Boost your mood: Study shows running can improve mental health

Showing similar results to other studies and reports, a series of support groups have confirmed and reinforced the concept that most people feel better after going for a run.

The individuals in the running support groups, set up by the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG) and Nedbank leading up to and throughout Mental Health Awareness Month, were in 99% agreement that they felt “good” or “great” after endurance exercise.

Athletes, mental health advocates and running enthusiasts led group runs across the country that were open to anyone who wished to take part.

All participants were asked to be aware of their mood before and after their run and to report back on how they felt.

Participants ran every day in August and September, and the results clearly showed that exercise – particularly running – can be a starting point to address the nation’s apparent mental health crisis.

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“The results were staggering, but also not totally unexpected” said Cassey Chambers, operations director at SADAG.

“It has been scientifically proven that exercise, particularly running, improves mental health and reduces depression, stress, and anxiety. This is widely known, but we wanted to illustrate this to South Africans in the most practical way – by facilitating support groups for anyone who felt they needed them.

“These groups were designed to allow participants to experience the mental effect of even light exercise first-hand.”

‘A great mood’

Of those who participated, 59% described their mood as ‘flat’ before their run, with only 7% saying they were feeling great. Post-run, just 1% felt their mood hadn’t improved, with 17% describing their mood as ‘good’ and 82% as ‘great’.

This matched similar reports from WebMD, which found multiple mental health benefits to running, and Runner’s World, which spoke to individuals who had used running to get through mental health challenges in their lives, and the World Health Organisation, which lists regular exercise as a benefit to mental health.

With reports suggesting that one in three South Africans battle with their mental health, Chambers said they had hoped to give people an outlet to boost their mood, while raising awareness and driving education on mental health.

“Ultimately we hope it can create a shift in how we think about and approach mental health,” she said.
“We’d like to thank Nedbank for providing its Runified platform as the vehicle to help us do this and look forward to building on the achievements of the past months.”