If you can’t shake off that bad mood, the best thing to do is switch off the TV, get off the couch, and get some exercise! After reviewing more than 30 studies of activity and mood among the elderly, researchers from Arizona State University have concluded that regular exercise, especially strength-training programs, significantly boosts the mood of participants. The scientists also found that mood was elevated to a greater extent by combining aerobic exercise with strength training. Previous thoughts that increasing age should be combined with a sedentary lifestyle are now dismissed by doctors, who now prescribe a course of regular low-impact exercise for elderly patients in order to keep in shape physically and psychologically.
SOURCE/REFERENCE: Journal of Aging and Physical Activity 2000; 8:407-430