It’s no secret that running is amazing for your physical health. This beloved sport builds muscle in your legs, improves cardiovascular health, and can even help you live longer. But the benefits of running don’t stop there: Putting one foot in front of the other is just as good for your mind as it is for your body. 

Peloton instructor Joslyn Thompson Rule has felt these benefits firsthand. “Movement in itself is wonderful for mental health,” Joslyn says. “Running, in its very simple form of putting one foot in front of the other, allows a certain freedom. Your thoughts can come and go, and you can gently acknowledge them before moving on.” 

With time, running can be a tool you lean on when your mental health needs a boost. “First, acknowledge running as a method of support,” she says. “Understand that movement will be of benefit to you when you feel like it, but even more so when you don’t.” 

The Mental Health Benefits of Running

Curious about the manifold ways running helps you think, feel, and perform better? Ahead, Joslyn and performance trainer Saara Haapanen, PhD, go over what happens to your brain during all those 5Ks, 10Ks, and fun runs. 

1. Running Boosts Your Mood 

The runner’s high is lauded for a reason: The endorphins that kick in during runs offer an instant mood boost. “Endorphins are basically a natural painkiller and a mood elevator,” Haapanen explains. “Some people get [a runner’s high] more easily than others, so I would say it is dependent on your own individual physiology.” For example, Haapanen says that she tends to have a harder time accessing this euphoric state.

“There’s new research about something called endocannabinoids that suggests these might even be playing a bigger role than the actual endorphins, as far as potentially reducing anxiety and enhancing mood,” says Haapanen. Regardless of the mechanism, if you notice that you have a little extra pep in your step at the end of your run, enjoy it—and know that the mood-boosting effects of your run go beyond that post-run rush. Research shows that running not only improves mood in the short-term (i.e., immediately after a run), but also in the long-term when you’re regularly including running in your routine.

2. Running Helps You Sleep Better

Aerobic (aka cardio) exercise, such as running, helps your body regulate melatonin, a hormone that’s crucial to the sleep-wake cycle. It’s one of the many reasons why exercise can improve sleep. Research shows that exercise can help you fall asleep faster and improve sleep time and quality. And given that good sleep helps everything from your mood to your cognitive functioning, you can count your next run as a serious mental health win. 

3. Running Gives You the Opportunity to Hang With Friends

Exercise plus friends is a winning combination—just ask anyone who’s joined a local run club. Working out with friends, old and new, has been shown to run laps (pun intended) around sweating solo. Studies show that logging your miles with a friend may help you feel less lonely and even decrease symptoms of depression. So, starting your running journey with a pal or looking up a local running crew may compound the mental health benefits. 

4. Running Reduces Stress 

You might already know that exercise, in general, is a powerful tool for combating stress. Exercise relieves stress by conveying many of the benefits listed here (including boosting your mood through endorphins and improving sleep), but also by helping to regulate your heart rate, nervous system, anxiety response, and hormones, such as cortisol (commonly known as the “stress hormone”). Research also indicates that regular exercise, including running, can help increase your resilience against stress.

Those benefits compound over time, according to Haapanen. “If you’re running two to three times a week, eight plus weeks, you're going to start to see more durable or long-term sustainable changes in your brain chemistry, your emotional regulation, and how your body responds to stress,” she says. 

5. Running Sharpens Your Memory and Cognition

There are so many ways exercise improves brain health. For example, research shows that running enhances memory by promoting neurogenesis (the creation of new brain cells), particularly in the hippocampus, your brain’s memory center. At the same time, running also increases blood flow to the brain, which can improve cognitive functions like focus, attention, and problem-solving, leaving you feeling more mentally sharp. In the long run (no pun intended), there’s even evidence to suggest that moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, including running, may reduce your risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. 

6. Running Makes You Mentally Strong

Remember what we said about stress resilience? Over time, running can help you cultivate greater mental toughness, or the ability to perform well despite pressure or adversity. That means, as you rack up the miles, other challenging efforts may start to feel more reasonable. That doesn’t mean that a hard day at work or a difficult conversation will suddenly feel like a breeze, but running can help you show up and push through when things get difficult. 

7. Running May Help With Depression and Anxiety

“A lot of the current research is consistent in showing that running, or any sort of vigorous exercise in general, can reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety and improve overall mood,” says Haapanen. 

That said, running isn’t a replacement for mental health support. If you’re struggling with these feelings, it’s best to consult with a mental health professional. You can call 988 at any time to talk with someone, free of charge.

