A 30-minute jog does something to your head that sitting still cannot replicate. So does picking up a barbell and putting it down again. The effects are measurable, reproducible, and increasingly well-documented in clinical research. Both running and resistance training alter brain chemistry, reduce symptoms of common psychiatric conditions, and improve how people feel about themselves on a daily basis. The mechanisms differ between the two, but the outcomes converge on a similar point: regular physical effort produces mental effects that extend far beyond the workout itself.
What Running Does to Your Brain Chemistry
Aerobic exercise at moderate to high intensity triggers a cascade of neurochemical events. The most studied of these involves brain-derived neurotrophic factor, a protein that supports neuron growth and maintenance. Research published in Frontiers in Psychiatry in 2025 found that running at 60-80% of maximum heart rate for 30 or more minutes optimally elevates this protein. The implications matter because low levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor correlate with depression and anxiety disorders.Running also increases serotonin availability in the brain. This neurotransmitter regulates mood, sleep, and appetite. The effect explains why many runners report feeling calmer and more stable in the hours after a session.
The MOTAR study conducted in the Netherlands compared running to antidepressant medication. Participants who ran regularly showed comparable improvements in overall well-being to those taking prescription antidepressants. This finding does not suggest people should replace medication with running, but it does indicate that aerobic exercise produces measurable psychiatric effects.
Fueling Longer Sessions Without Mental Fatigue
Sustained aerobic effort requires steady glucose availability. When blood sugar drops mid-run, cognitive sharpness declines,s and mood often follows. Runners who train for 45 minutes or more sometimes carry energy gels, bananas, or small carbohydrate chews to maintain stable fuel levels. This practice supports the metabolic conditions under which BDNF elevation occurs, as noted in 2025 research from Frontiers in Psychiatry linking 30-plus minutes at 60-80% max heart rate to optimal brain-derived neurotrophic factor release.Resistance training sessions rarely demand mid-workout carbohydrates, but pre-workout nutrition still matters for focus. Adequate protein and moderate carbs before lifting help preserve the self-efficacy gains that research associates with strength work.
How Lifting Weights Affects Your Mental State
Resistance training operates through different pathways than running, yet produces overlapping benefits. A 2024 meta-analysis published in Early Intervention in Psychiatry examined the effects of strength training on depressive and anxiety symptoms in young people. The results were substantial. Depressive symptoms decreased with an effect size of -1.06, and anxiety symptoms decreased with an effect size of -1.02. These numbers indicate large, clinically meaningful effects.
Older adults showed even stronger responses. The same analysis found effect sizes of -0.94 for depression and -1.33 for anxiety in older populations engaging in resistance training. The data suggests that lifting weights provides a particular benefit for people in later stages of life.
The Frontiers in Psychiatry research noted that resistance training fosters self-efficacy and emotional regulation. Completing a difficult lift builds a specific type of confidence. Over weeks and months, this accumulates into a general sense of capability that extends beyond the gym.
Older adults showed even stronger responses. The same analysis found effect sizes of -0.94 for depression and -1.33 for anxiety in older populations engaging in resistance training. The data suggests that lifting weights provides a particular benefit for people in later stages of life.
The Frontiers in Psychiatry research noted that resistance training fosters self-efficacy and emotional regulation. Completing a difficult lift builds a specific type of confidence. Over weeks and months, this accumulates into a general sense of capability that extends beyond the gym.
The Self-Efficacy Component
Lifting progressively heavier weights creates a feedback loop. You set a goal, work toward it, and eventually achieve it. Then you set another goal. This process builds a psychological resource called self-efficacy, which refers to belief in your own ability to accomplish tasks and handle difficulties.People with higher self-efficacy tend to persist longer when facing obstacles. They recover faster from setbacks. Resistance training provides repeated, concrete proof that effort leads to results, and this proof accumulates in the mind as a kind of confidence that transfers to other areas of life.
Weekly Recommendations from Health Authorities
The World Health Organization updated its physical activity guidelines in June 2024. The recommendations state that regular physical activity reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety, enhances brain health, and improves overall well-being. The National Institutes of Health recommends at least 150 minutes weekly of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise.These guidelines do not specify an exact split between running and resistance training. Most researchers suggest incorporating both. The mechanisms complement each other. Running excels at neurochemical effects like brain-derived neurotrophic factor elevation. Resistance training excels at building the psychological foundation of self-efficacy.
Practical Considerations
Starting either form of exercise does not require expensive equipment or gym memberships. Running requires shoes and somewhere to run. Bodyweight resistance exercises like squats, push-ups, and lunges require nothing at all.The mental benefits appear to follow a dose-response relationship up to a point. More exercise generally produces greater benefits, though returns diminish at very high volumes. For most people, three to four running sessions per week combined with two to three resistance training sessions provides substantial mental health effects without excessive time commitment.
Consistency matters more than intensity in the early stages. Someone who runs 20 minutes three times per week for six months will likely see greater mental health improvements than someone who runs hard for two weeks and then stops. The same applies to lifting.
What the Research Means for You
The clinical data support a straightforward conclusion. Both running and resistance training produce measurable, substantial improvements in common psychiatric symptoms. The effects are large enough to compare favorably with pharmaceutical interventions in some studies. The mechanisms differ between the two forms of exercise, which suggests combining them may provide benefits that neither provides alone.Regular physical effort changes how the brain functions. It changes how people feel about themselves. The evidence for this is now robust enough that many psychiatric professionals recommend exercise as part of treatment protocols for depression and anxiety.
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