How Movement Can Lift Mood and Ease Anxiety

When you’re navigating cancer treatment, aging, or mental health struggles like depression and anxiety, it’s easy to feel like your body and mind are working against you. But mounting research shows that one of the simplest ways to support both is through something most of us already know how to do: move.

Exercise — whether it’s walking, gentle aerobics, or yoga — has been shown to reduce depression and anxiety and improve quality of life, even during some of life’s most difficult moments.

A 2025 review in JAMA Network Open looked at exercise programs for older adults with cancer. The results were clear: regular movement helped reduce depression and anxiety and improved overall quality of life. These weren’t intense workouts — just consistent, moderate activity like walking, light strength training, or yoga.

This builds on earlier research showing similar results. A 2012 Cochrane review found that people going through cancer treatment who exercised felt better emotionally and physically. In a 2015 clinical trial, patients hospitalized with major depression saw greater improvements when aerobic exercise was added to their care.

Yoga also stands out as a powerful yet gentle option. A 2017 review showed that yoga can help relieve depression, and a separate study in breast cancer patients found that those who practiced yoga during treatment reported less depression and better emotional balance.

Across all of these studies, the message is consistent: movement helps — not just physically, but mentally and emotionally. Whether it’s a walk around the block, stretching at home, or a group class, making time to move can boost mood, ease anxiety, and help you feel more in control during tough times.

You don’t have to do it perfectly — just consistently. A little movement goes a long way.

 

Rao RM, Raghuram N, Nagendra HR, et al. Effects of an integrated Yoga Program on Selfreported Depression Scores in Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Conventional Treatment: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Indian J Palliat Care. 2015;21(2):174‐181.

Ridges L, Sharma M. The Efficacy of Yoga as a Form of Treatment for Depression. J Evid Based Complementary Altern Med. 2017;22(4):1017‐1028.

Shachar-Malach T, Cooper Kazaz R, Constantini N, Lifschytz T, Lerer B. Effectiveness of Aerobic Exercise as an Augmentation Therapy for Inpatients with Major Depressive Disorder: A Preliminary Randomized Controlled Trial. Isr J Psychiatry Relat Sci. 2015;52(3):65‐70

Mishra SI, Scherer RW, Snyder C, Geigle PM, Berlanstein DR, Topaloglu O. Exercise interventions on health-related quality of life for people with cancer during active treatment. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2012;(8):CD008465-CD008465

Soong RY, Low CE, Ong V, Sim I, Lee C, Lee F, Chew L, Yau CE, Lee ARYB, Chen MZ. Exercise Interventions for Depression, Anxiety, and Quality of Life in Older Adults With Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. JAMA Netw Open. 2025 Feb 3;8(2):e2457859. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.57859. PMID: 39903465; PMCID: PMC11795328.

 

By Dr. Sydney Moffat, ND and Dr. Gurdev Parmar, ND, FABNO(USA)