• Improves sleep: Regular physical activity can help sleep quality, which in turn is strongly connected with mood and emotional regulation.

• Creates structure: Having a couple of lower-body sessions each week can provide routine and something concrete to work toward.

• May improve energy: Regular exercise can help reduce feelings of fatigue and increase day-to-day physical capacity.

• Mind–body connection: Exercises like squats, lunges, and deadlifts require concentration on breathing, balance, and technique, which can temporarily pull attention away from rumination.

Lower-body strength training can support mental health in several ways. It’s not that strong legs directly “fix” mental health, but the exercise involved can affect your brain, mood, and daily functioning.

• Improves mood: Strength training can reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression for some people, partly through changes in brain signaling and stress regulation.

• Reduces stress: A challenging workout gives your body a controlled way to use and discharge physical stress, and regular exercise can improve how you respond to stress.

• Builds confidence: Getting stronger—e.g., squatting a weight that used to feel difficult—can create a sense of progress, competence, and self-efficacy.