Wellness Wednesday

Lifting Your Spirits is Only a Step (or Two) Away!

If your normally inactive and are feeling a little blue, exercise, may be the best thing to lift your spirits.

If you're feeling a little blue, and have been relatively inactive, exercise may be the answer! According to a recent study conducted by the University of Connecticut a sedentary lifestyle that leads to depression, can be resolved by simply getting out of one's chair and lightly exercising. The best part of this study, for those who are consistently inactive, is that only light, non-vigorous exercise is required to see the mood-lifting effects brought on by moving around. The study looked at 419 middle aged adults who wore accelerometers in order to track their physical activity over a period of four days. The participants also filled out a questionnaire regarding what their average daily activity consisted of, along with their medical history.

The study found that those who reported lower daily activity felt lower levels of well-being, while those who took part in light activity reported increased psychological well -being and reduced depression. In addition to those who reported benefits from light exercise, those who took part in moderate activity reported higher levels of psychological well-being and overall lower levels of pain severity. Those who took part in high intensity exercise, however, reported the same results as those with moderate intensity exercise. Overall, those who reported any type of activity showed positive results in their psychological and physical well-being.