The large national study surveyed 53,362 Norwegian college students ages 18 to 35 who participated in the 2022 Students' Health and Wellbeing Study.
Researchers assessed how often students exercised, how intensely they worked out and how long they spent exercising, as well as their total weekly exercise hours
Nearly a year later, thousands of those students completed a diagnostic assessment for major depressive episode or generalized anxiety disorder using the CIDI 5.0.
Researchers found that higher levels of weekly exercise were generally associated with a lower risk of depression and anxiety.
Local gym-goers said they experience mental health benefits from regular exercise.
"I do, yeah. Especially like after a long day at work, come to the gym, and it relaxes me and clears my mind. Of course, it makes me feel better too for myself," said Isael Duran.
Diane Brown said exercising early in the day helps set a positive tone.
"I like going in the morning. Start the day and just feel like I'm productive from there," Brown said.
According to the study, women who rarely or never exercised had a 15% higher risk of depression or anxiety compared with women who exercised daily. The increased risk was more than double among men.
Researchers found the lowest estimated risk among women occurred at about five to six hours of exercise per week. Among men, the risk continued to decline through 10 hours of exercise per week.
For people beginning a fitness routine, local gym-goers encouraged a gradual approach.
"You don't have to go big. It's a lot more on the body if you start big. So little by little make the adjustment, and then once you realize you're at the big part rather than just starting small," Brown said.
Duran also encouraged newcomers to stay consistent.
" I think you just got to keep on pushing through after a while. It just comes naturally. Just come to the gym every day. Eventually, you're going to like coming to the gym," he said.
The study adds to research examining the relationship between physical activity and mental health among young adults, finding that more frequent exercise was associated with a lower likelihood of depression and anxiety among the college students who participated.
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