YGT: How much exercise you really need to be happy

New research has revealed the exact amount of physical activity you should be doing to lift your mood — and surprisingly, it’s not much.

Welcome to You Got This, news.com.au’s weekly fitness series featuring stories and ideas from real women who’ve experienced it all.

A study by one major fitness brand has revealed just how long you should be working out to feel your mood change.

ASICS conducted the State of Mind Index study, with results released earlier this week.

The research showed that in order to feel a positive change in your mood due to working out, you need 15 minutes and nine seconds of movement.

This is different to study results from the University of Vermont, which found 20 minutes of physical activity could boost a person’s mood for 12 hours.

A Canadian study on walkers found that a single 30 minute session had a bigger impact on mental health, rather than splitting it up into three blocks throughout the day.

There were 16 countries surveyed as part of the State of Mind Index, with Australia among them.

Other insights showed that Australia ranked three points below the global Stand of Mind Score, which was 68 out of 100.

That put Australia in spot 12 out of the 16 countries that were used as part of the survey.

It also showed that in Australia, women have a much lower score than men, with men hitting 66 and women scoring just 57.

This was identified due to the fact that women in Australia exercise an average of 60 minutes less than men every week.

This is the second biggest disparity between genders out of the countries that were surveyed.

Now, ASICS is launching a new study to find out why Aussie women aren’t exercising as much as their counterparts.

How much you should be working out. Picture: istock

Simone Bushnell, General Manager Marketing at ASICS said in a statement: “At ASICS we believe in the positive power of sport and movement – that it can transform us individually and as a community, that it can uplift our mind and bodies.

“Our research shows that a gender exercise gap persists, and we are passionate about creating a global community through the move every mind mission, bringing together thousands of women and men to share their stories and views on what they think needs to be done to tackle exercise inequality.

“We hope that our mission to move every mind will empower women to prioritise their health and fitness, even if they only have 15 minutes to spare in a day. We’re truly excited to see the positive impact this will have on women’s lives.”