8. Running Is a Mindfulness Activity

You don’t need to be seated to practice mindfulness. When you’re running—even if you have a high-energy playlist or guided running workout coming through your headphones—you’re alone with yourself and focused on a single task in a way that’s especially conducive to practicing mindfulness. This comes with benefits such as reduced stress, improved focus, and a better mood. “Movement allows us to be more connected to our emotions, which creates greater self-awareness, a key component to our mental health,” Joslyn says.  

How to Build a Running Routine to Support Your Mental Health

Ready to experience the mental health benefits of running? If you’re already a runner, rest assured that you’re enjoying these advantages every time you lace up your sneakers. Approaching your runs in the right headspace—seeing them as a moment for mindfulness and self-care as well as an opportunity to chase your performance goals—can make all the difference in how you feel as a result of your running routine.

If you aren’t yet a runner but want to be one, know that the key to getting started with running, according to Joslyn, is patience. If you try to run a mile on your first day, you may end up feeling more frustrated than inspired, so take it easy and commit to gradual progress.

Start with Walking

“I would encourage people to feel comfortable doing a solid 30- to 45-minute walk at a moderate pace so that they have a foundation of aerobic conditioning first,” Joslyn says. Once you’ve worked your way up to longer power walks, it’s time to speed things up. “From there, I would take our 15- to 20-minute Walk + Run classes two to three times per week,” Joslyn says. 

For a more guided approach, consider one of Peloton’s You Can Run programs, which start with run-walk workouts and include two or three weekly workouts and gradually increase the duration and intensity over eight weeks.

Then Run Short and Slow

Over time, you’ll slowly realize that you can run without stopping for five minutes, then 10, then more, without needing a break. When that time comes, Joslyn recommends going for short runs at an easy pace, maintaining an effort level (or rate of perceived exertion) of 2–3 out of 10. 

You can keep intensity in check by using the talk test: “You want to be able to hold a conversation while you're running,” Haapanen says. “The pace should be enough to elevate your heart rate and challenge the body.” Eventually, you can level up to higher intensities and incorporate speed work into your running journey, but at first, it’s more important to build up your stamina for running. To allow your body time to recover, limit yourself to only two or three runs per week.

Sign Up for a Race

You don’t need to train for a race to consider yourself a runner, or have a reason to get out the door—but it can help you stay motivated and consistent with your training. Consider signing up to run a 5K or another accessible distance. Hitting that sign-up button will help you stay on track and give you something to look forward to and work towards as you progress through your running journey. Then, when you cross the finish line, enjoy the rush of satisfaction that comes from achieving a goal. 

Reframe How You Think About Running

Ask yourself: Why do I run? If the answer is purely physical (“I run to have strong legs” or “I run to stay in good cardiovascular health”), consider whether you can expand your why to include your mental wellbeing. Adopting the mindset that your daily run boosts your mood or helps mitigate stress can make it easier to lace up and head out the door, or maintain perspective when the miles feel hard or your pace isn’t where you want it to be.

“The mental aspect is practice; each training session is a practice both physically and mentally,” Joslyn says. As you continue to run for your body and brain, get curious. Ask yourself: How does it feel mentally when I run longer or harder? “The more you do the workouts, the more familiar you become with the ‘feeling’ of the workouts and they become less daunting,” she says.

For a little more guidance, check out the Outdoor Mindful Walks and Mental Health collections of classes on the Peloton App. The latter focuses on mindful movement to celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month and includes workouts of all types, including runs.

Know That Every Minute Counts

There’s no single recommended “dose” of running (or other exercise) needed to reap significant mental health benefits. For general health and wellbeing, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the World Health Organization both recommend adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week, or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise, or an equivalent combination of the two. However, research shows that the mental health benefits of exercise can be observed at a minimal level of just 20 minutes per week. 

Listen to Yourself and Be Flexible 

Even though you’re running for your mental health, it’s important to remember that you still need to listen to your body and tune into what you need on any given day. “I encourage members to always meet themselves where they're at, for every session—that gets them better practiced at doing so on the tougher days,” Joslyn says.

If you’re not feeling up for a run, it’s OK to call an audible. “Know that some form of movement or intentional rest will still be of benefit—maybe that’s switching out a run for a walk, stretching for 10 minutes instead of walking, or meditating for 10 minutes instead of mobility,” Joslyn says. “Being flexible allows you to stay consistent with some sort of movement practice, even if that’s gentler on some days than it is on others.”

Although low energy or a bad mood can be a sign you need to reconsider your workout, know that sometimes a workout is just what you need to turn your day around.