physical health--as one can easily
see by watching a marathon or a boxing match--but it also
improves mental health. According to a recent study, every
little bit helps. People who engaged in even a small amount of
exercise reported better mental health than others who did none.
Another study, from the American College of Sports Medicine,
indicated that six weeks of bicycle riding or weight training
eased stress and irritability in women who had received an
anxiety disorder diagnosis. To see how much exercise is required
to relieve stress, researchers at the National Institute of
Mental Health observed how prior exercise changed the
interactions between aggressive and reserved mice. When placed
in the same cage, stronger mice tend to bu