The Joy of Movement: How exercise helps us find happiness, hope, connection, and courage

Real-time tracking also shows that people are happier during moments when they are physically active than when they are sedentary. And on days when people are more active than their usual, they report greater satisfaction with their lives.

When the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society turned over two hundred vacant lots in Philadelphia into green spaces by clearing debris and planting grass and trees, the incidence of depression among those who lived nearby dropped by 42 percent.

What does all this mean for today’s recreational exerciser? For one thing, it suggests that the key to unlocking the runner’s high is not the physical action of running itself, but its continuous moderate intensity.

Many athletes have learned to exploit this benefit. In carefully controlled experiments, adding a soundtrack helps rowers, sprinters, and swimmers shave seconds off their times. Runners can tolerate extreme heat and humidity longer, and triathletes can push themselves farther before reaching exhaustion. Moving to music even leads athletes to consum

When you are absorbed in your natural surroundings, the brain shifts into a state called soft fascination. It is a state of heightened present-moment awareness.

space to develop if I hadn’t stepped into the instructor’s role? Would I have become someone who sees the good in others if I hadn’t first benefited from my students’ positive projections?

Green Gym’s unofficial tag line is “physical activity with a purpose,” and this is how managing director Craig Lister typically pitches the program. “Rather than go to the gym to lift things that don’t need to be lifted, give us three hours of the week. At the end of each session,

Physical activity influences many other brain chemicals, including those that give you energy, alleviate worry, and help you bond with others. It reduces inflammation in the brain, which over time can protect against depression, anxiety, and loneliness. Regular exercise also remodels the physical structure of your brain to make you more receptive t

One study of new members at a gym found that the minimum “exposure” required to establish a new exercise habit was four sessions per week for six weeks.