Exercise's emotional benefits may appear within days, says cardiologist

Cardiologist Daniel López Rosetti highlights that physical activity influences mood through emotional pathways, often showing rapid improvements in stress and lower-grade emotional slumps, challenging the idea that mental health benefits only develop over weeks.

Cardiologist Daniel López Rosetti says the case for exercise in mental health starts with a simple idea: people are driven first by feeling and only then by thought. Speaking to LA NACION, he said, “No somos seres racionales, somos seres emocionales que razonan”, arguing that emotion comes before reason in human biology.

López Rosetti said movement does not work like a switch. In his view, the benefits for mood and brain health build over time, with improvement usually emerging after four to eight weeks rather than immediately. That timetable broadly matches wider medical advice, which says regular physical activity can ease stress, lift mood and support cognition by lowering stress hormones and triggering chemical changes in the brain.

He also rejected the idea that only one kind of exercise helps. According to his comments, brisk walking, jogging and resistance training can all be useful, with strength work offering effects similar to aerobic exercise in depression treatment. Health organisations such as the World Health Organisation and the American Heart Association recommend roughly 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity each week, along with regular resistance training.

The doctor drew a distinction between clinical depression and the lower-grade emotional slump many people experience under pressure, frustration and chronic stress. In those cases, he said, the response to exercise can be much quicker, sometimes within days. Medical sources including Mayo Clinic, Harvard Health and Cleveland Clinic say physical activity can reduce cortisol, release endorphins and other brain chemicals, and improve sleep, self-esteem and resilience.