There are a few ways one can show hope. They can wish on the first star they look upon in an otherwise dark sky. They can rub the soft fur of a rabbit’s foot as they cast their hopes upon it. And each year they can grab a whole bunch of hope as they pause before they blow out all of their birthday candles. But did you know you can hope with a simple flex of your muscles?
A recent study found that people who exercise experience 40% fewer days of poor mental health each month compared to those who don’t. Research out of UCLA reported that symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress are reduced with exercise. Although this is not completely new news, some of the mechanisms behind it have now brought us the term, “hope molecules.”
The term “hope molecule” informally refers to myokines—small proteins released by muscles during contraction. These proteins make their way to the brain, where they have potential antidepressant effects, boosting mood and enhancing well-being. The nickname comes from their positive impact on mental health, particularly through exercise.
While many of us who already use daily exercise as a baseline health habit may intuitively know that without it, the world feels a littler darker and their usual pep in their step feels a bit more like a sluggish shuffle. And as a health coach and purveyor of studio fitness, I am the first one to encourage my clients to listen to their intuition even if science has not caught up to it. The body is phenomenally intelligent and it will let you know what it needs more (or less) of if you just quiet yourself and listen. But as for the “hope molecules,” the science has fully arrived.
Every time you break a sweat, your body releases feel-good neurotransmitters, often called “happy hormones,” including endorphins, dopamine, and endocannabinoids—the latter responsible for the well-known runner’s high. Now, researchers are highlighting myokines, known as “hope molecules,” as key players in the mental health benefits of exercise.
When muscles contract, they release myokines—chains of amino acids—into the bloodstream, facilitating conversation between muscles and organs. Scientists are exploring their effects on the brain, suggesting they enhance stress resilience, reduce symptoms of trauma and anxiety, and directly impact depression. A 2021 review in Neuropharmacology found evidence that myokines also support brain function, improving memory and mood. Additionally, research is pointing to these benefits protecting us from age-related cognitive decline such as the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.
While I adore the research, it means very little unless you actually do something with it. So what can you do?
First, take stock in your current level of exercise and movement. If you really don’t move beyond the distance between your car and home, begin with walking. Walking is phenomenal. Perhaps you can walk for 20 minutes, three times per week. Maybe you walk regularly already, but lifting weights and increasing your heart rate beyond the steady state you get from walking is a bit of an enigma to you.
Maybe you can join a studio where you are guided by an instructor within a small group environment so that you can demystify all the other ways there are to exercise. Either way, start slowly and build over time. These benefits can be gained over weeks, months, and years. The only way you don’t reap the rewards of the hope molecules, is to just put this article aside and make no changes. But I hope you go for it. I hope you find hope.
Meghan Kinsey is a 20-plus year resident of Newburyport. She is a health coach and fitness instructor and owns Motivate.® Movement Studios in Amesbury, Rowley and in North Hampton, New Hampshire.