By Jim Brown

There are two problems with the notion that exercise might improve a person’s temporary mood or even one’s overall emotional health.

The first is acknowledging the idea that exercise and mood are related. Take a walk to feel better emotionally? Really? Some people just don’t buy it. “Physical activity can’t do a thing that will take away the problems I’m dealing with,” a thoughtful person might say.

But even if you can connect the dots between exercise and emotional health, how do you get started? Join a health club? Lift weights? Enter a 10K race? Just the thought of it can be depressing. Okay, bad choice of words. “Overwhelming” might be more appropriate. The last thing some people who are emotionally down want to do is move around unnecessarily.

Consider the evidence
The scientific evidence that a link exists between exercise and mood (or emotional health, mental health, depression, anxiety, stress) is compelling, if not indisputable. Practically every major medical institute in the United States has published a study, report or article confirming that exercise has a positive effect on various aspects of emotional health. Here are just six examples of the hundreds that could be cited.

• “Exercise has been shown to release endorphins — substances that help you feel better and maintain a positive attitude.” — The Cleveland Clinic, 2011

• “Research has repeatedly shown that exercise has significant mood-boosting effects in those suffering from depression and can be an important part of treatment.” – Johns Hopkins Health Alert, May 2011

• “Exercise training reduces anxiety symptoms among sedentary patients who have a chronic illness.” – Archives of Internal Medicine, February, 2010

• “High levels of physical activity show a strong association with health, fitness, and mood in older adults.” – American College of Sports Medicine, June, 2010.

• “Depression symptoms often improve with exercise.” – The Mayo Clinic, 2011

• “A 30-minute walk around the track three times a week may be just as effective in relieving the symptoms of depression as anti-depressant medications.” – Duke University Medical Center, 2005

Let’s assume that you have now been convinced by evidence-based, peer-reviewed, internationally published re-search. That was easy. The hardest part is getting started. What should you do?

Baby steps
The answer is to start gradually — very gradually — and work up to a level of activity that will produce physical, mental, and emotional benefits. Forget, for the moment, health clubs, gyms, weights, expensive sneakers, treadmills, anything that costs money. For now, make walking your exercise of choice.

If you are totally sedentary, try these baby steps first: Walk to the mailbox, if it’s outside, once a day. Walk to the corner and back once or twice a day. If you’re having a good day, walk around the block.

Want more of a challenge? Walk 15 minutes a day. If that’s too easy, walk the same distance, but pick up the pace. Your long-term goal is to walk at least 30 minutes a day, five days a week. Make it part of your schedule.

Keep a chart of your walking routine. Note the time of day, duration, and approximate distance. Occasionally make a brief note about the way you feel before your walk or the rest of the day after a walk.

One of the most practical walking programs, shown above, comes from the National Institutes of Health and the American Heart Association. It gives you a simple, 12-week, progressive schedule for warming up, walking, and cooling down. Concentrate on pace and time walked, not distance.

There is no money-back guarantee that walking or any other form of exercise will elevate your mood or improve your emotional health. But there is a proven exercise/mood connection. Why not see if that connection will make a difference in your life? Your problems won’t go away, but your mind may be a little clearer to deal with them.

Jim Brown, PhD, a former university professor, is executive editor of the Steadman-Philippon Research Institute News. He formerly served as executive editor of the Penn State and Georgia Tech Sports Medicine Newsletters, and for Healthy Years, a monthly publication of the UCLA School of Medicine. He has represented the United States Tennis Association, the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance, and the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports in clinics throughout the United States and Mexico. Dr. Brown has authored or edited 14 books.