Strong Muscles, Strong Mind: The Emotional Benefits of Exercise

I can’t help but notice a trend as a woman in my late 30s: I see more and more women getting hit with some of their hardest life challenges (divorce, parenting difficulties, job loss, major health scares, the list goes on) and finding greater peace and self-empowerment through exercise. 

And while it’s no surprise that a workout can boost endorphins and instantly lift your mood (hello, runner’s high), the real magic goes much deeper. Movement can rewire our stress response, sharpen emotional resilience, and create a sense of steadiness when everything else is teetering on the edge.

Have you ever had the unique pleasure of finishing a tough workout, sweaty and flushed, and suddenly noticing your to-do list doesn’t feel quite so suffocating? That’s your brain chemistry changing in real time.

According to Bergquist, exercise is a type of “good stress.” “By voluntarily subjecting yourself to short bursts of good stress, such as with a workout, you’re training your body and nervous system to handle future stress more effectively,” she explains. Every set, every sprint, every mile is teaching your body that you are capable.

When your muscles contract, they release chemical messengers called myokines1, sometimes nicknamed “hope molecules.” These tell the brain to produce brain-derived neurotrophic factor 2(BDNF for short), which helps grow new brain cells and strengthen the ones you already have. It’s improving and building your mental infrastructure for better mood and focus.

Foster adds that regular movement helps regulate cortisol, the body’s main stress hormone, while also boosting endorphins and dopamine. Over time, exercise improves heart rate variability, a marker of how quickly you can shift from fight-or-flight back into calm, meaning you continue to build up your ability to handle stress.

And it doesn’t always have to be an intense workout. Joseph points out that even rhythmic side-to-side movements, like dancing, can soothe the nervous system. “It’s healing, almost similar to trauma therapies that use bilateral stimulation,” she says. 

The many unique stressors of life can add up fast—even when you are practicing self-care. For some, that leads to anxiety, which now impacts an estimated 264 million people worldwide, with women twice as likely as men to struggle with it. For others, depression may occur, and again, women are at 2-3x the risk.

While exercise isn’t a cure-all (because let’s be real, nothing is) it certainly has been proven to help many things, mood included:

• Research has shown that aerobic exercise, resistance training, or a combination of both is effective in reducing the symptoms of both anxiety and depression.
• Regularly working out at a moderate to vigorous level has been shown to reduce the likelihood of depression3 from happening in the first place. 
• Mindful movement like Tai Chi and yoga can improve overall emotional regulation.

Bergquist suggests a mix: one to two HIIT sessions per week plus strength training with progressive challenges. “That’s where the brain adaptations happen,” she says.

Foster leans on strength training for structure and focus, but she also loves a grounding walk in nature. “Even a short walk, a few yoga poses, or dancing between meetings can quickly shift neurochemistry and calm the nervous system,” she says.

Clearly, movement offers as much for inner strength as it does for outer, but anyone who’s gone to five HIIT classes in one week knows there’s a tipping point. 

And, even when we know exercise could make us feel better, we sometimes feel too mentally or physically depleted (Netflix exists for a reason). We have to embrace rest to get the full mind-body benefits of exercise, over the long term, otherwise we’re just supporting burnout.

“Stress without adequate recovery results in overtraining, not just for our muscles and joints but for our cells, leaving them depleted rather than strengthened,” says Bergquist. That means recovery rituals—sleep, good nutrition, even five minutes of quiet breathing—are as important as your toughest workout.

Foster reframes rest in a way we can all get on board with, “When we prioritize ourselves, everyone around us benefits. Taking time for ourselves when so many people depend on us is essential.”

If resilience is built in the rhythm of stress and recovery, here are a few simple ways to let movement support your mind as much as your muscles: