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What does exercise do for your mood?
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
Everyone raves about it making their mood better and you hear endless stories of people managing mh conditions with exercise - I don't doubt them at all.
The thing is, something about going for a run makes me feel terrible. I hit really low, low moods after a run and am almost incapable of doing anything, sometimes for hours. Now, I do have a bit of a tendency to get stuck in those moods without external factors but it seems to be worst on the days I've been running.
Does anyone else have this? Any tips for managing it? I'll see my GP in a couple of weeks and will be sure to mention it but brainwaves in the meanwhile would be appreciated.
The thing is, something about going for a run makes me feel terrible. I hit really low, low moods after a run and am almost incapable of doing anything, sometimes for hours. Now, I do have a bit of a tendency to get stuck in those moods without external factors but it seems to be worst on the days I've been running.
Does anyone else have this? Any tips for managing it? I'll see my GP in a couple of weeks and will be sure to mention it but brainwaves in the meanwhile would be appreciated.
Post edited by JustV on
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I don't know what makes running/gym different (maybe it not being a team sport?) but I don't get the same effect from it. Sometimes it helps.... because during a gym session it clears my head and I guess I enjoy the 'burn'. Now I think about it, I don't really think it makes much of a difference, so could make me feel a little bit better I guess. Ever so often I do end up feeling worse... because it feels like I'm adding a worn out body to a worn out mind. I used to get up early on a Monday morning for a spinning class and whilst sometimes it got me up and ready for the week, more than half of the time I ended up crawling back to bed because I felt so shitty :chin:
It might be worth drinking a recovery drink or a protein drink after your run, because the fatigue from the lack of glycogen in your system might be affecting your mood.
If you're in a low mood during your exercise I'm not sure what to suggest, apart from maybe trying another exercise and making sure you've eaten sufficiently before you exercise.
If you're in a low mood immediately after exercise, it could be endorphins wearing off and making you feel worse. If you're in a low mood maybe 20-30 minutes after exercise, you could do with eating some protein after exercise as recovery, to try and manage your blood sugar levels.
Exercise in general stabilises me... It's the reason I have made it to the spring for the first time in ten years and not had to take anti-depressants. I would probably be very depressed if I didn't exercise four-five days a week.
I have had mood crashes if I work out too hard and don't replenish my fuel. Are you refueling Piccolo?
I worry about food a lot and I've been quite low lately which usually means I don't eat for a while. Not deliberately, I just don't think about it.
i can understand the having issues with eating, but if youre going to train hard, and dont refuel, youre not going to get far. Even if you have something small like an actimel drink after a run or a glass of skimmed milk, youll be doing your body a big big favour and youll probably find youre less fatigued in general afterwards. Not so much that you drink back all the calories youve burned, but id definitely try and get something in, even though usually straight after a run noone feels like eating much
I might get in some yoghurt and banana, that's my favourite summer-breakfast and sounds like the sort of thing.
Thanks everyone.
Yoghurt and bannana, yum yum. Damn you, I've already had breakfast and you've made me hungry again.