ASICS: PHYSICAL EXERCISE HELPS IMPROVE THE MOOD OF SWEDISH WOMEN

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FEMALE SWEDES SHOW AN 11% 'UPLIFT' THANKS TO THE POSITIVE EFFECTS OF EXERCISE 

GOTHENBURG, Sweden, July 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Research from ASICS shows that moving has improved the mood of the female population of Sweden by 11%, with residents in Ostersund and Stockholm both experiencing the biggest improvement.

Participants who took part in Varruset (a series of runs specifically for women) in 20 different cities across Sweden were encouraged to use ASICS' Mind Uplifter tool. This measures a range of cognitive and emotional traits before and after exercise. Runners receive a score out of 100 and the State of Mind score of women in Sweden increased from 59 before the run to 64 after.

Niklas Hedborn, marketing manager at ASICS Nordics, said: "ASICS research showed that Sweden had one of the lowest State of Mind scores, ranking 13th out of 16 countries with a score of 60/100. Women were found to have a lower State of Mind score than men so we wanted to do something about it.

"Through our partnership with Varruset, we were able to track the State of Mind of its female participants across the country. It's been interesting to see the cities that experienced the biggest uplift and hope to raise awareness of the power of movement to uplift the mood, not only of an individual or a town but of a whole country."

Regional results are as follows:

As well as the overall improvement in mood, participants across Sweden reported a 9% uplift in feeling positive and a 13% uplift in feeling confident. There was also a huge 19% increase in people feeling calm after the race.

This positive uplift is a welcome result and reflects ASICS' Global State of Mind Index which proved a direct positive link between exercise and mental health.

In order to further spread the positive impact movement has on people's mental and physical wellbeing, ASICS is making a donation to  Generation Pep, a non-profit organisation that works to spread knowledge and create engagement around children and young people's health.