Most of us might have notices that there is a lift in the mood when we perform any physical activity, like dance, exercise, or yoga. So, it is obvious that exercise is a great way to improve mood. However, there is a study that revealed that lifting weights do lift your mood and it may even have a significantly powerful antidepressant effects.
Let us know more about it in the following array of the article.
Does Lifting Weight Lift Your Mood?
To know about this, let us first take a look on the study that shows that lifting weights lifts your mood.
The Study:
Research has now shown that weight lifting might provide potent antidepressant effects. Earlier though the physical health benefits of RET or the resistance exercise training were known, the effects of lifting weight on depression were quite less clear. So, to understand the possible connection between the resistance training or weight lifting and mood, researchers conducted one comprehensive analysis of around 33 clinical trials which included 1877 participants, and they found that lifting weights showed great antidepressant effects, regardless of the varying health profiles of the participants. The authors of this study noted that this is the first review of such kind, as earlier research had yet to examine the link between resistance training and depression.
In order to establish a baseline for their study, in some randomized clinical trials, the authors of the study established a control group of the individuals having depressive symptoms, some of them were involved in exercise programs, while others were not. Researchers could find that resistance training was linked to an improvement in the participants’ mood, and they also found 54 effects from all the 33 clinical trials conducted, that showed a significant reduction in their symptoms of depression.
The authors of the study aimed at determining if age, the overall health status, or at least the amount of exercise engaged in, actually impacted the outcomes; and they found neither the age, or the amount of weights the participants lifted, did. The benefits of lifting weights on depressed moods were absolutely clear across all the participant groups. It was also found that skill and experience in exercising did not have much impact on the outcomes; regardless of the strength, skill level, or the amount of weights the participants lifted, they experienced fair relief from their symptoms of depression.
Though this showed that lifting weights actually helped in relieving depression among participants, regardless of their age, skill level or strength and overall health status, better-quality randomized clinical trials are still required to understand the effects of resistance training on the mental status. However, it is clear from the study that lifting weights can lift your mood or help in alleviating the depression symptoms.
How Does Lifting Weight Lift Your Mood?
Most people get into weightlifting to build their muscles, have perfect six packs or for getting broad shoulders. However, some others want to build stronger bones, have a healthier heart and reduce the risk of disease and have a fit and healthy life. But, we must say that the benefits of lifting weights are not only confined to the physical health. There are a lot of psychological benefits of weight lifting and it has a significant power to improve you emotional and mental health; and help you lead a happier life.
To know more about how lifting weights lifts your mood, it is important for us to take a further look on the following descriptions.
It Helps You Beat Blues:
Do you really require an instant mood boost? If you are feeling blue and want to beat occasional blues, you can go for lifting weights that helps you in a great way.
It Improves Your Self-Esteem:
Lifting weights help you in improving your self-esteem and that in turn help you lift your mood. If you feel you are too skinny, or too fat and feel embarrassed of your body, lifting weights can help you change your physical appearance drastically and thus can help you improve your mood. It is true that when you reach your physical goals, you find quite comfortable in self and confident about your overall appearance, which boosts your self-esteem and lifts your mood greatly.
You Improve Your Dedication:
Weight lifting or strength training requires real dedication. So, when you start lifting weights you begin to improve your focus on getting a better and healthier life. You are dedicated enough in making you so perfect that you begin at focusing on getting the right foods, working out in the perfect sense and this dedication and focus help you in other areas of your life too. This would also help you in improving your performance at your work and day-to-day life.
It Helps You In Getting Proper Sleep:
More than 40 million of people in the United States suffer from a chronic long-term sleeping disorder and additional 20 million of people have occasional sleep issues. Exercise such as weight lifting can help you in improving the quality of sleep and thus also help you in sleeping longer. So, when you lift weights you get enough of sleep and this in turn help you drop your anxiety and improve your mood.
It Improves Social Connections:
When you begin lifting weights, especially in a gym you start connecting with many other people around you. This way you can improve social connections. And, social connections with like-minded people or people with similar interests actually help you to a great extent in uplifting your mood and developing motivation.
Relieves Stress:
Lifting weights does lift your mood by relieving stress. As we lift weights or practice resistance training, there is a release of endorphins or the feel-good hormones, which can really reduce stress. So, lifting weights can really balance you emotionally and mentally by reducing stress and improving your mood.
Bottom line:
From the above discussion it is now clear that lifting weights really improves your mood. So, if you are feeling low or depressive and want to lift your mood, go hit the gym and start lifting weights. But make sure, you are being supervised by an experience fitness trainer while you are new to any kind of exercise.
Also Read:
- Causes of Irrational Mood Swings in Teenagers & its Symptoms
- 9 Ways To Control Your Mood And Achieve Your Goal
- Common Mood Stabilizers Used For Treating Bipolar Disorder & Its Side Effects
- Can Music Really Affect Your Mood?|How Can Music Therapy Help?
- What Are The Common Mood Disorders?
- Complications Of Mood Disorders
- Do I Have A Mood Disorder?
