The Real Reason Exercise and Yoga Make You Happy

7 min readJun 3, 2022

What if exercise wasn’t about managing your weight or the way you look? What if exercise was about happiness, joy, and coming home to yourself?

Sounds crazy? Yep, but you are already here so get comfy in your seat and hear me out.

You live in a world that is *blasted* with social media posts with ever-changing health trends. It seems like there is a new *must try* health secret trending every other day. From Keto to paleo, low carb, carb cycling, fasting… the list goes on.

It can feel impossible to keep up with the latest trend. Worse yet — most of them leave you feeling exhausted and unsuccessful. Jumping between extreme diets creates unhealthy relationships with food.

So before you start counting your steps and calories let’s slow down! Let’s take a look at why you should dedicate some time to falling in love with exercise and movement again.

By now you know that there are MANY health benefits to exercise. If you have a consistent exercise plan you:

Prevent excessive weight gain
Combat health conditions and diseases (everything from heart health to cancer)
Improve your mood
Boost your energy
Sleep better
Increase libido

These are a few among many examples. So if you know all these benefits, why is it so hard to get started?

9 common reasons people don’t exercise

Movement is something that is easy when you are a child — it’s part of the way you play.

At some point — your relationship with exercise changed. In fact — 60% of American adults don’t get the recommended amount of movement and exercise¹.

Given that most of us know moving is good for us, why is it so hard for so many to start?

You know it’s good for you, but you just can’t bring yourself to. But why?

Most common reasons you don’t is because you:

1. don’t enjoy it

2. can’t remain committed

3. can’t afford a gym membership

4. aren’t seeing changes in your body quickly enough

5. don’t feel confident in your ability

6. have other responsibilities (such as childcare and work)

7. are too stressed

8. feel uncomfortable doing it (it makes you tired and sore)

9. don’t feel like you have the time

There are many other reasons why you may not be exercising. No matter the reason, it’s possible for you to find an exercise routine you love.

By now, you know all the health benefits that come from staying active. BUT the number one benefit is one we rarely discuss — happiness.

How Exercise Wires You to Be Happy

What if I told you that 3 minutes of movement can wire your brain to feel happier?It may sound too simple to be true… BUT it’s backed by science².

Movement is one of the most effective ways to manage depression. The best part of this is that it doesn’t matter WHAT form of movement you do. If you spend time being inactive — you’ll feel more energetic and positive as soon as you start moving.

This is the Feel Good Effect.

While movement does help you burn calories and lose weight, it has a greater purpose behind it.

Movement allows you to:

(1) improve the quality of your life

(2) help support mental health and

(3) increases feelings of meaning and belonging

You’ve likely noticed the feeling you get after exercising — the endorphin rush. The endorphins explain a small part of that feeling. Exercise makes you happier by:

- lowering stress

- reducing feelings of loneliness and isolation and

- helping reduce anxiety and depression.

Exercise makes you feel happier, confident, and less anxious and stressed by increasing⁵:

- endorphins

- adrenaline

- endocannabinoids

It can even lessen physical pain.

An inactive lifestyle increases your risk for anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem. A lot of this has to do with the way your brain has evolved.

When you stay inactive, your brain loses some of its capacity. It starts losing cells in areas like the hippocampus.

The opposite is true of movement. Strength training can increase self-esteem and self-worth. It can make you feel less depressed and anxious. AND — it will make you feel more capable of meeting emotional challenges!

Movement can increase your feelings of happiness. The best part? Even as little as 10 minutes of physical activity can increase your levels of happiness.

This might sound too good to be true — except it’s shown over and over again.

Some of MANY studies shows that exercise increases:

Happiness for Middle School kids
Motivation in seniors
Cognitive functioning and memory in seniors

The list goes on and on. The point is, every time science looks at exercise — there’s a positive link to happiness. The benefits are always extensive.

Exercise doesn’t only help increase feelings of happiness. It can also help people through transformative healing.

The Benefits of Yoga — Happiness and Healing Through Exercise

Your mind and body connect in more ways than you realize. Your body is always sending the brain signals that keep you healthy. It has a lot to do with you feeling happy, sad, hopeful, or even on edge.

Movement plays an important role in the messages that your body sends to your brain. If you are inactive it can create feelings of depression and anxiety.

Moving creates positive changes in your body that tells your brain it’s happy.

Understanding the relationship between your emotions and your body is important because your body can store past trauma — trauma lives in your cells.

Activities like dancing, and yoga can be essential for healing. Yoga allows you to understand your emotions and how your body handles them. For people who have experienced trauma, yoga provides unique relief.

Yoga allows understanding of how your body is giving signals about your emotional state. Yoga also promotes mindfulness. Through mindfulness, you become aware of your body and emotions without denying them.

Being in Love With Exercise — How to Change Your Mindset

Whatever your reason for not exercising — having it become part of your life will only help you. You will be healthier and happier.

For those of you who may struggle with exercise and physical activity, there is good news. Exercise can be an experience rather than a task you have to complete⁶.

Think of exercise as doing something you love. It is an experience that adds value to your life. Remember, science supports that even as little as 10 minutes a day can help!³

It can be simple actions like:

- a walk at the end of the day with a close friend

- walking your dog

- gentle stretches at the end of the night

Whatever the movement, it will help your mood. Your mood can also serve as a guide to deciding what exercise will feel good to you.

Looking at the popular ClassPass, people use their services based on their moods. When stressed, people pick bootcamps, HIT, or cycling⁴. Yoga, pilates, or ballet are more popular choices after a long workday.

Whatever your mood, choose a form of exercise that matches and feels good. It will help you create a positive association between moving and listening to your body.

It will feel less like a chore and more like a connection with yourself, friends, or even your community.

The Social Benefit of Exercise — Happiness and Community

Exercise has a way of changing your brain chemistry, making it easier to connect with others. Meaningful connection with other people is essential for your happiness. It doesn’t matter if you’re an introvert or an extrovert. This is true for ALL people.

You can use exercise as a way to connect with friends. Whether it’s a class, hike, or a walk with the dogs, it doesn’t matter.

What matters is that you show up and move together. Having someone to share an exercise routine with will also make you more likely to stick with it.

Those who take exercise classes with a friend during the first month are 45% more likely to stay committed to it. 63% of people who take classes with friends are more likely to maintain their routine.

No matter who you move with, exercise will alter your brain chemistry and outlook. Exercise will help you:

feel a sense of connection with the people
create a sense of belonging
build relationships
create a source of support.

Working out with others also gives you a sense of shared accomplishment and teamwork. It can help you to feel more empowered about facing challenges in your own life. It creates a feeling of “we’re in this together”.

Start Today — A Happiness Challenge

No matter where you are in your wellness journey, it is never too late to start. The most important part is that you start.

Remember, as little as 10 minutes a day is all it takes. You can

Invite a friend to walk with you before work
Recruit your family and take evening walks
Try 1 exercise class

Keep a journal and record your mood every night for a month and check back in to see your progress!

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