Physical activity has immediate (acute) and long-term (habitual) effects on how one feels. Given these documented benefits, how much physical activity do we need to do for it to help us feel good? The current physical activity guidelines stress the importance for people to engage in either moderate or vigorous intensity physical activity every week to improve both physical and mental health. Yet, doing so may not always be optimal to confer mental health and psychological well-being. 

Intensity of physical activity

The intensity of physical activity is a key factor influencing how one feels as a result of physical activity. Prior research supports the benefits of light-to-moderate intensity physical activity to improve mental health and well-being. However, there is weaker or more inconsistent support for high-intensity physical activity in making people feel better. More specifically: 

• People tend to feel better both during and immediately after participation in physical activities of lower intensity.
• People tend to feel better immediately after participation in physical activities of moderate and vigorous intensities.
• When people are engaging in physical activities that are more intense than usual, these activities are less likely to lift one’s mood; on the contrary, they may worsen it.

In sum, doing more physical activity, especially at a higher intensity, may not always optimally enhance mental health and well-being.

Can we do too much?

Engaging in physical activity every day, when compulsory, can have deleterious effects on mental health and well-being. Strong compulsions to engage in physical activity have been documented in recreational exercisers, university students, and both amateur and competitive athletes. This has been referred to as exercise dependence or exercise addiction. 

Dependence on or addiction to exercise is typically characterized by a frequency of ≥ 1 exercise session per day (i.e., no rest day), sustained physical activity participation despite being in pain, injured, ill or fatigued and the experience of withdrawal symptoms (e.g., feeling tense, depressed, and/or anxious) with cessation of exercise participation. This has potentially serious negative consequences, ranging from extreme fatigue and chronic injury to relationship problems. The prevalence of exercise dependence or addiction is likely to be low in the general population (3 - 14%), and it is more likely to occur as a secondary issue to an eating disorder ¹.

Quality over quantity?

Beyond the quantity of physical activity, theories and research studies also support the concept of quality participation to improve mental health and well-being. Quality participation is thought to be achieved when people view their involvement in physical activity, exercise or sport as satisfying and enjoyable, and when people experience outcomes that they consider important.

Some tips to building quality participation

To achieve quality participation, the overall physical activity experience is expected to: 

• Be enjoyable. If you don’t know what you like, you can ask a friend or an exercise specialist to help you explore and try different types of physical activities and find those that you like.
• Be one that you choose. You should be able to choose to engage in the physical activity you want to do, and feel free to participate in the making of your own physical activity programming decisions.
• Help you feel more competent or capable. Engaging in physical activities that are personally challenging helps you to increase feelings of accomplishment and gives you a sense that you can succeed and grow.
• Make you feel you belong and connected with others. Doing physical activity with others can enhance the feelings of connectedness. Yet, companionship can be just as important as the activity itself. Therefore, doing physical activity with other people is not a requirement. For example, you may hand wave to other people you see while doing a solo activity (e.g., running outside) to share a camaraderie and passion for that activity, and show respect.
• Help you escape the pressure of life for a while. Activities involving rhythmic abdominal breathing and repeated movements (e.g yoga, Tai chi, pilates, Qigong, walking, running, biking and swimming) are examples of activities that may help people get distracted from everyday minor stressors.

Main takeaways

How much physical activity do we need to do for it to help us feel good? The current physical activity guidelines stress the importance for people to engage in either moderate or vigorous intensity physical activity every week to improve both physical and mental health. Yet, the “feeling better” effect of physical activity can occur with participation in physical activities of lower intensity. You don’t have to be physically active all the time, but it’s good to avoid being physically inactive for long periods of time. 

But it’s not only a question of “how much?” Quality participation is also important. Quality participation is likely to be achieved when one view is involvement in physical activity, exercise or sport as satisfying and enjoyable. Being able to choose physical activities that you like and are enjoyable are likely to increase positive mood and result in more sustained activity.

¹. The prevalence of exercise dependence or exercise addiction estimated by and reported in prior research work varies depending on the population, type of sports, and instrument used to measure exercise dependence or exercise addiction.

Acknowledgement

I want to thank Emilie Ann Chadwell for her suggestions and comments on an earlier version of this article. 

Physical activity can lift our mood, energize us, relieve our stress, and reduce our risk of depression (see Table 1 below).

Table 1. Benefits of physical activity on mental health and psychological well-being

This table shows the Benefits of physical activity on mental health and psychological well-being

Outcomes	Population	Benefits
Quality of life	Adults (≥ 18 years)	Improved quality of life
Depressed mood Clinical depression	Children ages 6 to 17 years and adults (≥ 18 years)	Reduced depressed mood Reduced risk of depression
Feelings of anxiety	Adults (≥ 18 years)	Reduced feelings of anxiety Reduced long-term feelings and signs of anxiety for people with and without anxiety disorders
Sleep	Adults (≥ 18 years)	Increased sleep efficiency, sleep quality, and deep sleep Reduced daytime sleepiness, frequency of use of medication to aid sleep)

Adapted from the US Department of Health and Human Services. The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans (2nd edition). p. 40.

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