Move on up!

Exercise ferments the humors, casts them into their proper channels, throws off redundancies, and helps nature in those secret distributions, without which the body cannot subsist in its vigor, nor the soul act with cheerfulness.”
— Joseph Addison (1672 - 1719), The Spectator, July 12, 1711

It’s free. It’s legal. It’s easy. And it can make you feel good — really good — even if you’re feeling down.

What is it? It’s exercise. And although you’ve probably heard that it acts as a natural mood booster, you don’t need to be feeling down in order for exercise to bring you up.

In a study, women who were already feeling fine experienced just as much of a mood boost from exercise as women who were depressed and anxious. It can be as simple as going for a brief walk, or as intense as an aerobics class. Choose what you like to do and do it often to keep your mood in high gear.

Next time you start to feel yourself shifting into low gear, move on up and get your juices flowing to a brighter day.