Step Up to Happy

By Real Age
Spend 20 easy minutes walking and you could help guarantee a good mood for 12 hours.

That's what a recent study revealed.

A short, moderately paced workout produced feel-good brain chemicals that lasted up to 12 hours afterward.

In the study, college students either rested quietly for 20 minutes or cycled on a stationary bike for the same amount of time. And the cyclers weren't even really pushing it. They merely exercised at a mild to moderate pace (60 percent of maximum heart rate). Both groups reported lower levels of negative emotions -- like anger, depression, fatigue, and tension -- immediately after the experiment as well as 2 hours later. But only the cyclers continued to enjoy their happier mindset a full 12 hours after the workout session.