For many years, it has been known that exercise has a positive effect on mood. Research has shown that the improvement in mood lasts for a few minutes to a few hours.
But a recent study has shown that the post-exercise effect on mood may be of much longer duration. In the study, researchers at the University of Vermont randomly assigned 48 healthy, college-aged subjects to two groups: One group did 20 minutes of aerobic training on a stationary bike while the other group acted as a control and didn’t do any exercise.
Prior to the experiment, all subjects were given an assessment of mood that looked at six areas: tension, anger, depression, vigor, fatigue and confusion. The assessment was repeated immediately after the treatment or control condition and then again at 1, 2, 4, 8, 12 and 24 hours post-exercise.
It was found that aerobic training of moderate intensity—the average exercising heart rate was about 112 beats per minute—improved mood state for up to 12 hours post-exercise. Another great reason to exercise!
-American Fitness Magazine
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