Movement is often reduced to weight, appearance or athletic performance. But your brain is part of your body. Every time you walk, cycle, lift, swim, dance or play, multiple systems respond together.
MOVE → ADAPT → BUILD
Exercise can change how you feel
Regular exercise can reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety. It is increasingly recognised as an important part of supporting mental health, and research in people with depression suggests that several forms of exercise—including walking or jogging, strength training and yoga—can be helpful.
This does not mean that exercise is a simple cure or that everyone will respond in the same way. Depression can make initiation, energy and motivation particularly difficult. Exercise may form part of a broader treatment plan, but it does not automatically replace psychotherapy, medication or other appropriate care.
Your brain adapts when you move
Exercise increases blood flow and produces chemical and cellular signals that help the body respond to demand. Researchers study how movement affects neuroplasticity—the brain's capacity to adapt—as well as factors such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor, often shortened to BDNF.
BDNF is sometimes described too simply as “fertiliser for the brain.” The biology is more complex. It is one part of a much larger network, and a change in a blood biomarker does not explain every mental-health benefit. The broader evidence nevertheless supports regular physical activity as beneficial for brain health.
Movement supports thinking, not only mood
Physical activity can support aspects of cognitive function, including attention, memory and executive function. Some benefits—such as reduced short-term anxiety and improvements in sleep—may occur after a single session, while other adaptations depend on consistent activity over time.
Exercise also supports cardiovascular, metabolic and musculoskeletal health. These systems are not separate from the brain; they help shape the conditions in which the brain functions across a lifetime.
Everyday movement counts
Exercise does not have to happen in a gym. Walking to a meeting, taking the stairs, gardening, playing with children, doing mobility work or riding a bicycle all contribute. Structured training can be valuable, but so can reducing long periods of sitting and making movement easier to repeat.
The World Health Organization recommends that adults work towards 150–300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week, or 75–150 minutes of vigorous activity, plus muscle-strengthening activity on at least two days. These are population-level targets—not an entry requirement.
Some physical activity is better than none. You do not need to reach the full weekly target before movement begins to count.
How to start where you are
- Make it manageable. Choose a first session you are confident you can complete—even five or ten minutes.
- Choose movement you can repeat. Enjoyment, access and fit matter more than selecting the theoretically perfect exercise.
- Include strength as well as aerobic movement. Both can contribute to health, function and resilience.
- Use your environment. Walking outside can combine movement with daylight, time in nature and a break from screens.
- Build gradually. Add duration, frequency or intensity after consistency—not all at once.
When individual guidance matters
The safest starting point depends on your current health, symptoms and circumstances. Illness, injury, disability, pregnancy, significant deconditioning and some medication effects may require an adapted plan. If exercise produces chest pain, fainting, unusual breathlessness or other concerning symptoms, stop and seek medical advice.
When low mood is severe, encouragement alone may not be enough. A very small supported step may be more appropriate while treatment addresses the symptoms that make movement difficult.
Choose one form of movement you can do safely for ten minutes. Repeat it three times this week before deciding what to add next.
Start where you are.
Move. Adapt. Build.
Don't aim for perfection. Aim upward. ↑