By making movement a regular part of your routine, you can sharpen your mind, strengthen emotional resilience and cultivate mental clarity. “Movement is brilliant for your brain! When you exercise, you stimulate the production of brain-boosting proteins. These special proteins help your brain form new connections and adapt throughout life,” says Melissa Lain, an integrative nutrition health coach and certified nutrition practitioner.
Exercise also increases blood flow to the brain, delivering oxygen and nutrients that support the growth of new brain cells, particularly in your memory centre. “This is why regular mindful movement can transform not just your body but your thinking ability, emotional balance and stress resilience,” says Melissa. “Regular movement helps you literally ‘move through’ limiting thoughts and patterns that no longer serve you. It’s a powerful tool for brain wellness,” she adds. What else is possible when we make the connection between movement and mind?
Glamour: What types of movement are most effective for boosting mood and reducing stress?
Melissa Lainn: Rhythmic activities like walking, running, dancing, swimming and cycling seem particularly effective for mood boosting, as they increase feel- good brain chemicals while reducing stress hormones. The best movement practice, however, is the one you’ll do consistently. This could be hiking, which adds the benefit of green space that further reduces stress. For others, group fitness classes provide social connection that amplifies the mood-boosting effects. The key is to find movement that feels good in your body and brings you genuine joy and a sense of accomplishment.
Glamour: How can running or cycling enhance memory and cognitive function?
Melissa: Aerobic activities are like brain powerhouses; they increase heart rate and blood flow to the brain, particularly to the frontal lobe responsible for things like decision-making and focus. Research also shows these activities can improve memory and mental clarity. The rhythmic, “both-sides” nature of running and cycling is particularly beneficial because it engages both halves of your brain, strengthening the bridge that connects them to support more complete thinking. Have you noticed how solutions to problems sometimes “pop up” during runs or bike rides? That’s your whole brain working!
Glamour: What impact does strength training have on mental clarity and focus?
Melissa: Most of us need more strength training in our lives as it offers unique brain benefits that complement cardio B exercises. When you lift weights or do body-weight exercises, you engage in a perfect kind of challenge for your body, pushing your muscles and brain simultaneously. This focused attention builds present-moment awareness that is similar to meditation. Over time, strength training can also balance blood sugar and stress hormones (which directly impact brain function and mental clarity). Even brief strength sessions two or three times a week can help you feel mentally “stronger” along with the beneficial physical changes.
Glamour: Can mindful-movement exercises improve emotional resilience and mental well-being?
Melissa: Mind-body practices like yoga, tai chi and qigong are powerful for building emotional strength. These practices intentionally pair movement with breath awareness and body awareness, connecting you to parts of your body you might not normally ‘use’ in your everyday life, which directly calms your body’s stress response system. The slow and intentional nature of these practices increases your ability to sense and understand your body’s signals, helping you feel more connected to your whole body. Strengthening this body-mind connection helps you notice emotional triggers earlier and respond thoughtfully rather than simply reacting. Consistent yoga or similar practice helps develop what I call an “emotional pause button”, a space between when something happens and how you respond to it. This is really at the heart of resilience.
Glamour: How do high-intensity workouts (HIIT) influence brain chemistry and stress levels?
Melissa: HIIT workouts offer a fascinating benefit from short-term “good stress” (yes, there is such a thing!). These workouts temporarily increase stress hormones, but is followed by a significant post-workout drop in levels — often to levels lower than when you started. This hormonal “reset” can be particularly beneficial for those dealing with ongoing or chronic stress, as it helps train the body to move between activation (stress) and recovery (rest and repair) with more ease. HIIT also triggers a substantial release of endorphins and other feel- good brain chemicals. Many people have said that HIIT workouts have helped to clear mental fog and worry while boosting energy and motivation.
Glamour: What role does breathwork and movement synchronisation play in improving mental clarity?
Melissa: Matching your breath with your movements is your express route to better brain function and nervous system strength. It helps activate your vagus nerve — a major communication highway between your brain and body — and can also help regulate inflammation, ease the body’s stress response and even improve gut function (all of which impact your mental clarity). When you consciously match your breathing to your movements, you’re doing a moving meditation that enhances present- moment awareness and reduces mind- wandering and overthinking. Try simple breath-movement patterns during daily activities, like breathing in for four steps while walking, out for four steps. It’s an easy way to begin to improve focus and mental clarity throughout your day.
Glamour: How does regular exercise have an impact on feel-good brain chemicals?
Melissa: Exercise increases the production of serotonin (your happiness chemical) and dopamine (your motivation chemical), helping to regulate factors like mood, appetite and sleep. Consistent mindful movements can increase your brain’s sensitivity to these natural feel-good chemicals, making you more responsive to everyday pleasures rather than needing artificial stimulation. As you establish consistent movement habits, you may actually begin to naturally crave healthier foods and experiences rather than things like overly-processed foods, excessive screen time, or other quick-fix pleasures that ultimately leave you feeling worse.
Glamour: Do certain exercises help prevent cognitive decline and support brain health long-term?
Melissa: Research is pretty clear that regular physical activity may be our most powerful tool for keeping our brains young as we age. Activities that combine physical challenge with thinking seem particularly protective — like dancing!